Gallery Exhibit to Focus on Photography
11/28/07
ST. LOUIS — The art of photography can be a very moving experience, both for the photographer and the viewer. For Sarah Zickler of St. Louis, a senior studio art major at Maryville University, creating these visual works is a satisfying and rewarding experience. Beginning December 2 and running through January 10, Zickler will showcase her photography in the Morton J. May Gallery, located within the University Library building.
All Maryville art and design students are required to have a portfolio review at the end of each semester. However, during the student’s last semester, the review is replaced with a “senior show” which allows the student to display his or her work publicly. For studio art majors like Zickler, this means having a solo show in the University gallery.
The work which Zickler will display is all photography-related in some way. Some pieces are pure photography and some are mixed media with the base of the work being a photograph. In her artist’s statement, Zickler describes her work as a “physical manifestation of a psychological healing process.” All of the pieces represent, in some way, damage and repair.
Zickler has worked on different art forms in the past but has come to enjoy and appreciate photography the most. Because there is no right or wrong, but only opinions, she feels she can enjoy the freedom to express herself visually and emotionally. “It is very satisfying to me when I hear people say they have found truths and meanings in my work that I didn’t necessarily intend on expressing when I created the piece,” said Zickler. “It means that art is more universal.”
Though she has had various pieces displayed in group exhibitions, this will be Zickler’s first solo show. “I would love for an art critic or gallery director to see my work and declare me the next big thing on the art scene but I’m not holding my breath,” she said with a laugh. “Really, I just hope that someone gets something out of a piece of my artwork, maybe a different perspective, a feeling of understanding, or an inspiration. I have put a lot of hard work into my art and I am very proud of it.”
There will be an opening reception from 6-8 p.m., on Thursday, Dec. 6. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday-Saturday; and 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday. For more information on this exhibit, or any other exhibit in the May Gallery, contact gallery director Roxanne Phillips at rphillips@maryville.edu.
Maryville University is a private institution offering approximately 50 undergraduate, seven master’s and two doctoral degree programs to 3,422 students. Ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s Best Colleges, Maryville University prepares its students for successful and meaningful careers. Among Maryville’s most recent graduates, 94 percent are employed or attending graduate school. Approximately 15,000 alumni work and live in the St. Louis region.