Photos by: Shakkira Harris
“People just think, ‘Oh, you create stuff, and then you’re done.’ And I feel like, as artists, we’re constantly explaining, ‘No. There are a million steps to make first,’” Lupin said. “There is more than just the doing. Being cre - ative is an over-time skill. So, it takes time. And that time takes effort. And that effort takes energy. It’s a host of jumbled things that affect the other, and people often don’t understand that.” “We always hear about how a creative job must be ‘fun.’ But it’s still a job. A job still takes work. You can still get burned out, just like anything else,” Hany said, perfectly encapsulating the forum of artist misconceptions. The student exit art show was held in the Julia M. Carson Learning Re- source Center Gallery. As usual, it was a night full of celebration, a send- off. Some students struggled to explain their emotions as the day they’ve worked so hard for over the last four months – arguably the last two years or so – has come and graduation day nears. “It’s difficult to explain how I’m feeling. I’ve been at Ivy Tech for over a couple of years because I decided to change my major,” Regan McKim said. “I’m moving on to earn my bachelor’s, and it’s kind of overwhelming. It feels like a big step. But I know I’m ready.” Realms of Duality felt just as the students hoped it would – like a variance of art styles and meanings that somehow complemented each other. The showcase also reverberated with the complexities – dare we say, the duality – of art and the artist, just as the students explained in one of their final portfolio classes with Robertson leading up to the big day. Seeing each student’s artwork from the beginning of their studies to the end of their time at Ivy Tech Indianapolis, you’re almost forced to see the artist and their story. “Art is not one thing,” Mauvene Borton said. “It’s the viewer’s interpreta- tion. It’s in the eye of the beholder.” Roxanne Zbikowski agreed with her classmate but still hopes visitors of the Realms of Duality exhibit see that the “art is more than just a pretty picture on the wall … It’s something that is part of ourselves.” Melanie Dawn nodded in approval of what Zbikowski said, adding, “I want people to see us. See our growth. Appreciate our evolution.”
Winter 23-24 | 17
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