A solo art installation isn’t a bad way to wrap up your undergrad career. But it takes a lot of hard work and even more courage.
Senior Texas Lutheran University art major Emily Gaffney has managed both—and her show, entitled “Fashion Framework,” opens at the university’s Annetta Kraushaar Gallery on Friday, April 4, with a reception from 5 to 6 p.m.
The subject matter is inspired. “This show is a collection of artworks depicting skeletons in American women’s fashion from different decades. It includes six artworks showing the different mediums I have learned while at TLU,” says Gaffney, whose goal is to capture the viewer’s attention with the contrasting imagery of skeletons and feminine clothing. “The skeletons are all stylized, so each one is unique to the others. I want each artwork to show off who each character is and how she would fit into the decade her clothing represents.”
Gaffney has spent a long time creating the pieces for the show, but she learned a lot along the way. “There are a few different mediums and techniques I used to create this collection, so I was also learning new skills along with developing already existing skills,” she says. “The most important part of the process was deciding what decades each skeleton would be dressed in, as well as what scene I would place them in. It was a long process to create just these six pieces and make them look like they belong together, even though they are not all the same medium or size.”
Gaffney graduates this May and plans to keep her artistic momentum rolling by earning her master’s in fine arts, and one day turning the tables to become a college professor here in Texas. She’s already proven that the hard work and courage it’ll take are in the bag.
You can catch the show April 4 through April 18 and there is no admission charge. The Annetta Kraushaar Gallery is located on campus in the Schuech Fine Arts Center.