“Blissters” senior art affected by pandemic

The opening of the senior art exhibition is usually a bustling event that draws students to the Hoffman Art Gallery to socialize, eat and view the final works of each senior studio art major. Understandably,  things were different this year. 

The senior art exhibition titled “Blissters” opened on April 2 and showcases work from 18 studio art majors graduating in 2021. While there was no public celebration of the opening, students can sign up to visit the exhibit in person. Much of the work is also available to view online via the website blissters.art. 

There is a wonderful range of work on display, from paintings, drawings and prints to sculptures, installations, videos and sound art. In one corner of the gallery, Hannah Stubee’s  ’21 work invites the viewer to take off their shoes and practice self-care by knitting, reading “Harry Potter” or donning a comfortable pair of gray sweatpants. In another corner, James Bullock created a mock living room that investigates the racial history of the United States. As part of the installation, Black hands emerge from a rug to hold up a white coffee table in the shape of the contiguous 48 states while a Black liberation flag hangs on the wall. 

While the works on display span a wide range of mediums and subjects, there are a few motifs that appear throughout the exhibition. Many artists seemed interested in representations of comfort and discomfort in the body. Additionally, COVID-19 was a common thread connecting several works. 

Stubee explained that while COVID-19 played a role in her work, the themes she is interested in extend beyond the current pandemic.

“Though this iteration of the project is specific to care in the pandemic, I think the practice of examining care is increasingly necessary in this fast-paced, capitalistic world we live in,” Stubee said.

Regarding their own installation, Misha Davydov ’21 explained that COVID-19 was not the focus of their work, but nevertheless, it deeply affected their practice.

“I think that (the) pandemic impacted us collectively,” Davydov said. “This year, there is a lot of installation work, many people, even those not trained in sculpture, really examined space, as well as the place of the self in that space.”

In a time when many classes and events are conducted online, visiting “Blissters” in person is a unique experience. The exhibit is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and students can reserve 30-minute time slots to visit on the Hoffman Gallery webpage. While the exhibit lacks the community aspect of chatting with artists and other visitors, exploring it in relative solitude is still enjoyable. 

Amongst the turmoil of the pandemic, an in-person showing seemed like a long shot. The opportunity to have a physical exhibition was something that Davydov was very grateful for. 

“I think that us senior studio art majors as well as the viewers, should be really grateful to the art department professors who pushed through with this idea and have been working hard to come up with a safe and feasible way to manage this exhibition,” Davydov said. 

The exhibition program explains that “Blissters” aims to “offer solace from this weird and challenging time.” 

Stubee echoed this sentiment, explaining that the name of the exhibit references both the pain and the joy of the past year. 

“At first glance, it might appear as though we, a bunch of art majors, are incapable of spelling, but the extra ‘s’ in the title, “Blissters”, is a reference to ‘bliss,’” Stubee said. “Although this year has been difficult in many ways, the pandemic has brought us closer to our art and closer together.”