The Fine Arts Awards are presented annually by IU Bloomington Undergraduate Education to highlight and recognize the creativity and work of undergraduate students on campus.
Various art forms, such as paintings and photography, are eligible for submission and students studying in the Eskenazi school are encouraged to apply. Winners are chosen by a selection committee and meet with Undergraduate Education leadership to discuss their work and select a piece for inclusion in the campus art collection.
Congratulations to this year’s winners: Wren Spellman, Aspen Lyons and Melody Reyes!
First place: Wren Spellman
Wren Spellman is a sophomore studying Studio Art with a focus in painting in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.
Much of Spellman’s work is based on their experiences growing up in the Midwest, they said. Growing up in a rural environment, they spent plenty of time in parks and conservation areas. Other inspirations include folklore, fantasy, and music.
“My art is first and foremost for myself, stemming from a basic need to communicate these abstract ideas into something material for an audience to interpret and understand,” Spellman said.
“Youth,” acrylic on canvas, was painted based on multiple references that Spellman captured on photograph in nature including deer, the woods, and fungus.
“The work explores themes of lethargy and fatigue in the face of life and vitality where the visuals carry a strong sense of stagnancy and unwilling decay but also inherent elements of growth. A large portion of my work as an artist centers around representations of nature, flora and fauna.”
Second place: Aspen Lyons
Aspen Lyons is a first-year student studying Studio Art in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.
Their submission, titled “Therapy,” was not originally meant to be connected. The two ceramic sculptures were made separately during two different live model sessions for a figurative sculpture class.
Lyons took the time to look at both pieces, consulted with friends, and made the decision to combine the two into one piece.
“Therapy I depicts a figure that is slouched and looks very depressed,” Lyons said. “Therapy II depicts a figure that is more upright and seems more at peace. The names could be reversed, but it is both happier in the first orientation, and it currently reflects how I am feeling currently,” Lyons said.
“These two pieces mean a lot to me and now represent recovery, growth, and how things will get better over time.”
Third place: Melody Reyes
Melody Reyes is a senior studying Digital Art in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.
Her submission, titled “Inertia,” was made with graphite on paper before being digitized and distorted to become part of a three-channel installation called Lightness. A video projection, Lightness “delves into the depths of the human psyche,” Reyes said.
The piece is inspired by the proem of “On Nature” by Parmenides, a Greek philosopher. The introductory proem of On Nature “explores the narrator’s journey in being guided by maidens who introduce him to an unnamed goddess who provides them revelations on the nature of reality,”.
“By combining traditional drawings and animation through visual programming languages, my work navigates the delicate balance between existence and non-existence, portraying the dual processes of life and death through abstracted imagery and forms,” Reyes said.
