Contact: Sasha Steinberg
MIDDLE: "Fragment 1" by Kaitlin Mullins
BOTTOM: "Untitled 1" by Elena Marchak
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Works of three graduating photography-emphasis majors at Mississippi State are on display through Dec. 7 in the university's Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery.
The creations of Lucia D.J. Arellano of West Point, Elena M. Marchak of Columbus and Kaitlin C. Mullins of Natchez focus on themes of home, family and memory.
Free and open to all, the "Contact F14: BFA Photography Thesis Exhibition" celebrates their final year of art department studies. The images reflect the successful conclusion of the research, writing and presentation processes, as well as four years of foundational coursework, survey, art history, academic and emphasis classes.
Also open to all, a reception in their honor takes place 5:30-7 p.m. Monday [Nov. 24] in the MSU Welcome Center's second-floor gallery.
Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and two hours before kickoff of every home football game.
Throughout their time on campus, the seniors have been under the instruction of professor Marita Gootee and assistant professor of photography Dominic Lippillo. Gootee is the art department's photography emphasis coordinator.
Arellano is the daughter of Rafael and Pablina Arellano. Her series, titled "Son, O Se Paracen," roughly translates as "Are they, or do they just look like it?" Through a composite of photographs of relatives, she creates portraits of new family members that may be perceived as photographically real.
Marchak is the daughter of Tom and Melonie Marchak. Titled "Home," her series addresses nostalgia and family through large-scale images of houses that reflect a character similar to a childhood home and her experiences there.
Mullins is the daughter of Marvin Mullins and Claire Williamson. In "Reminiscence," her 18-foot piece explores memory association and activation through a retrospective of her late father illustrated through familiar images of everyday life.
Part of the College of Architecture, Art and Design, the MSU art department is home to the Magnolia State's largest undergraduate studio art program. For more, see www.caad.msstate.edu, facebook.com/CAADatMSU and twitter.com/CAADatMSU.
Additional information on the "Contact F14" exhibit is available from Lori Neuenfeldt, coordinator for gallery and outreach programs, at 662-325-2973 or LNeuenfeldt@caad.msstate.edu.
Discover more about Mississippi's flagship research university at www.msstate.edu, facebook.com/msstate, instagram.com/msstate and twitter.com/msstate.