Missouri State University

Skip to content Skip to navigation
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Art + Design Blog

  • Art and Design Department
  • Electronic Arts
  • Reynolds College of Arts and Letters
Zoe Hawk's painting entitled "The Dainty Dessert" is on view in the exhibition.

Contemporaries at Carolla: A Group Alumni Exhibition

January 26, 2023 by Taylor Ladd

A group of Art + Design alumni return to where it all began, with recent works showing how far they have come. Contemporaries, a first-of-its-kind exhibition at Carolla Arts Exhibition Center, features the artwork of Madeline Brice, Zoe Hawk, Cortney Metzger, and Dryden Wells. The exhibition is on view now through February 17 and will be open for First Friday Art Walk February 3 from 6-9 p.m.

Brightly colored fabric hangs from the ceiling and handprints are smudged with clay on an opposite wall, wit large ceramic bowls and footprints in dried clay on the floor below
Cortney Metzger’s fibers, clay, and performance work on view in Carolla Arts Exhibition Center.

Contemporaries represents a range of media including ceramics, video, performance, fibers, and painting. The individual themes and mediums come together through the central idea that each of these artists are contemporary, defined as a person or thing living, existing, or making at the same time as another. “At the end of the day, we are all living and making something in this world right now, which makes us all contemporaries as our lives intersect here in Springfield, Missouri and at Missouri State University,” Director of Exhibitions Jodi McCoy explains.

Beyond their shared title as contemporaries, there are other similarities to be found in the works of this exhibition. Thoughts of self and identity come through in the work of Madeline Brice, Zoe Hawk, and Cortney Metzger. Madeline Brice (BFA in Art–Painting, 2015) explores an altered state of self brought about by one’s own perception of reality through her paintings. Zoe Hawk (BFA in Studio Art–Painting, 2005) uses the details of her paintings to act as metaphors for the varying emotions related to girlhood, feminine identity, and the relatable coming-of-age experiences involved in becoming a young woman. The combination of performance, clay, and textile work by Cortney Metzger (BFA in Art–Ceramics, 2016) acts as a way to reconnect to ancestors and reclaim her Osage heritage.

“Dryden Wells and Cortney Metzger also share some nice parallels through their use of clay and exploration of heritage,” Jodi adds. Dryden Wells (BS in Art Education and BFA in Art–Ceramics, 2004) works in the process of reassembly by cutting, pinching, and stretching clay used for his ceramic works to place emphasis on volume, pattern, and form.

A colorful painting of distorted hands with bright green, pointed fingernails
Madeline Brice’s painting entitled “Big Moms” is on view.

For the alumni involved, returning to their alma mater also brings about a sense of connection to their past as students, and an appreciation for the work of their peers. For Zoe Hawk, a return to the Art + Design Department is a reminder of her artistic roots, “Although my work has changed based on my experiences over the years, threads of my current paintings can be traced back to my training and subsequent thesis show at Missouri State.”

Dryden Wells adds, “I continue to be inspired by so many of my peers who graduated from the Missouri State program and continue to grow as professionals and studio practitioners. To be a representative of the Missouri State program and its alumni is truly humbling. Also, the Robert & Margaret Carolla Arts Exhibition Center is absolutely beautiful. It is really wonderful to be able to show in such a gorgeous space.”

Carolla Arts Exhibition Center is located at 326 N. Boonville Ave, Springfield, Missouri. Gallery hours are Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Call 417-837-2330 for additional details.


Taylor Ladd is a graduate assistant for the Department of Art + Design. She is working towards her master’s degree in writing at Missouri State University with professional interests in writing about art, culture, and food.

Filed Under: Alumni News, Announcements, Carolla Arts Exhibition Center, Events, News Tagged With: alumni, alumni exhibition, art and design, Art and Design alumni, Carolla Arts Exhibition Center, ceramics, Contemporaries, Cortney Metzger, Dryden Wells, fibers, Madeline Brice, MSU Art and Design, painting, performance art, RCOAL, Zoe Hawk

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • Argyle finalist for Grand Jury Award
  • Visiting Artist Talk: Monika Weiss
  • Exhibition Talk: Judy Tedford Deaton
  • Museum Studies Collaborative Exhibitions On View at Springfield Art Museum
  • Visiting Artist Talk: Anna Valdez

Categories

  • Alumni News
  • Announcements
  • Boonville Gallery
  • Brick City Gallery
  • Cabot Gallery
  • Carolla Arts Exhibition Center
  • Emeritus
  • Events
  • Faculty Accomplishments
  • Graduate Program
  • News
  • Student Accomplishments
  • Student Exhibition Center
  • Uncategorized
  • Workshop

Tags

alumni animation art art and design art design art exhibition art history artist exhibitions artist talk awards BFA brick city Brick City Gallery Carolla Arts Exhibition Center ceramics clayworks COAL design design and illustration drawing exhibit exhibition faculty accomplishments FFAW first friday art walk graphic design metals and jewelry MFA MSU Art and Design museum studies painting photo photography RCOAL research scholarships sculpture student accomplishments student artwork student exhibition Student Exhibition Center Study Away Visiting artist Visual Studies workshop

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Make your Missouri statementMake your Missouri statement
  • Last Modified: February 2, 2023
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Disclosures
  • EO/AA/M/F/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
  • © 2013 Board of Governors, Missouri State University
  • Contact Information