Hyman Fine Arts  Center (FAC) hosted the  Senior Showcase, Emerge,  to celebrate the work of five  senior fine arts students.

The senior projects  were displayed in the FAC  from Nov. 14 through  Dec. 17. A reception was  held Nov. 17 in the FAC.  The reception offered  refreshments to guests and  allowed the senior students  to be present while family  members, friends, students  and faculty observed their  work. Angelica Rhodes,  Kathleen Kennebeck, Tori  Payne, Thomas Powe and  Amanda McDaniel featured  art at the senior showcase.

Rhodes’ senior project  consisted of four pieces of  photography: Eros, Phileo,  Agape and Storge. The  collection was titled “Love  on Earth.” Rhodes’ project  captured the importance  of all types of love, both  brotherly and romantic,  and how love holds people  together. Rhodes plans  to attend graduate school  after graduation to pursue a  degree in graphic design.

“Life out of Death” was  a photography collection  created by Kathleen  Kennebeck. The collection  included five photography  pieces centered around a  color described by “The  Wordless Book,” which  Kennebeck used to spread  the word of Jesus Christ  to children over the summer through the Child  Evangelism Fellowship.  The colors were black, red,  white, green and yellow.

Payne created book  covers for some of her  favorite books and hand- bound them for her senior  project. Payne drew and  painted each cover to reflect  her interpretation of each  of the author’s whose books  she bound. Payne said book- binding has been a hobby of  hers, which led her to select  this as her senior showcase.  Although she does not plan  to pursue a career in book- binding specifically, she  said that she will most likely  continue this hobby in her  free time.

Powe’s senior project was  a line of audio software titled  “Division.” The showcase  was meant to expand upon  the electronics department.  Division includes high- quality speakers, a resource manual and promotional  items. Powe’s senior project  is aimed towards displaying  and encouraging originality.  According to Powe’s artist  statement, this line was  designed to express Powe’s  love for audio and his  personal growth in audio  and graphic design.

McDaniel presented  her series of paintings  titled “Birds in Flight.”  McDaniel said she wanted  her senior project to portray  the beauty and purity  of nature, specifically  in animals. McDaniel’s  paintings combine realism  and abstraction to make her  work unique.

Painters that have  influenced McDaniel and  the work featured in her  senior showcase include  Jackson Pollock and Anne  Richardson. McDaniel also  wanted her showcase of  birds to represent allowing  children interested in art  to be free to pursue their  dreams rather than being  caged by the idea that they  should not get too involved  in art.

“I think it’s good that we  can show all that we have  been working on,” Payne  said. “It’s fun and a good  way to end the semester.”

Nicholas Barber, junior  graphic design major, said  he enjoyed seeing the FAC  celebrate the work of senior  fine arts students.

“I like that it showcases  the students’ hard work that  they have put in all year, the  training and the knowledge  they have gained through  the university,” Barber said.  “You see important people  here, and the students can  make connections, which  will hopefully get them  off to a strong start after  graduation.”