Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
This weekend’s senior Studio Art exhibition features the work of Kat Clark ’12 and Meredyth Duncan ’12. Their artwork will be displayed together in List Gallery from May 3rd to the 6th. The opening reception is today (Thursday the 3rd) from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Clark, a visual artist from Racine, Wisconsin, works with instant and medium format film, digital images, and video projections in her exhibition titled Mind the Light: The Storied Swarthmore.
“‘Mind the Light’ is a Quaker saying that refers to the practice of learning to see divine light in others and ourselves,” said Clark. “It’s often been associated with Swarthmore. It’s also the main principle of photography (phōtos + graphé = ‘drawing with light’) and, in many ways, it reflects the way I approach portraits of the people in my life.”
Clark uses events, places, and people in the college’s history — including the Tarble Center fire of 1983, Crum Creek, and Amos J. Peaslee — as influences for her portraits.
“On a more personal level,” said Clark, “the images reflect my growing-up at Swarthmore. More than anything else, it’s a story about my home.”
Duncan, a potter and ceramic artist from Falls Church, Virginia, titled her exhibition Unearthed.
A double major in Biology and Studio Art, Duncan is fascinated by ancient pottery. She explained, “I like looking at ancient pottery from as many cultures as I can find! I derive most of my inspiration from that. I’m interested in ancient pottery because I’m intrigued by the sense of continuity that I get by mimicking styles and techniques that may be many thousands of years old. I also really like the aesthetic of many types of ancient pottery. It’s often extremely complex and highly symmetrical.”
Duncan said of the development of her pieces, “Most of my pieces are wheel-thrown, but with several of the larger more recent pieces, I’ve started to move away from the wheel and experiment with coil building and slab building. While I previously used glazes on my pots, I have recently been focusing on decorative techniques derived from the ancient pottery sources that I look at, such as inlaying.”
The exhibition is free and open to the public during regular List Gallery hours. All are welcome at Thursday’s reception.
Click here for a complete schedule of the 2012 Senior Thesis Exhibition Series.
