HONORS IN ART/EMILY GRACE /DAYDREAM

An exhibition created by Salem State Honors Student, Emily Grace. "I have been thinking a lot about what this body of work means to me. This work feels important to my journey as an artist, both as a conclusion to my undergraduate studies and an introduction to my future and what kind of artist I want to be in my lifetime. Intimacy and conflict are two words that have come to my mind as I am formulating this body of work. I am interested in the connections we share with our own imaginations. The comfort we get when we shield ourselves from the outside world, filling our minds with stories and imagery that takes us out of whatever real things we are forced to confront every day. There is a sort of intimacy we achieve with our own internal struggle. We reach a certain point where the struggle feels comfortable, like it is not the problem anymore and the real problem is feeling the need to alleviate it. This intimacy creates conflict within us. For this body of work, I have been focusing on how I can use my materials to best support the content of the pieces. I work with many different mediums; watercolor, acrylic, oil, inks, among many other materials. In these pieces, you will be able to see all those mediums working together in one way or another. Through these works I am allowing myself to be sensitive to changes in texture and weight, hoping that sensitivity will be reflected in the pieces themselves." - Emily Grace Additional Events April 10, 12:30-1:30 pm, Artist Talk April 10, 1:30-3:00 pm, Reception April 17, 12:00-1:00 pm, Gallery Discussion About the Artist: "My name is Emily Grace, and I am from Gloucester, Massachusetts, regarded by many to be one of the oldest art colonies in America. Growing up in Gloucester, I was and am surrounded by art and artists of all kinds. Growing up in my family, I also was and still am surrounded by art everywhere I turn. On both sides of my family, I have painters and singers that go back generations. I feel lucky to have those gifts passed down to me through my family tree, and even more grateful that I have been able to pursue both of those things seriously in my life. Art and Music are my two passions. They are the only things I have ever been really interested in and can envision devoting my life to. Like a lot of artists I admire, I need art to survive. It is my way of expressing how I understand life."