If the last year and a half have taught us anything, it is that change is inevitable. As several students’ lives have adjusted and fluctuated over the course of COVID-19’s spread, some may reflect on the past, or reminisce over moments that occurred prior to the pandemic. Collaborating to present their works from the past and present in their new exhibit on campus entitled “Inevitability of:”, two WSU Vancouver students capture the essence of what it means to explore a new world of uncharted territories with an unforeseen future.
Released on Aug. 23 in the upper and lower levels of the Science and Engineering Building, graduate and former digital technology and culture major, Betsy Hanrahan, partnered with senior and fine arts major, Austin Chavers, to create an exhibit that showcases artworks the two had made during lockdown, demonstrating their journey as evolving artists.
“We wanted to capture how things can change so quickly in your life, and we don’t really have any control over what the world does around us. So, we came up with ‘Inevitability Of:’, because we were talking about change, and all the things that have happened around us that we couldn’t really control, but we can still create based on those things,” Hanrahan said.
Like the synopsis notes, ‘Inevitability Of:’ conveys “The passage of time, evolving and devolving, reactionary behavior, developing, waiting, observing, forming; a life in transition.” While the message is certainly relevant to current events, Chavers explains it was important for them to select a theme that every student can relate to.
“Knowing that we both have experienced the pandemic as well as everybody else, we just felt putting a little bit of importance on that was needed. … It feels more real that way rather than just throwing some stuff up and having it be impersonal with just totally ignoring the last year and a half,” Chavers stated.
(Emily Baumann/The VanCougar)
Having similar backgrounds, Hanrahan and Chavers both became fascinated with art at a young age. While delving into more serious concepts within their teenage years, the two began experimenting with different mediums such as painting, sculpting and photography.
Surrounding the theme of change, one of Hanrahan’s pieces called “Gentle Cycle, Hang Dry”, demonstrates a series of paintings replicating clothes she wore as a child. Hanrahan says the series was inspired by concepts of growing up and maintaining self-care as one goes through different transitions in life.
“That piece was a reaction to graduating, growing up, moving on from a phase in my life. All those clothes are ones that I wore as a child. … I just wanted to capture some memories of my childhood, because like I said the show is about transition, and I was graduating, moving out of my parent’s house and starting a different phase in my life,” Hanrahan said. “I titled it ‘Gentle Cycle Hang Dry’ because it’s important to be gentle and delicate with the memories of your childhood [and the times we’re in].”
As for Chavers’ collection, his main focus was exploring how different mediums can be manipulated while trying new techniques throughout his transitions of artistry. Within one of his pieces titled “to tighten”, he explains he was inspired by Richard Serra, an artist who makes minimalist sculptures out of steel. Chavers says his painting was created to mirror Serra’s steel pieces by using mediums of paint, therefore, creating an unconventional approach spawning off of Serra’s work.
“I wanted to take [his art] a little more literally, I guess like he would have intended. That was his methodology of trying new things and doing different stuff and a lot of his work plays with those kinds of ideas, to tighten, to light, to hold, etc. The inspiration at least was doing it with a painting. I don’t like doing one medium in one way, so much as it’s intended. It’s a painting, but it’s also a sculpture,” Chavers said.
While some pieces from both Hanrahan and Chavers demonstrate their vast improvement over the years, Hanrahan also hopes the exhibit inspires students to reflect on their own pre-pandemic memories, and analyze where they are in life and how those experiences have impacted them.
“People don’t have the affordances right now to be making bold memories. You can’t travel, you can’t really spend a lot of time with your friends or your family, you’re not really gathering the experiences that you necessarily would to become inspired for art pieces,” Hanrahan explained. “When I think about experiences in my life, I think about the strong emotions that I had in those times, and that’s really what I want to capture through my pieces.”
With Hanrahan and Chavers’ exhibition making its debut, both artists aspire to reach students with their bold message of the inevitability of change, a theme that is sure to be apparent throughout the academic year.
Note from the editor: A previous version of this story stated Betsy Hanrahan was a graduate student. This statement is incorrect and she is just an alumna from WSU Vancouver.
Emily is a senior studying integrated strategic communication at WSU Vancouver.