Ars Longa, Vita Brevis: Art Is Long, Life Is Short, Senior Honors Thesis Exhibition Part One: March 18 to April 10, 2005, Part Two: April 15 to May 6, 2005, Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums This year's spring exhibition of graduating studio art majors will feature work by students who will display the culmination of their four years of study and creativity in the two-part exhibition, which is titled Ars Longa, Vita Brevis: Art is Long, Life is Short . The exhibition will include paintings, textiles, intaglio prints, computer design, installation, and book art.   On view from March 18 to April 10, Part One includes the following graduating seniors:            Karianne Butt's work addresses freedom of expression in personal presentation through clothing and dress. Her theme, "Sidewalk Runway," will incorporate couture runway styles with daily life to explore an individual's desire for social acceptance as well as the resulting sacrifice of individuality that ensues. Blair Falck has created a series of landscape inspired paintings that question the association between horizontal form and landscape through the introduction of vertical and curvilinear shapes that break up the horizontal format. By layering bands of glazed color and displaying the paintings in small groupings, Falck aims to express the variance of color in landscapes.
The graphic art of Erri Kanesaka addresses her experience of Kumdo -- a variation of the Japanese martial art, Kendo -- and its capacity to unite the cultures of Japan, Korea, and the United States. Her work ranges from two-dimensional posters to three-dimensional interactive designs that allow viewers to experience the martial art vicariously through an understanding of Kumdo's appearance and aims.   Part Two premieres April 15 and continues until May 6. The following students are featured: For her project, Silvia Chu created a graphic identity for a ficticious company called Mozquito. Her art integrates style and product design in its development of practical promotional items and in her web-based work. Chu's innovative creations boldly accost the viewer through non-traditional representation of mundane items, which range from stationery to home accessories.             Stephanie Rounds employs bookbinding techniques and mixed media to explore the interaction of text and image. Through color choice, structure, and shape, as well as letters and images, each piece communicates an aspect of the artist's life, namely the places, people, and memories that have shaped her identity.   Nisha Singh's prints comprise an updated, hand-bound Book of Hours (a medieval hymn, prayer and meditation book). Her work addresses the dialogue between globalization and the construction of identity, and the relationship between historical, cultural and artistic traditions; her art aims to comment on the influence of Christianity, the accessibility of information, and the ingenuity of the suppressed.             Linnea Westerberg explores the Scandinavian decorative wood art of rosemaling (traditional Scandinavian craft of decorating wooden household projects) in her exploration of how the home space/habitat reveals time. Her large oil paintings question the definition of 'home' and aim to suggest a reevaluation of nostalgia and memory.             The honors studio art majors work throughout the senior year to prepare for this exhibition. In the fall, the students focus on creating a cohesive body of work that supports a developed thesis. The spring semester is spent organizing for the exhibition by completing their artwork, refining artist and thesis statements, making slides of the artwork, applying for fellowships, and engaging in critiques. This academic year, both fall and spring semesters have been taught by Tanja Softic', Associate Professor of Art, Department of Art and Art History. PROGRAMMING Opening Reception, Senior Honors Thesis Exhibition, Part Two Thursday, April 14, 6-7 p.m. Booth Lobby, Harnett Museum of Art, University Museums, George M. Modlin Center for the Arts Admission to the University of Richmond Museums and to the events mentioned above is free and open to the public.