Department of Art

2020-2021 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Student Exhibitions

Fall 2020

November 16-20, 2020

Kansas State University Department of Art will present the second of two BFA Capstone Exhibitions of the fall semester featuring Jess Buckman, Kailey Koopman, and Natalie Phrakonekham. The artists will showcase an exhibition of their undergraduate artwork from November 16 through 20, 2020 in the Mark A. Chapman Gallery, first floor of Willard Hall. Gallery hours are 8am – 5pm, Monday through Thursday and 8am-3pm on Friday. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Chapman Gallery occupancy capacity this semester is eight (8) persons. All individuals must follow social distancing (6 ft) protocols and adhere to face mask policies as designated by the CDC and the University at all times while in the space.

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Jess Buckman is a metalsmith and painter from Lyons, Kansas. In both mediums she focuses on plant and animal forms, drawing inspiration from research and her own experiences. In metals, she works largely with chasing and forming techniques, but also adds color with colored pencils and patina. Her paintings carry soft strokes as she works mainly in oils. She states, “Although all my work has similar content, I view the motivation behind my paintings and metals as separate, and this allows me to explore different areas of interest in the two mediums.” Her metals work is focused on combining forms in a playful, almost narrative, way, while her paintings look more at relationships taking place in an environment. Overall, Jess is invested in analyzing the nature around her and creating her own interpretation of it.

Kailey Koopman, of Killeen, Texas, will receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts with concentrations in Drawing and Painting from Kansas State University. Her two bodies of mixed media work are inspired by moments both real and imagined – with her drawings following a story based on an experience of loss and her paintings depicting imagery pieced together from her dreams. Both bodies are developed through a process of patiently layering the media to create delicately rendered and otherworldly atmospheres. Of her work she says, “Through the use of the media and the symbolism behind the subject matter, I want these imagined narratives to capture the way I feel. Whether it is through softly smudged graphite or brightly colored collage, these drawings and paintings are self-portraits in the way they depict my internalized and subconscious emotions.” Ultimately, she is interested in the contemplative and cathartic nature of these works and learning more about herself through the process of creating them.

Natalie Phrakonekham was born in Winfield, Kansas. She is completing a Drawing concentration and enjoys working in pencil, charcoal, colored pencils, and watercolors. She explores themes of intimacy and the unloved in watercolor and colored pencil depictions of rats in grasslands. "I create artwork that appreciates the unwanted and overlooked and show the beauty, vulnerability, and bravery of those who are unloved." Natalie uses watercolors to layer colors to create depth and warmth in her pieces, while using colored pencils to define the subject matter.

The Mark A. Chapman Gallery on the first floor of Willard Hall, across from the art office, opened in 2005. Cheryl Mellenthin and Mark Chapman funded a complete renovation of the former Willard Hall Gallery, increasing the exhibition space to over 1,400 square feet along with 400 square feet dedicated to exhibition preparation and kitchen facilities. The Department of Art hosts BFA and MFA student exhibitions in the gallery as part of graduation requirements each semester. The technology friendly gallery serves not only exhibition purposes, but also provides a location for an active Visiting Artist lecture program.

November 9-13, 2020

Kansas State University Department of Art will present the first of two BFA Capstone Exhibitions of the fall semester featuring MiKayla Bond, Pedro Melendez, and Kailey Prior. The artists will showcase an exhibition of their undergraduate artwork from November 9 through 13, 2020 in the Mark A. Chapman Gallery, first floor of Willard Hall. Gallery hours are 8am – 5pm, Monday through Friday. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Chapman Gallery occupancy capacity this semester is eight (8) persons. All individuals must follow social distancing (6 ft) protocols and adhere to face mask policies as designated by the CDC and the University at all times while in the space.

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MiKayla Bond is a painter from the Gardner, KS area who creates bright abstract paintings using acrylic paint, layering, and mark making. Her work focuses on repetition and the reasons why artists have a compulsion to make art. She says, "My paintings are representative of the internal monologue I have about art making and why artists have this constant obsession to make art at all." Her paintings aim to talk about creativity in art making but also in everyday life. She wants the viewer to think creatively when viewing her pieces.

Ceramicist/sculptor Pedro Melendez from Newark, NJ makes sculptures from clay and plaster as well as recycled materials like cardboard and newspaper. He has brought his love of graffiti and his upbringing in that art world to life in a 3-dimensional world. He explains, "I wanted to revisit what brought my attention to art by making it real and celebrate my beginnings." His sculptures celebrate the tools and medium used in the urban art world as well as the art that is created to decorate the landscape of the concrete jungles of this country.

Artist Kailey Prior, an Oklahoman native who grew up in Kansas, makes colorful, macabre art that challenges the viewer to introspect who they are. Her exaggerated work with figures invokes questions of self-worth. "My current work is a method to process my changing feelings towards myself," she says. Her prints show evidence of content beyond general aesthetic worth.

The Mark A. Chapman Gallery on the first floor of Willard Hall, across from the art office, opened in 2005. Cheryl Mellenthin and Mark Chapman funded a complete renovation of the former Willard Hall Gallery, increasing the exhibition space to over 1,400 square feet along with 400 square feet dedicated to exhibition preparation and kitchen facilities. The Department of Art hosts BFA and MFA student exhibitions in the gallery as part of graduation requirements each semester. The technology friendly gallery serves not only exhibition purposes, but also provides a location for an active Visiting Artist lecture program.

Archived Bachelor of Arts (BFA) Exhibitions:

Upcoming BFA Exhibitions