Photo credit: Lucine Stephan

A picture of the senior show “You are more colorful than most, does this mean you are less realistic?” was exhibited in the Eastern Star Gallery from May 7-9. Avalon Garland (’25) said the show depicted the individuality of the artists through several unique art mediums. “This is our last show at Archer, and we just wanted to do something fun that represents who we are as people,” Garland said.

Whimsical photography, sweeping dresses and an ethereal stained glass affixment adorned the Eastern Star Gallery as seniors Avalon Garland and Echo Meadows debuted their joint art show, “You are more colorful than most, does this mean you are less realistic?” Wednesday, May 7. The exhibition remained open through Friday, May 9.

This show featured a diverse collection of mixed media, including film photography and prints crafted by Garland, as well as sketches and paintings created by Meadows. In the gallery’s corner stood two dresses, displayed on mannequins, designed and constructed by both artists. During the creative process, Garland said she and Meadows got to know each other better.

“We’d never really seen each other’s works before, but after we were assigned together, we came into the Eastern Star space and realized how similar we were as artists. We’re both learning about each other’s different media, which is fun. Echo’s learning more about photography and printing from this, and I’m learning a lot about what she does. Seeing her sketches for the first time has been really cool,” Garland said. “So I’d say, stylistically, we’re similar, but it’s interesting how our passions translate to different mediums.” 

Both Garland and Meadows said the planning process brought unexpected creative challenges, such as having to choose which ideas to implement into their exhibit. Working together pushed them to try new techniques and merge their styles more intentionally, Meadows said.

“I think our biggest thing in common was fashion,” Meadows said. “The one thing we decided we were both going to do was to make a dress. Avalon brought her brilliant photography into it and sewed a canvas skirt on top of a beautiful, lacy black dress. I think our art styles really do come together.”

Photography teacher Marya Alford said the senior show process is intended to give students full creative control, while also encouraging collaboration.

“I, along with Ms. Kremin and Ms. Chung, support our seniors in developing their senior art shows,” Alford said. “They fill out a whole proposal on the type of show that they want to do, and then they propose. We have the list of dates for them and they decide what dates they want.”

Alford said that while the shows are short-lived, they are deeply meaningful to the artists involved. She emphasized the importance of students showing up, even briefly, to witness their peers’ work.

“These shows are up only a week, and really even shorter than that, because they have to come down early on Friday for the next person,” Alford said. “When we have the openings, it’s important to pop in and see what your peers have been creating because it just means the world to them. Show support by popping in and seeing the art and letting the artists know what you think.”

For future seniors planning their own shows in the following years, Garland offered some advice: early communication is key to a show’s success.

“Talk with your partner, because I think if we never had that first meeting, the show would not have come together,” Garland said. “Also, plan out what you want for the show. I think standing in this space is really helpful, because you can think of the artworks as individual pieces and how they are going to look in the space.”

Meadows encouraged future seniors to take the process seriously. Although academic workload might be overwhelming, it is important to carve out time for setting everything up.

“Prioritize it,” Meadows said. “I know that’s really hard to do, especially with all the symposiums, but being able to prioritize the art show really just gave a bit of levity to the chaos. I mean, who doesn’t want to showcase their art and take time and celebrate it with their family?”

When discussing community, Alford said the show’s collaborative nature reflects a broader culture of artistic support present within Archer.

“I think the idea of collaboration and not being so secluded in our own practices, and being able to work with other people and expand on our ideas, is really a beautiful thing that we have at Archer,” Alford said. “I would hope that people walk away from that show like me, inspired by such incredibly beautiful, experimental work.”

Meadows said the senior shows also demonstrate the significance of creative expression on campus.

“Art isn’t just a hobby,” Meadows said. “It’s important here at Archer, too — all of the arts — creative writing, visual art, photography, performing and creating a nice space to sit down and look at these creations.”