Alumni Voices from the Quarantine Exhibition
Artists across the country and right here in Georgia have adjusted to the circumstances of the Covid-19 quarantines. Whether a practicing graphic designer or an art educator, each experienced disruption in their routines; however, they still produced artwork. We contacted our alums and asked them to share their work inspired by the quarantine.
The Department of Visual Arts Art Galleries are excited to share our latest online exhibition: Alumni Voices from the Quarantine. The artists in this exhibition graduated from the University of North Georgia, Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University. Like our current students, some used art to reflect their mood, others reflected on life outside of the quarantine. Each one represents the wide range of reactions of the UNG visual arts alums to this remarkable time.
Kate Ash
The Bells
Mixed traditional and digital media
Morgan Auten
Untitled: Time in Quarantine 1
Acrylic on canvas
I have admired minimalist artists and color field painters for years. While I have painted abstractly for several years, I was always afraid to make the leap to a more minimal painting style. When the pandemic hit, all my inhibitions left and I decided that I needed to paint what I wanted instead of worrying about what anyone else said or thought of my work. My art during quarantine has been some of my bravest work to date.
Madison Beaulieu
Remote
Procreate and Apple pencil on the iPad
Creating coloring pages began as a way for me to check in with myself and process the news around the pandemic. I needed to make time to sit and draw during a time when all routine and normalcy evaporated. This piece reflects how powerless I felt during the early stages of the pandemic. What could one do at the time besides #Tahoe and watch it unfold? The pandemic has taught me to relax the grip on what I thought would happen and really be present with what is happening. Despite the global crisis, there are good things unfolding around us. And maybe because of the global crisis, we are holding those good things even more dear.
Lauren Bradshaw
Void Fill
Terracotta clay, press molded
The ephemeral installation, Void Fill, describes the vulnerability of a sudden separation from my studio, companions, and routine while transitioning into uncertainty. The title refers both to the act of filling packing materials with clay to use them as molds, and the fact that packing materials are often referred to as “void fill”. The work accurately depicts the degradation of this current dystopian world as it is exposed to the elements and slowly withers away.


Isaac Bramblett
Saratoga - Corona Indian
Acrylic on canvas
During the Covid Pandemic, I was approached by the Krewe Of Red Beans in New Orleans. They asked me to paint this portrait of a Mardi Gras Indian for a benefit auction in order to raise relief funds for those affected by the Corona Virus.
Renee Marie Brooks
Woman in Red Drapery
Acrylic on canvas
Christy Cason
Through the Window
Acrylic on canvas
Kyle Clark
Carbon Study No. 3
Okawara Japanese paper, goat skin, deer parchment, handmade flax paper, carbon, binders board, wheat starch paste, linen thread, blind tooling
Through my Carbon Study series I seek to abstract form and function by blending the inherently disparate inner and outer layer of the book, challenging what it means to read, and questioning how much of the reading experience is generated by the book object or the critically engaged observer. The reader is invited to discover nuance in tone and form created by the act of alteration and burning, ultimately drawing their own interpretations of meaning. Themes that have emerged while producing this series have included humanity's relationship to the natural world, ecological cycles, and continual transformation.


Amy Henke
Put Your Hands Up
Mixed media
Rebecca Knowles
Masked First Lady
Conte crayons, graphite pencils, India ink pens, and colored pencils
Jessica Loklar
Kayleen
Oil on canvas
As Covid-19 ravages the world and we are sheltered in place, I have felt despondent and afraid. To alleviate my anxiety I searched for sources of light in my life; I looked to people I admire, people who are strong and resilient, people who are adaptable and kind.

Isabella Martino
In the Daylight
Acrylic on canvas
Our bodies are remarkable and beautiful and we should celebrate them always. Yet, what I was craving above all during quarantine was genuine human connection: it's not just our bodies at night... it's what we see, feel and do in the daylight that matters most. And it's one of countless reasons why portraiture has remained a constant companion for me.
Jill Raden
Reflection
Acrylic on canvas
This time of quarantine looks different for everyone. I want to share a work that expresses the many emotions felt during this period of time.
Vanessa Studebaker
Peace Like a River
Adobe InDesign/Illustrator
Mary Thompson
One of Life’s Certainties
April 2020, Digitally Colored Illustration
Gretchen Vanderbunt
Rainbow Trout
Acrylic on plywood