Last Friday, the art department held the opening reception for this semester’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) show. The show, titled “Variegated Narratives,” is on display in the Foster Gallery in Haas Fine Arts Center from Dec 2-15. 

The gallery showcases the final projects of four art major graduates enrolled in ART 402 Advanced Studio Practice. This class focused on improving professional practices for artists while they worked on a project of their own choosing. 

The four graduates making up the project are Anna Carlson, Jinxxy Julson, Riley Wiggins and Danielle Filiowich. All four of the students created projects in different mediums, covering mixed media light projects, digital illustration, brand identity and printmaking. 

Filiowich’s project focused on graphic design to create brand identity. Her idea was to design product labels for a hypothetical skincare brand. 

“It’s a skincare and lifestyle brand that specializes in skincare from head to toe and is safe for sensitive skin and people who have skin irritations like dermatitis,” Filiowich said.

Filiowish’s brand is called “Primary” because it would contain only the primary, or essential ingredients the body needs. The display for the brand included soap, shampoo and laundry detergent bottles that were color-coded to the brand design.

Filiowich said she is glad to be graduating and hopes to do graphic design in the Twin Cities.

“Whatever I do, I want to make sure I am creatively challenged and not just doing the same thing,” Filiowich said.

Julson had a display of mixed media pieces that played with aspects of color and light. 

“Light influenced my work — each work is a depiction of light from a moment in my life. This work is rooted in my want to reconnect with myself artistically, so I took a look at what interests me in my day-to-day life and delved into the topic of interesting light,” Julson’s artist statement said.

After graduation, Julson said they plan to work with fiber arts and bookbinding before returning to big compositions. These pieces incorporate laser-cut paper and light fixtures, making them unique in terms of material. 

Carlson, had a display of linocut prints with various floral designs. Altogether, there were four prints and each had a different color.

Surrounding the flower in the middle on each print were various items that were meaningful to her.

“Each of these prints represents a year of my life in college. There are different items that depict different memories from that year,” Carlson said.

Carlson said she just started printmaking this spring but has come to really love it. She often includes nature in her artwork.

“The handmade aspect makes it feel so human,” Carlson said. 

After graduating, Carlson said her dream job would be a children’s book illustrator or book cover designer. 

Wiggins had a series of narrative paintings about vampires eating various human organs. Different images showcase vampires eating human eyeballs on a skewer, blending organs to make a smoothie or having a communal feast. 

“I have a passion for narrative illustration. I create imagery that implies a story of serenity and gluttony. Referencing old clothing catalogs and movies, I am inspired by the patterns and warm color palettes of the 1970s,” Wiggins said in her artist statement.

“My artwork shows how the human body can be taken apart and used to make elaborate and appetizing dishes fit for a monster,” Wiggins said. 

Each of the BFA students also has another piece on view in the Jeanne and Brady Foust Gallery at the Pablo center along with the work from the non-BFA students. 

This gallery is visible from the windows on the side of the Pablo Center and is open until Jan. 26. 

Sonnek can be reached at [email protected].