Reflect/Refract Opening Reception Friday, April 28th 6-9 PM
What waits beneath the surface of unknown histories, rabbit holes, and suppressed selves? Five artists—through video, animation, interactive fiction, sculpture, fiber, and digital painting—find answers by creating alternate worlds. We reflect and refract: mirrors aiding a self portrait, shiny metal you can’t help but catch a glimpse of yourself in, projections playing on walls, camera lenses capturing content.
In turbulent times, we use ourselves as lenses and mirrors. The multimedia works in Reflect/Refract encompass three primary themes: the language of digital culture, the erasure of femme and queer experiences, and our relationships to nature, tradition, and technology. This annual exhibition is the culminating capstone project for graduating studio art majors at Scripps College.
Our world imposes standards for how we should look and act—categorizations which serve capitalist ideals and reinforce outdated social structures. The artists acknowledge the inequities that exist today as a catalyst to redefine and reclaim their lived experiences. In doing so, alternate realities erupt. Whether it’s picturing conversations with fictional beings, imagining landscapes that never existed, or creating objects from other worlds, their work allows them to reach beyond the confines of tangible reality. Participating artists include senior art majors Sophia Frye, Sophie Mannes, Charlotte Meigs, Vivian Monteiro, and Olivia Wiebe.
The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 to 5 pm during exhibitions. Admission is free.
We seniors extend our sincere gratitude toward those who have supported this exhibition, the Williamson Gallery, and the artists. We are grateful for continued support of the art department faculty. At the Williamson Gallery, we deeply thank and acknowledge the efforts of Interim Director Kirk Delman, Collections Manager T Robert Pacini, Academic Curator Margalit Monroe, Curator of Visual Resources John Trendler, and Gallery Guard Jan Blair. The Lori Bettison-Varga Endowment Fund, Scripps Fine Arts Foundation, and the Ames Fund enabled the artists to make the projects of their dreams. Special thanks also goes to the Mary N. Freedman Fund for the Senior Art Exhibition, an endowment created by the Daniel X. and Mary N. Freedman Foundation to honor Mary N. Freedman’s lifelong commitment to art and art education. Finally, we offer our appreciation to President of Scripps College Amy Marcus-Newhall and the Board of Trustees.