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One-on-One with Sean Brice and Andrea Jennings, art students with exhibitions in The Boneyard Arts Festival
4:00 am Apr 15 - by Matt Carey – buzz Movies & TV Editor
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Boneyard Arts Festival Logo (Taken from http://www.40north.org)
Luna
116 n. chestnut st.
date: thursday, April 15
time: 7 p.m. - 12 p.m.
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What better place is there for two art students to premiere their senior thesis show than at the Boneyard Arts Festival? Graduating seniors Sean Brice and Andrea Jennings are delivering their exhibit “Not For Prophet” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 15th, at Luna. Brice and Jennings talked to buzz and gave more details about their multi-media art.
buzz: When did you first get the idea for “Not For Prophet?”
Sean Brice: As students in the studio art program here at the University, we are required to put on a senior thesis exhibition. The idea for this particular show came when Andrea and I decided to work together last summer. Despite different backgrounds and interests, we saw similar artistic styles and overlapping themes within the content of our work that could create a cohesive and exciting show.
buzz: How long have you been working on the exhibit, and what sort of work have you had to do?
SB: The show is really the culmination of four years of work in the art program, even further back if you really want to get at the conceptual inspiration for some pieces. We’ve been in the actual exhibition space for about two months now, taking care of renovations and getting work installed. It has taken a lot of painting, dusting and mopping to get the old train station into gallery shape, but it has been extremely rewarding.
buzz: Your exhibit is about health institutions. Did the current political climate with the health care debate influence your work in any way?
Andrea Jennings: I’ve been making artwork about the sick body’s relationship to medicine for over two years now. When health care became the most talked about political issue recently, it was both intimidating and exciting for me, both as an artist and a person with chronic health issues. It felt like all of a sudden the entire country cared about the same things I cared about, and some of the problems that I was attempting to address in my art were going to finally be solved. All of my work in the show was created before the Reform Bill was signed, when many people were holding their breath, and hoping for change. The political climate definitely influenced my artwork, as it could not have been made at any other time. I am excited to see how this reform pans out in coming years.
SB: Thank the lord for timely politics and pedophilia.
buzz: What was the working relationship like between the two of you?
AJ: We’re both stubborn and loud-mouthed. And we love attention, so it would only make sense that we chose to work together.
SB: The amount of time it took to finish this interview is proof that two people as stubborn as us should never work together. Nice girl though.
buzz: In what way does your exhibit “claim authority and take control?”
SB: We’re lucky to be working with two institutions with such rich and well-known visual identities, and I think we use that to our advantage. I guess the authority really comes from our role as “makers.” We provide the framework – literally and contextually – for the viewers to rethink these institutions. You can relate it pretty easily to the censorship you see from the church and healthcare system. What you’re given though in this case is the absurdity that would normally be left out. A little humor helps the medicine go down.
buzz: What else can you tell us about the exhibit’s opening night at the Boneyard Arts Festival?
AJ: We expect the Boneyard opening on Thursday to be a pretty mellow arty night. It’s exciting to be a part of such a well-received art festival and we look forward to chatting with the show-goers and seeing what other artists have put together. The real party for us is Friday night, which will feature fine cheeses, beverages, good-looking people and local DJ trio the Ruckus (after 10 p.m.).
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