In just a few weeks, the final artwork of our three seniors will be on display in the 849 Gallery as part of this year's Senior Thesis Exhibition. In preparation for the big opening event on May 16, we took the opportunity to sit down with each of them to learn more about who they are and the work they’ve been creating. Next up—

Rebekah Calhoun

"Memento Amare: Remember Love"

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Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

I come from Western Kentucky, a small town called Madisonville. I've honestly always known I wanted to be an artist. My dad is a musician and he's always been very creative throughout my whole life. As soon as I started drawing, he told me he wanted me to pursue art as a pathway. We have family in New York City and the first time we went and visited them I loved it and thought "I had to go to art school there." I was sure it was the pathway I was going to take when I was younger. Art was always apart of my identity growing up. As I got older, I came to KyCAD. I had lived in Madisonville up until I moved to Louisville. Madisonville is very small town. I was pretty much the only person at my school that was an artist. Everyone just knew me as the artist girl.

‍Are there any specific artists that inspired you?

As soon as I got into painting, I did acrylic painting for a bit and then I got introduced to oil painting by an artist who is local to Henderson County, Kentucky named Chris Thomas. He definitely has been an artist that I've looked up to throughout my entire art career. For the first ten years of my art pathway, I was doing oil paintings. I love the entire history of painting in general: portraiture, still life painting, Dutch still life painting specifically like Baroque and Renaissance paintings and things of that nature. I always gravitate towards art history and things of the past. Now that I've been in art school for four years and have been exposed to the art world, I like it a lot more now, but for most of my life I did not like modern and contemporary art especially. It was the abstract things that take more thought I found hard to connect with.

So, how would you describe your visual art overall?

I'm always excited by paintings. As I have said, I spent so many years doing that. I don't paint very much in my art practice now in the way that I used to. I find myself in galleries always attracted and excited by paintings the most. I think my history of being a painter does play a role now in my artwork because I do a lot of scene building and photography. I think it's the same influence that photographers and painters have with wanting to capture the moment or scene. Even in my work today I'm influenced by painting history, portraiture, Baroque paintings and still life paintings.

‍Have your techniques or interests evolved while you've been here at KyCAD?

Definitely! When I first came to KyCAD, all I had done for years of my life was paint; I knew I was good at that. As I continued my painting journey, people would ask me to paint specific photographs for them. I didn't find that exciting. I almost completely abandoned painting once I started experimenting more with other materials and subjects. That was when I really started thinking about what I wanted my art to look like. So, it definitely has evolved into more of sculptural things. I consider myself a mixed-media artist, but I definitely lean more towards sculpture and 3D. It's interesting to me how I started off doing portraiture and still life oil paintings when I got here and now I'm doing my senior show, which is almost like a live painting in a sense. Instead of painting images, I'm encouraging people to step into the painting.

‍Now that you are about to wrap up your undergraduate career, what are your hopes for the future?

I was able to take part in two different internships at KyCAD. The first one was with The Filson Historical Society and the second one was with a designer named CHRISHABANA. I did the first one and I thought this is my dream job and then I did the second one and I thought wait, THIS is my dream job. I think I would be very happy fully pursing an opportunity to work with local historical communities. I've always been a history nerd; I love working with the artifacts especially in the archives. But I do have a passion for fashion, garment making and textile use. I think either of those is where my heart is taking me. Definitely both internships were eye opening for me and I am very thankful KyCAD connected me to those opportunities.

‍In this day and age, what do you think are the markers of success for an artist?

At least for me, I can't speak for anyone else, it would be finding happiness in what I do. I always knew that art was the pathway I had to follow because it's what my heart connected to most. I feel like as an artist, I would be successful if I continued connecting to the career I choose.

Is there anything else you would like people to know about the upcoming show?

I'm using the Memento Mori art troupe of remember you must die, turning it on it's head and saying Memento Amare, which is latin for remember love. It's an exploration of love with mortality and the role humans have played in life with the connection to memory. I explore how memories are one of the only immortal things about humans and our lives. It's pushing the importance of love and memory throughout our lives. To remember death, but remember love as well.

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Join us Friday, May 16 from 5p-7:30p for the Opening Reception of this year's Senior Thesis Exhibition!

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