Fairfield University student artists to display work | Press Releases

Image: legs The Studio Art Program in the Visual and Performing Arts Department of the College of Arts and Sciences at Fairfield University is proud to present two exhibitions of visual work by studio art majors. The first, "enteractionexit," a solo exhibition by Lauren Cesiro '06, of Smithtown, N.Y., will open with a reception on Wednesday, November 30, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Lukacs Gallery on the ground floor of Fairfield University's Loyola Hall.

"On Paper," an exhibition of drawings and photographs by students who are currently working on independent coursework with studio professor, Jo Yarrington, will have an opening reception on Tuesday, December 6, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Lukacs Gallery. Both exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Cesiro exhibition is a display of photographs that capture "places inhabited with or empty of people," she said. When speaking of her images of empty furniture, chairs from cafeteria placed here and there, a mini-golf course seen from floor level, she notes that the work explores "a place void of human presence, but it suggests people have been there or are about to enter... it's the anticipation of the moment." An interesting component of the exhibition will be the way that the work is installed, an evocative, free-form arrangement of grouped images that suggest non-linear time and the way our mind stores memories.

The display will include 20 to 30 pieces, with work from each of her four years at Fairfield. Cesiro is the second student to have a solo exhibition this semester.

Her work will be on display through December 4. Cesiro has applied for a Fulbright Scholarship to New Zealand to explore through her photographic images culture and national identities. She has already completed similar projects in Italy and in the United States.

ocean Some of Cesiro's artwork will remain on display through the exhibition "On Paper," joining the work of three other students who have done independent coursework: Danielle Craparo '06, of Franklin Lakes, N.J.; Kristin Powley '07, of Bridgeport, Conn.; and Nazia Sultan '07, of Fayetteville, N.Y. This exhibition will be displayed through December 9.

Sultan will display large scale "gesture drawings" of life on the Fairfield campus, such as students studying in the library or interacting in the cafeteria. Powley will display 10 drawings of angels which explore their purpose and the meaning of spiritual enlightenment. Craparo's digital photographs of colorful flowers in nature strangely balances, through an interesting manipulation of "depth of field," abstraction and reality.

The independent study students were encouraged to develop an in-depth body of work around a central theme, said Jo Yarrington, M.F.A., a professor in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. They have also met throughout the semester to review each other's work.

"The work has been so exceptional with Lauren, Danielle, Kristin, and Nazia," Professor Yarrington said, "that I encouraged them to plan a series of exhibitions toward the end of the semester."

All four students will also have their work displayed in "Open Studios," a free showcase of completed and works-in-progress by more than 150 students currently involved with the studio art program. This will take place on Thursday, December 1, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the ground floor of Loyola Hall, and the public is welcome to attend.