Spring art shows highlight alumni
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Article By: Denise Ray
Two University of North Georgia (UNG) alumni will exhibit work this spring at campus art galleries.
"The UNG Visual Arts department has been working to create a stronger sense of community with our current students and alums. We want them to know that the connection to UNG continues long after graduation," Victoria Cooke, director of art galleries, said. "One way we've done that is to have a yearly, juried alum exhibition. We invite all our alums to submit work. For many of these alums, this exhibition is an important opportunity to exhibit their post-graduation work."
Aidan Lyerly '20 will exhibit his work in the UNG Oconee Campus Art Gallery Jan. 31-March 14. Now an Athens, Georgia-based graphic designer, Lyerly will also serve as the juror for the 2025 Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) Student Exhibition in the fall semester.
"This will help us connect alums with current students," Cooke said.
Lyerly earned a B.A. degree in graphic design and works within the marketing of Net Health, a Pennsylvania-based health care software company, as a graphic designer. He credits his senior capstone project for getting the job.
"I applied to work at Net Health, and the creative director there really liked the work on my website and saw how it could transfer," Lyerly said. "They gave me a shot as a freelancer for a little bit and then full-time employment. I learned so much in college, but my first year in the workforce was where I learned so much of what I know now. But that capstone — those projects mattered more than I thought they would."
Lyerly entered two pieces in the alumni group show last year and was awarded "Best In Show," with entry into this show as the top prize.
"I was thrilled, and it was a dream come true. I did not expect it. I was really, really flattered and honored. I was elated," he said.
He'd been building a body of work over the past two years.
"I've had a lot of works that I made post-college that have been sitting around, and I always knew that I'd want to do something with them when the time came," Lyerly said. "And sure enough, the time came. Now they're ready to go."
His pieces are mixed media, often starting with photographic reference or images which are then printed out on wax transfer paper and then photo transferred to large pieces of wood or paper, and ultimately applying paint and oil pastel gesso markings.
He said applying to his first post-graduation show was "daunting," but he appreciated support from professors Paul Dunlap and Chris Dant.
"The exhibition is a really good continuation of everything that the UNG design program is trying to give you about formulating an idea and then trying to pursue it through a body of work," he said. "I think the critiques are so valuable. I learned so much from those critiques and the wisdom from the professors. Classes give you the opportunity in a safe and controlled environment where you're free from the pressures of the outside world to really do your best and make the work that you want."
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Rachel Watson '14 holds a Bachelor of Studio Art from UNG and a Master of Fine Art from UGA. She is currently the 2D Coordinator for the John C. Campbell Folk School; executive director/founder of Elf School of the Arts, a nonprofit artist residency; owner of Elf Hall concert venue; and vice president of the Board of Directors for the Cherokee County Arts Council. She is originally from Toccoa, Georgia, where her work caught Cooke's eye.
"A few years ago, I was asked to juror an exhibition in Toccoa, Georgia. I was stunned by the work of Rachel Watson. It was not until I got home and looked at her website that I realized she had graduated from UNG before I began working here as galleries director," Cooke said. "We have been discussing an exhibition for a couple of years now, and I am thrilled to have it on view in the Bob Owens Gallery."
Watson's exhibition, "If You Don’t Act Like Somebody," is currently at the Bob Owens Gallery at the Dahlonega Campus until March 21.
As the 2D Coordinator at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Watson oversees 130 workshops a year and manages three buildings. The mediums she covers are photography, printmaking, book arts, paper arts, marbling, calligraphy, painting, drawing, and mixed media. In 2022, Watson purchased an 11,000-square-foot elementary school, built in 1928, renovating it for two years. It became two separate businesses: Elf School of the Arts and Elf Hall. The school is a nonprofit artist residency where four artists can live and work in a private studio for up to three months at no charge. Elf Hall is a concert venue with a focus on punk, emo, metal, and rock.
"At UNG, I was able to concentrate in four mediums, which really helped develop my practice. I love to learn and was able to expand in ways I wouldn't have been able to at other institutions. After undergrad, I traveled and studied with artists I admired and learned from a variety of masters in the photography world," the Hayesville, North Carolina resident said.
Watson is an amazing artist who has also built an influential career as an educator, Cooke said.
"The artists we bring to the gallery often present not only their art practice but also examples of career paths available to students after graduation," Cooke said.
Additional exhibitions include José Ibarra Rizo: "Somewhere in Between," Jan. 15-Feb. 27 and Todd Anderson, Chris Dufour, and Allison Johnson: "Changing Ecology" March 20-May 1, both at the Roy C. Moore Art Gallery at the Gainesville Campus.