Students explore heritage through art

Correction: The correct spelling of JenClare's last name is Gawaran.

Three Wayne State students came to terms with their pasts through artistic works at the 2009 WSU MFA Thesis Exhibition Feb. 27 at the Art Department Gallery. JenClare B. Gawaran   presented works on her Filipino heritage, Liz Bernblum on colonization and Kristen Gallerneaux on poltergeist activity in Baldoon, Ontario.

Gawaran ’s works, some of the most popular during the opening reception, consisted of eight pictures and sculptures constructed through embossing, collages, serigraph, lithograph, chine colle and fortune cookies.

Gawaran , a 26-year-old MFA candidate in printmaking, said her works center around her background as a Filipino American growing up in a Western culture.

“Right before I applied for graduate school here at Wayne, I took a trip to the Philippines,” she said.

“Every time I go, I feel like a tourist. I’m very Western … and every time I go there, everything feels kind of foreign to me. I decided to make all this artwork as a product of my research."

Gawaran said she tried to use Asian cultural stereotypes, as was most evident in a picture of the words “Ching Chang Ching Chong. Hi, how can I help you?” over a pale outline of a head.

Thirty-two-year-old fibers major Bernblum was inspired by colonies – as in a group of organisms becoming a single mass and their changes – and how they relate to fibers. This was best represented by two pieces in which an egg carton and a block of Styrofoam were almost eaten by threads.

Bernblum became interested in portraying colonies artistically after the death of her mother to multiple sclerosis.

“When she passed away, I started trying to reference ideas related to the process of what happens to your body during that,” she said. “Being here … has been therapeutic, because at first, my work was referencing loss and mourning, and now I feel like I’ve sort of stripped that away.”

Twenty-nine-year-old printmaking major Gallerneaux’s works were the least visited of the night, but not due to a lack of material.

Her section contained over 35 artifacts, replications and drawings related to the poltergeist activity that haunted the McDonald family in Baldoon, a place where Gallerneaux has some history. She was raised about 30 miles from that town.

“I was raised a spiritualist,” she said. “So I come from a long lineage of females who are supposedly psychic. I take an objective stance to explore this stuff … presenting the information for people to make their own judgment calls on.”

This year’s MFA Thesis Exhibition has works that would satisfy all tastes. Judging by the sizable opening reception, it will also be quite popular.

3 comments

Norm Barney

Sun Jul 26 2009 20:21

I'm happy to see that you are still doing artwork. I wish you well.

JenClare Gawaran

Thu Mar 5 2009 01:02

As each of us was interviewed at the MFA Exhibition opening, I was impressed, quite honestly, that someone from the South End was covering the reception, but moreover with Mr. Elster’s thorough questions. All three of us spoke passionately and honestly about our work, and I was confident the South End’s review of the exhibition would be, in the very least, insightful.

Perhaps most artists would be thrilled to hear their work was the most popular in a review. However, unless an actual poll was taken at the reception, to say that my work was the “most popular” is a complete misinterpretation of where people conjugated in the gallery. My work happens to be displayed near the entrance of the gallery, and is, as commented earlier, where food and wine were served during the reception. I can say with the utmost certainty that Mrs. Gallerneaux’s work was NOT the least visited of the night. Throughout the reception, her section of the gallery became so crowded, people commented to me that they had to wait until it cleared out a bit to view her work.

I am not trying to give trivial excuses of why my work was quoted to be “more popular” than Mrs. Gallerneaux’s. My work is strong and can stand on its own, but is not more or less “popular” than any of my colleagues. To use the words “most popular” or “least visited” in an exhibition review seems irrelevant and inappropriate. Though different, all of our work, including Mrs. Bernblum’s, is strong, and together constitutes what I feel is a successful MFA Exhibition.

In the very least, what I hope this review does is make people aware of the artwork being created everyday by WSU students, graduate and undergraduate. A plethora of artwork, both by students and professional artists, are always on display in our campus’ two galleries (which I’m sure a small percentage of our university population is even aware of). I urge readers to visit our galleries and studios to see all the artwork our humble department creates.

I feel that I cannot end my personal comment without addressing the correct spelling of my last name. Since my name was continuously misspelled throughout the entire article, it seems to be more than a simple typo. I’m used to my name being misspelled a lot, but considering my name was spelled correctly on the title wall outside the gallery, the gallery website, the exhibition announcements (which were available at the reception), and on every tag labeling each of my pieces in the exhibition, the misspelling of my name seems downright ridiculous.

~JenClare Gawaran, WSU MFA

WSU MFAs

Wed Mar 4 2009 11:02

1. The proper spelling of JenClare's last name is GawarAn, not GawarEn. This seems like an important thing to double check.

2. Being that the South End staff left the exhibition at approximately 7pm, they have no frame of reference by which to judge whose work was most or least visited, not that this is relevant in any way to an art exhibition. This is not a contest, nor a reflection on the quality of work. Generally it is just a reflection on where the food and wine table is located. This is a completely inappropriate comment and strikes me as unprofessional journalism at best. While all three of us appreciate that the South End was out to cover our show, there are more important issues at hand and many more issues were discussed with your reporter.

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