The Smith Gallery at Appalachian State University will present "Fuse Box," a graphic design student exhibition, Feb. 16 through Feb. 26 with a reception on Feb. 16 from 5-6:30 p.m. The gallery is located in the lobby of the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts.
The show features works by graduating seniors Blair Bodnarchuk, Devan Brush, Sean Burgess, Matt Donnelly, Lydia Eaker, Andrea Gilbert, Jordan Hines, Emily Hutchinson, Sevina Lao, Madison Lellie, Adam Lucas, Francisco Martinez, and Maggie Sherwood. Working alone or in teams, the students created a variety of interactive installations that take on subjects ranging from the importance of self care to 90’s nostalgia to the visual-linguistics of protest signage.
In a statement that reflects their choice of title and hopes for connecting with visitors through the exhibition, the students commented: “A fuse box is a curious thing. Flip a switch, and depending on its connections, you can turn on a lightbulb or potentially start a fire. Either way, there is illumination where there had been only darkness before and it took a conscious act in order for it to happen. Without that initial spark, we are left stumbling in the dark. 'Fuse Box' is an exhibition to encourage that spark, to provide the initiative for viewers to actively explore and seek illumination in the world around us. It is our hope that the exhibit will set off a lightbulb in your imagination or start a fire that moves you into action.”
About the Department of Art
One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Department of Art at Appalachian State University prepares students to explore art, identity, expression and creative problem-solving while challenging them to go beyond their previous limits by discovering new connections to culture. The department offers degrees in art and visual culture, art education, graphic design, studio art, commercial photography and graphic arts and imaging technology, with minors in art history, studio art, commercial photography and graphic arts and imaging technology.
About Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 18,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
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Appalachian's Smith Gallery will present "Fuse Box" by graduating graphic design students, Feb. 16-26.