MC art students get a Clayton Center sendoff with April gallery display of senior works
April 3, 2025
The end of the spring semester is near, and senior students in all divisions at Maryville College have been hard at work finishing their final projects and requirements. For some students in the Division of Fine Arts, that means their works will be displayed in a senior art show in the galleries of the Clayton Center for the Arts.
“Art and Design seniors work on a one or two-semester creative project on a topic of their choosing integrating their primary medium of study (painting, drawing, photography, design, ceramics) which usually culminates in an exhibition of this work at the end of the term,” explained Dr. Adrienne Schwarte, chair of the Division of Fine Arts.
“Some projects have included graphic novels, poster series, large scale paintings, mixed media installations, animation and documentary shorts and branding projects, among many others.”
A variety of works from 10 senior Art and Design majors will be on display in the Blackberry Farm Gallery and the William “Ed” Harmon Gallery, both of which can be found in the Clayton Center’s Building B, as well as the DENSO Family Gallery, located in the main Clayton building. Three students’ exhibits were unveiled on April 1 and will be displayed through April 11, and a second group of seven students will have their work displayed from April 14-25.
Exhibits and artists on display through April 11 include:
Alyson Ament ’25, Design major: “Hamlet and Dexter” (digital)
“‘Hamlet And Dexter’ is a selection of illustrations for an original, semi-autobiographical children’s book about loss and grief,” said Ament.
Tonatiuh “Tona” Guerrero ’25, Design major: “Beyond Aesthetics: How Color in Posters Shapes Emotional Perception” (poster design)
Sean Moore ’25, Design major: “Nostalgia and the Ephemeral Memory in Photography” (photography; canvas print and glossy print)
“My project is a dive into how photography can unlock latent memories of nostalgia and the ephemeral nature of them, with an additional look into the déjà vu,” Moore said.
A reception for Ament, Guerrero and Moore’s exhibits will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 11, in the Clayton Center galleries.
Starting the following Monday (April 14), the second set of works will be displayed through April 25. A reception for these students and their exhibits will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 25, in the Clayton Center galleries. The exhibits include:
Gabe Neubert ’25, Art major: “Clay-ology” (ceramics)
“This collection is a series of pieces showing psychological disorders through ceramics,” said Neubert.
Avery Shellist ’25, Art major: “An Atheistic Vision of God” (acrylic, polymer clay)
“My piece is a stylized polyptych of a prophetic dream about God, life, and the universe,” explained Shellist.
Jamarcus Dunn ’25, Design major: “Shoe Show” (Angelus Shoe paint, acrylic paint, digital poster design)
Alejandra “Ale” Blanco ’25, Design major: “The Art of Plaster” (plaster)
“My work explores the transformative power of plaster in interior design, inspired by my childhood experiences and my father’s remodeling projects,” Blanco said. “Through experimenting with different plaster materials, I aim to highlight their unique textures while creating a mural at Maryville College that demonstrates plaster’s ability to enhance both visual and tactile experiences in spaces.”
Johan Duron Murillo ’25, Design major: “Brew & Design” (digital)
“Brew & Design explores how design shapes every aspect of a coffee shop experience, from the logo on the cup to the layout of the space, through digital works, branding elements, and tangible pieces like stickers or posters,” Murillo explained. “This exhibit invites viewers to pause and recognize the intentionality behind their everyday surroundings. Next time you step into a coffee shop, look around — every detail was designed with purpose.”
Brant Jones ’25, Design major: “Evolution of the Art and Artist of Comics” (digital poster design)
“The show will depict the evolution of comic book artists and their art throughout the years,” Jones said. “It will mainly focus on the artists and introduce my own superhero designed in the style of each artist displayed.”
Abby Diggs ’25, Design major: “Rehabilitating Safe Spaces” (print media using Adobe Photoshop)
“In this gallery, I hope to demonstrate innovative ways to design for children and adolescents in stressful environments,” Diggs said. “Design is everywhere and has an impact on emotions and feelings. Therefore, strategic artwork is important to calm people in stressful settings.”
The Clayton Center galleries, as well as both receptions, are free and open to the public. The exhibits can be viewed during gallery hours between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call the Clayton Center box office at 865-981-8590.
