In my last semester at UNCW, I was preparing for my senior exhibition, that would show my progress and focus of my art work. This show meant that I would be ready to be a professional artist and I learned the ins and outs of what it takes to become just that. I created a body of work that highlighted historic buildings in Wilmington by drawing detailed architectural replicas of them. I painted backgrounds for each drawing to be mounted on that represented a piece of the building as a way to bring the history to my viewers.
Senior exhibit is the capstone class all studio art students must take to graduate. When I first thought about what I would do for my exhibit, I knew I wanted it to show not only what I've learned in my four years, but what I wanted to pursue in my future. I wanted to gain an understanding of how historic buildings in Wilmington built around the same time, could differ in their stylistic elements because of the differences in culture and society 100-200 years ago. I also wanted to learn who lived in these buildings and what they were used for.
I learned so much about the history of Wilmington and how you can retrieve lots of information just from architecture. It was a challenge to complete the drawings on time as they take 10-15 hours each not counting the painted backgrounds. I loved the experience though and will continue this body of work outside of college.
This project helped me realize what was important in researching when completing a body of work. I have been interested in architecture for as long as I can remember and studying it in my undergrad will only help me achieve more knowledge of the art.
