University of the Ozarks art student Jessica Frazer will present her Senior Art Exhibit, “Awareness,” from May 2-11 in the University’s Stephens Gallery.
Frazer, an art and psychology major from Nassau, The Bahamas, will give an artist talk at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2, in Baldor Auditorium in the Boreham Business Building. There will also be a reception to meet the artist from 6-7 p.m. on May 6 in the gallery, located in the Walton Fine Arts Center.
Frazer’s exhibit centers around mental health and disabilities.
“In order for the viewer to learn, understand, and relate to mental health and disabilities, I portray various experiences in a visual way to make it more approachable,” Frazer said. “My work with its use of symbol, color, texture, and lighting will spark a conversation for viewers and within their thought process about why a certain material is used or what the metaphorical meaning is in connection to the content.”
Frazer said people’s experiences with mental health and disabilities is what ties her multi-media artworks together.
“These struggles, challenges, and emotions are things humans go through or have in common, but in varied ways,” she said. “My work uses the human form, typically specific sections like the head or parts of the body like the heart. The material used is important because it directly ties itself to the meaning. My sculpture pieces tell different stories, so I made specific choices about size and media appropriate to the mental health condition. I tend to create larger than life sized pieces in order to accentuate detail, forms, and surfaces because even the smallest detail has meaning. Light and texture are also elements used in my art like in my piece, ‘Brain Storm.’ The cotton surface of the brain is malleable, soft, and the white color mimics clouds. The lights inside the piece represent thinking and thought. As the lights flicker they represent thoughts changing like brain activity and lightning activity in a storm. With each viewing of my work, something new can be discovered. “
Symbolism is a main element that Frazer wants to bring into the conversation.
“For example, my piece, ‘Change of Heart,’ is made out of gold and black rose petals that create a larger than life-sized human heart,” she said. “Each petal has its own meaning, the gold represents ‘new’ while the black represents ‘old.’ Some interpretations of this piece could include: a person maturing, someone getting rid of old habits, change, and new beginnings. The rose petals are equally as fragile as the heart so I place it in a box for protection just like a heart would be protected by the rib cage in a human body.”
Frazer said her passion for psychology plays a major role in her art.
“My influences are from what I’ve learned in my psychology and art classes,” she said. “Whether it’s learning how the brain works or learning modern art history, both subjects played a role in my work. Another influence for me, personally, is growing up on an island, The Bahamas, where mental health is not prioritized and moving to a place where mental health is acknowledged. This is a big deal. It is really an eye-opener comparing how mental health is dealt with both in society and in the medical field in these different cultures.”
Topics: About, Art, Psychology