‘Intersections’ features capstone students’ art

‘Intersections’ features student artwork at Nightingale Gallery

April 18, 2019 LA GRANDE, Ore. – The second capstone exhibition for Eastern Oregon University art students features work by Audrey Lind, Berenice Chavez Meraz, Haley White, and Tanisha Willis. The show, entitled “Intersections,” runs from April 26 to May 10 in the Nightingale Gallery on campus, with an opening reception Friday, April 26 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“Intersections” features a mix of photography, collage, painting, and installation. Each artist’s work explores emotions and relationships through the human figure.

Audrey Lind grew up surrounded by numerous fuzzy, scaly, feathered, and slimy family members. At a young age, she became enamored with learning about other species, both through books and popular culture. She is still particularly fond of stories with talking animals. Much of Lind’s current work explores relationships between humans and other species. While she is committed to conservation, she is also interested in exploring her own romanticism of animals, which stems from childhood experiences.

Lind uses blind contour drawing and painting to create playful, combined forms that are neither “human” nor “animal,” aiming to remind viewers that humans are not so different from other members of the natural world.

Berenice Chavez Meraz is a Mexican-born and American-raised photographer. Through her study of and interest in anthropology, Chavez Meraz’s work references social issues and the essence of what it means to be human. Her work is a visual ethnography of family, love, separation and belonging. Through the use of photography, Chavez Meraz offers the viewer a chance to compare themselves to the subjects in the images.

Chavez Meraz began documenting her family life at home after hearing that her mother would be deported in 2018. Her images question what it means to be an American, considering legal status versus the amount of time spent living in a country one calls home. The permanence of the images solidifies the life and identity that Chavez Meraz’s mother has made for herself in this country. According to Chavez Meraz, “these photographs take the place of the legal citizenship that my mother does not have. They are proof that she belongs.”

Haley White was born and raised in La Grande. She was introduced to art early in her life and was encouraged to be creative. She often spent a lot of time pretending and using her imagination to create places and narratives. White uses her playful imagination and her childhood memories to create new worlds of her own. She creates these worlds through collage and screen printing. White uses old photos, magazines and books to collage her pieces. She then scans her collages and turns them into a larger CMYK screen print.

Tanisha Willis was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia. She was introduced to art as a child through drawings she saw on television. Inspired, she dedicated herself to learning and improving her drawing skills. With little in the way of encouragement in her hometown, Willis spent several years pursuing other careers until she finally settled in La Grande. With a supportive partner behind her, she decided to pursue her artistic passion.

Willis’ deep and personal connection to the art of story inspired her to learn the arts of bookmaking and illustration which she uses to share her stories and ideas. The books she makes and the environments she creates for them are a way of connecting with viewers, as well as making her work more accessible to the general public. She said the book is an easily recognizable material, something just about everyone can understand, experience and share.

The gallery, located in Loso Hall, is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, visit eou.edu/art or follow the Nightingale Gallery on Facebook and Instagram.

To request images of artwork for publication or to schedule an interview with the artist please contact Gallery Director Cory Peeke at cpeeke@eou.edu.