Lunmin. III by Christine Perry

We are proud to celebrate the work of our honors students, whose work explored issues of race, identity and home, memory and the fabric of existence.

Juliet Irving, a double major in Graphic Design and Dance Studies, a University Honors student, and a Wilson Scholar, defended her senior thesis, Black American Spirit: Ridge Spring, South Carolina, a multimedia installation focusing on the history, spirituality, and resiliency of the black community of Ridge Spring. Juliet will begin the Master of Fine Arts in Dance: Embodied Interdisciplinary Praxis graduate program at Duke University in the Fall. Assistant Professor of Dance Studies Cara Hagan was her thesis director and Professor Clif Meador was her second reader.

Commercial photography major and University Honors student Nathan Sales defended his senior thesis, Yonder Expectations, a series of landscape images that question the stability of identity and recognize the fluidity of what it means to be home. Nathan’s thesis director was Assistant Professor Andrew Caldwell.

Last fall, Emma Bouma, an Art Management major and Departmental Honors student curated an exhibition at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM) for her thesis. The exhibition, Remembrance: The Nostalgic Impulse at Work explored the way that nine young contemporary artists engage nostalgia to explore relationships to their pasts and how these relationships inform their present identities and create a sense for the future. Professor Jody Servon was her thesis director and Jennie Carlisle, Smith Gallery Director, was her second reader.

BFA Studio Art and BA Art History major and Departmental Honors student Christine Perry’s thesis, Lumin, was exhibited in the BFA Senior Studio Spring 2019 exhibition at the Smith Gallery.  Christine painted her own vibrant paintings black to represent the vibrance of what is left behind after suffering personal hardship. Professor Michael Grady was her thesis director and Professor Gary Nemcosky her second reader. In 2017, Christine participated in the Mint Museum's 27th Annual Regional Undergraduate Art History Symposium. Her presentation, “Exploring Gender in Contemporary American Art and Tribal Tradition,” inspired by the work, Asymmetrical Jar by Jacquie Stevens, a work in the museum’s permanent collection.