KyCAD Senior Thesis Exhibition Spotlight
This year, four seniors spent hours in the studio putting together their artwork for their final thesis exhibition, which took place on May 12th. KeVon Dunbar, Alyx McClain, Colin Shay and Kylie Hill were KyCAD’s second cohort of students to graduate.
Alyx McClain’s exhibition, titled “Shadow Work,” included pieces he crafted from wood and glass. He emphasized the importance of inward and outward self-reflection as part of the healing process.
KeVon Dunbar’s exhibition, titled “Resilient Reflections,” drew upon “spirituality to connect the adversity of human experience with American ideology, including principles such as human rights, the rule of law, freedom, individualism, and socialism.” Dunbar wanted “to challenge the viewer to consider their own role in contributing to systematic issues.”
Kylie Hill’s exhibition, titled “Object of Consumption,” focused on the perception of the feminine body through the male gaze, both in the past and present. She stated, “I am interested in how the female form has been idealized, objectified and commodified throughout history, and how these attitudes continue to affect myself and societal norms today.”
Colin Shay’s exhibition, titled “Home Away from Home, Again,” embodied repetition and finding peace in spaces that aren't always looked at as peaceful. He used railroad spikes and organized them to bring naturally found objects into a gallery setting.
The Capstone Sequence, which concludes with the final senior exhibition, provides a series of eight courses throughout the junior and senior years. Throughout the studio elective courses, students take possession of their own practice, acquire the skills and learn to develop their creative exploration. The studio electives transition to the Capstone Sequence where a team of faculty, staff and industry partners aid the student toward the culmination of their program through a final exhibition or capstone project supported by a written thesis.
