Milligan Graduate Featured in New Art Exhibit “Exposed Spaces”

By Hobie Vannoy

 

It’s not too late to check out “Exposed Spaces,” ETSU’s newest art exhibit.  The exhibit remains open in Reece Museum located on ETSU’s main campus a features Milligan alumna, Kelsey Ellis.  Ellis, a Bristol, Tenn. native, attended Milligan College from 2008-2012 and earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.

 

The exhibit features art from two other artists in ETSU’s masters of fine arts program, Marissa Angel and Rickey Bump.  Each artist has one large-scale piece on display.

 

Ellis said her painting “Danaë” is “by far the largest piece” that she has done.

 

“Everything I’ve done in this piece has been done on a smaller scale,” Ellis said.  “But I’ve really been wanting to work bigger because I think that induces more physicality and drama to create a feeling of awe.”

 

One aspect of art Ellis hopes to leave viewers pondering is beauty and how beauty is interpreted.

 

“I’ve been researching ideas and interpretations of beauty and how beauty is defined,” Ellis said.  “For this piece I decided to focus on the experience of beauty, that feeling of awe a person gets when they are resonating with something inspiring.”

 

Ellis was inspired by the Greek mythological story of the princess being showered with gold rain by Zeus and capturing the expression of euphoria she is said to have had.

 

“This story has been depicted by many artists for hundreds of years,” she said, “and I just thought the beauty of it was something that could be inspirational to others because the metaphor of peace and beauty it expresses.”

 

“Danaë” is accompanied in the exhibit by Angel’s canvas River of Ash that focuses on recent environmental disasters afflicting the Dan River near her home in North Carolina, and Bump’s Symbiotic Structures which portrays his exploration in the use of everyday objects as artistic material.

 

“The exposure has been great for us,” Ellis said.  “I’ve really enjoyed hearing the feedback from students, faculty, and even visitors who have came by.”

 

Ellis wishes to keep working on large-scale pieces in correlation to space and furthering her research on interpretations of beauty.

 

 

“Exposed Spaces” remains viewable through Oct. 16.  The museum’s public hours are 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Admission is free.

 

For more information, contact Reece Museum at (423) 439-4392.