The McIninch Art Gallery
Student Spotlight
DAVID SHROBE
Regenerate, 2019
oil, acrylic, ink, charcoal, canvas, fabric, paper, wood, and mixed media
My name is Sara Severino. I am in a junior year pursuing a BA in graphic design here at Southern New Hampshire University. My passion for art led me to a new position as a Gallery Assistant with the McIninch Art Gallery. It excites me to share one of my favorite pieces from the EMBODY exhibit currently displaying in our virtual art show. EMBODY features contemporary artists of diaspora applying collage methods, both conceptually, and in some cases, literally, as a technique to construct identity and selfhood within the mode of portraiture or figuration in the visual arts.
 
David Shrobe’s Regenerate was created back in 1974. Shrobe used oil, acrylic, ink, canvas, fabric, paper, and wood for this particular piece. Shrobe is known for reconstructing his collection of objects by carving them. This shifts their identity, bringing new life to retired items. These objects undergo a transformation layered with painting, drawing, and collage. By doing this, he manages to bring ideas like identity, community, and history into question. This beautifully unique process brings unity to a fragment collection of items.
 
Different textual elements are combined cohesively to give identity to this rendered female portrait. Her ghostly white hair hugs her to her shoulders. She looks across the room as if she is longing for something. The gray completion of her skin makes me believe that she is someone of the past. The large floral fabric coddling her neck and chest creates an eye-catching statement. I am mesmerized by the mending of these unique items by David Shrobe. 

Sara Severino,
Graphic Design Major
Junior at SNHU
CHITRA GANESH
Sultana, 2017
acrylic on panel
Hello! My name is Rachel Willoughby. I am a Psychology major in my senior year at SNHU and have been working for the McIninch Art Gallery since freshman year. With this latest exhibit, EMBODY, the McIninch Art Gallery highlights contemporary artists' voices who use their works to discuss identity in all its complexities and cultural differences. For this newsletter, I have chosen to focus on the works of New York-based artist Chitra Ganesh.

Ganesh's art in this exhibit are all examples of prints- black linocuts made on tan paper, with intricate detail and excellent contrast. This particular print, Sultana's Dream: Justice is Virtue, depicts a three-headed woman surrounded by various religious and mythological iconography. Ganesh found her inspiration for these specific works from Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's 20th-century, similarly titled short story, which centers around the condition of Indian womanhood. This narrative looks at how women are presented in Indian society by creating a matriarchal utopia called "Ladyland," where the gender roles become reversed.

With a personal interest in mythology and religious history, I found this piece eye-capturing and intriguing. It is rich in meaningful imagery that further supports Ganesh's interest in focusing on femininity and equality. The peacock is often depicted as a symbol of beauty and is considered sacred in Hindu mythology. Scales typically symbolize a need for balance and, as the title suggests, justice. Overall, Ganesh's intricate works allow the observer to consider the global standing of gender inequality, to see that it is an issue found in many cultures. Her prints offer a sense of empowerment to the female viewer and encourage open-minded conversation.


Rachel Willoughby
Psychology major
Senior at SNHU
ARICOCO
Wings, 2019
mixed media
Hello, my name is Joyce Saghbini. I am currently a Junior at SNHU studying Early Childhood Education and an assistant at the McIninch Art Gallery. This piece is called "Wings" by Aricoco and is a part of a collection consisting of insects' biological characteristics. In this specific piece, she includes various materials to embody the wings of an insect.

The insects connect to their female-dominated society. The artist expresses her artwork through many forms that relate to the environment for an insect's habitation. These include sculptural garments/bags, masks that serve as protective gear and disguises herself in various ways. For example, she has disguised herself as an insect queen, performing a ritualistic play as she surrenders her 'powerless' body to a habitat that she is uncomfortable with. Throughout her artwork, Aricoco attempts to face her phobia for insects and connects her life with theirs to challenge her own vulnerability as a human.
Her initial interest in creating this type of art is how a community could form and function where there is no central power to succeed. She creates environments such as cocoons to symbolize her journey to heal and nourish herself and how she regains her strength as she emerges from them.

I particularly found her art intriguing and thought that this style of art was incredibly unique and creative. The idea of embodying oneself to a fear or phobia is a powerful way to symbolize internal growth. When facing my fears or doing something that might make me uncomfortable, I would mostly want to shy away from it. Once I do face those fears, I realize that I only get stronger through them in some way. This type of artwork is a great example and inspiration for those who view it as not afraid to face their fears!

Joyce Saghbini
Education Major
Junior at SNHU
The McIninch Art Gallery is proud to present our latest virtual exhibition, EMBODY. This exhibition originated at the Mandeville Gallery, Union College.

Support for this virtual exhibition and its accompanying digital catalog comes from the Samuel P. Hunt Foundation.

EMBODY features, contemporary artists of diaspora applying collage methods, both conceptually, and in some cases, literally, as a technique to construct identity and selfhood within the mode of portraiture or figuration in the visual arts. 
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