Here at Cali Commons, we are excited to show [forty ten], an exhibit collected from eight student artists from the University of Nebraska-Omaha art program. Ronal Boone, Cameron Conlon, Kelli McDanal, Nathan Merill, Zachary Nutt, Heather Peebles, Lillian VandenBussche, and Maureen Wilde are all presenting works, which show their unique view on what art is.
Each student is in the process of a Professional Practices class, or ART 4010, to demonstrate their collective knowledge from their college coursework at UNO. As Bart Vargas, art instructor at UNO, stated, “The show features the diverse work of eight students with common purpose: the desire to learn and create.”
Ronal Boone is using [forty ten] to showcase work that deals with social injustice and cultural misconceptions in an effort to tell a story. He uses art as an outlet to show common ground for everyone, despite differences of background or situation. Everything from tattoo culture, and the artwork of Alma Thomas and Aaron Douglas have helped shape Boone’s outlook on what art can be.
Lillian VandenBussche is from Minneapolis and has studied art in Omaha, Minnesota and London. She uses the human form and nature to add detail and depth to the sweeping forms she uses in her work. Lillian works in photography, graphic design, painting, and drawing to explore art and find new techniques to evolve as an artist.
Student and local artist Heather Peebles looks to her upbringing in culturally rich Maryland and an innate love of nature as major influences in her work – “Mother nature is my greatest inspiration for my work, but I’m also very interested in how we are all connected – specifically through our emotions and subconscious.”
Kelli McDanal finds dreams and their imagery important influences in her art. Symbolism finds its way into almost every piece of her work, but she leaves it up to the viewer to interpret what the piece means. “I think this is wonderful, because people make up their own stories about the art. Sometimes it fits them in a different way, sometimes they just wonder.”
The diversity of [forty ten] is further reflected in Nathan Merrill’s metallic, geometric sculpture; Zachary Nutt’s rhythmic, large scale, nature inspired paintings; Cameron Conlon’s elaborate and symbolic studies; and Maureen Wilde’s intricate wood cuts.
The exhibit is the culmination of a semester of creativity, hard work, and time spent building the skills to make a life in art. The result is an exciting display of individuality and technique.
[forty ten] opens on Saturday, December 7th from 6:00 -9:00 p.m. at Cali Commons – 518 N. 40th Street, Omaha. The show will remain up for the month of December and is open to the public by appointment. Contact info@calicommons.com for more information.
