The School of Art, Design, and Art History's 2024 Senior Capstone class presents Becoming, a presentation of three compelling group shows created by art students that represent the culmination of their artistic studies at James Madison University. Beginning April 11 and running through April 26, the exhibition spans three galleries in Duke Hall.
Under the umbrella title Becoming, the student installations are entitled: Becoming: Pendulum (Duke 1031); Becoming: Big Time Joy (Duke 2027); and Becoming: Embracing Illusions (Duke 2029). Together, these presentations explore themes of perceived femininity, beauty, joy, and the natural world, as well as ideas of space, the body, motion, and self-discovery.
While Capstone Seminar Instructor Leah Stoddard (Art History/Museum Studies) selected the groupings based on student recommendations, the balance of the projects was fully created by the artists themselves, working collaboratively.
“The idea with this version of capstone is to let the group dynamics and atmosphere of mutual support enhance the creation of these exhibitions,” remarked Stoddard. “The hope is that this network of fellow creators might persist beyond graduation and become a way of approaching being an artist, a practice that is enhanced by collaborating with fellow artists in a network.”
The students divided the work needed to create the separate shows, learning with guidance by Stoddard how to design exhibition installations, create interpretation plans that involve summary texts, labels, and checklists, as well as artwork presentation, installation, and exhibition promotion online and through fliers on campus and around Harrisonburg. Students created artist statements and even practiced speaking to visitors about their works, which, in turn, supports their success once they leave JMU for their creative careers moving forward.
According to Stoddard, the Senior Capstone seminar is an opportunity for students “to challenge themselves as artists, expanding from the strong JMU art foundation and class assignments to engage fully with their unique artistic voices,” and embracing these exhibitions to demonstrate the results of their JMU art experience.
Opening Reception
Thursday, April 11 | 5 - 7 PM
Duke Hall Rooms 1031, 2027, 2029
Gallery Tours
Pendulum (Duke 1031)
April 16 | 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Big Time Joy (Duke 2027)
April 18 | 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Embracing Illusions (Duke 2029)
April 23 | 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Gallery Hours
April 12 - 29
Monday - Friday | 9 - 4 PM
Duke Hall Rooms 1031, 2027, 2029
Pendulum
Duke Hall Room 1031
Myer Kim
Nihal Koyash
Gabby Miller
Big Time Joy
Duke Hall Room 2027
Peyton Dugas
Julie Harrison Eastwood
Cassandra Martin
Devon Woodson
Embracing Illusions
Duke Hall Room 2029
Julia Koehler
Abby Mundy
Alexis Murray
Lauren Naples
Peyton Dugas, Julie Harrison Eastwood, Cassandra Martin, and Devon Woodson
Duke Hall Room 2027
We create an exploration of joy with a focus on true delight in the everyday, a celebration of the big-time joy in the smallest flowers and the littlest moments. Our observations are of being present through expressing the delight of wind-tangled hair, sun-warmed stones, and determined seeds pushing through dark dirt.
Artist Statement
My work is a psychological approach to spirituality and self-discovery. While experimenting with color, shadow, and texture, I often alternate between bright scenes and eerie, abandoned, and isolating atmospheres to journal my past and present life.
Biography
Peyton Dugas was born in 2001 in Lafayette, Louisiana. Completing her final semester at James Madison University, Dugas will be earning an Art BFA with a concentration in Painting and Drawing, as well as a minor in Book Arts. She has had her works in multiple exhibitions at the Studio Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Her pieces in these exhibitions range from painting, drawing, photography, graphic design, and ceramics. She has had several grants and scholarships, most notably the Karyn G. Smith CVPA Art Scholarship. Currently, Dugas lives and works in Thaxton, Virginia.
Artist Statement
Julie Harrison Eastwood finds joy in working with organic forms rendered simply in bold colors. Her current work combines traditional printmaking with digital technology to produce surface design and textiles, as well as a collection of enameled jewelry. She is fascinated with the traditional language of the flowers and often uses it to incorporate layers of meaning in her work.
Biography
Julie Harrison Eastwood was born in 1981 in Petersburg, Virginia. In 2024, she will receive her BFA in Art with a concentration in Printmaking, and a minor in Book Arts at James Madison University. In 2023, Eastwood was a recipient of the College of Visual and Performing Arts Professional Development Grant: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts Enameling Workshop Summer 2024. Eastwood is also a recipient of the JMU Frances Grove Scholar Award. She has been included in various exhibitions, including AIMPE Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition in Yoshinogawa, Shikoku Japan, TINY Artworks for the Greater Good at The Swell Gallery in Hatteras, North Carolina, and ArtLotto 7 at the Frame Factory in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She is currently working on a series of relief prints for her upcoming solo exhibition at Sage Bird Ciderworks North Gallery in Harrisonburg in 2024. Eastwood lives and works in Harrisonburg.
Artist Statement
Cassandra Martin's art explores a variety of mediums in two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms. The emotions of comfort, imperfection, and intentionality are found throughout her work.
Biography
Cassandra Martin was born in 2001 in Mechanicsville, Virginia. She currently lives and works in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She is a senior at James Madison University pursuing an Art BFA with a Painting and Drawing concentration, a Business minor, and an Art History minor. She has exhibited in many exhibitions, including Pages of Creation at Artworks Gallery in Harrisonburg and a solo exhibition titled Works by Cassandra Martin at Gaines Group Architects in Harrisonburg.
Artist Statement
Devon Woodson works with tactile mediums, such as ceramics, metals, and fibers. With these materials, she creates florals to make beautiful work that draws the viewer into deeper meanings.
Biography
Devon Woodson was born in 2001 in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2024, she will receive her BFA from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Her concentration is Integrated 3D, which focuses on metal work, sculpture, ceramics, and fibers. Woodson has been included in various important exhibitions, such as A Slice of Ordinary Life at Clementine Cafe in Harrisonburg and Momentum: An Art and Design Wearables Runway Exhibit at Duke Hall in Harrisonburg. An upcoming show includes Soul on Display at Sage Bird Ciderworks, Harrisonburg. Woodson currently lives and works in Harrisonburg.
Julia Koehler, Abby Mundy, Alexis Murray, and Lauren Naples
Duke Hall Room 2029
Within our collection of works, we encapsulate the tribulations of womanhood and discover fresh perspectives of femininity. We grasp these illusions and examine preconceived assumptions.
Artist Statement
An overstimulating accumulation of spunky, saturated patterns combined with tactile elements aid my navigation of intimate relational experiences. I create a sense of optimism through playful mixed-media approaches and utilize sporadic movement to make room for heavy conversations. My work invites viewers to ponder, deconstruct, and build resilience.
Biography
Julia Koehler lives and works in Harrisonburg, Virginia and was a 2022 recipient of the Award of Distinction in Time-Based Art from James Madison University. She found a spot in Harrisonburg’s downtown culture in 2023 by vending block parties, festivals, and flea markets. Examples of her numerous group exhibitions include Warrior’s Attire at Duke Hall Gallery Court and Our Richest Atonement at Artworks Gallery, both associated with JMU. Koehler was honored with a People’s Choice Award and Best of Theme Award at Oasis Earth Day Show in 2022. She is currently curating tactile mixed-media work for her solo show at Clementine Cafe in 2024. Come December 2024, Koehler will graduate from JMU with an Art BFA degree that includes a concentration in Painting and Drawing.
Artist Statement
Abby Mundy is a senior Studio Art major at James Madison University. Within her art, she uses elements of fantasy and the supernatural to create an alternative understanding of reality.
Biography
Abby Mundy lives and works in Dayton, Virginia while attending James Madison University. She is studying Studio Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing and will graduate in May 2024. Mundy has shown her work in various exhibitions such as the Rising Studio Art Senior Exhibition and the Momentum: An Art and Design Wearables Runway Exhibit, both in Duke Hall at JMU. She is currently working on a series of paintings focusing on the conception and death of artwork.
Artist Statement
I create art to inject my voice and opinions without having to say anything. I am attempting to express my emotions and mental state, inviting viewers to connect with their own inherent experiences. My objective is that my art be a testament to the power of expression and the beauty of embracing vulnerability.
Biography
Alexis Murray was born in 2002 in Olney, Maryland and now lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia. In May 2024 she will receive her BFA in Art from James Madison University. Her concentration is Painting and Drawing, and she works mostly in acrylics. Murray is an emerging artist who focuses on abstract pieces that demonstrate her experiences as a woman in the 21st century.
Artist Statement
My art looks to express the navigation of my identity and the dissonance caused by it. It is a visual aid designed to communicate, unhindered by the limits of verbal language. It occupies both the public and private spheres, exploring them in mixed-media works.
Biography
Lauren Naples was born in 2003 in Lynchburg, Virginia. In 2025, she will receive her BFA in Graphic Design with a minor in Book Arts at James Madison University. This is her first group exhibition. This year, she will attend an Art History Study Abroad program in Italy. Naples currently lives and works in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Myer Kim, Nihal Koyash, and Gabby Miller
Duke Hall Room 1031
This exhibition represents the physical and emotional shifts that inevitably arise while existing through body and space.
Artist Statement
I am defined in three: architect, designer, and artist. In creation, I seek to play and experiment, and I reach that through my design of spaces that reject the preconceived notions of what “conventional” space is. The work can often be gestural in the form of sketching, cutting, and then splaying foam core and matboard, or as diagrams and analysis-based drawings.
Biography
Myer Kim was born in 2003 in Virginia. He is currently studying at James Madison University for a BFA in Architectural Design and a BS in Art. Kim has designed and technical directed for over 30+ shows, such as "SpongeBob the Musical," "Rent the Musical," and "The House on Linardi Street." Kim was honored with the Undergraduate Development Professional Award (Research Grant) in 2023. He is currently working on designing a performance space for the Church of Incarnation in collaboration with Monteverde Design & Landscaping, and Kim is establishing a radical, guerrilla design firm called KDA STUDIO.
Artist Statement
My work navigates the nuance, multidimensionality, and complexity of my identity as a woman of color living in the United States and existing throughout predominantly white spaces.
Biography
Nihal Koyash was born in 2001 in Fairfax, Virginia, and is a current student of Art pursuing her BFA at James Madison University, with a concentration in Painting and Drawing. Her work explores the abstract concept of identity as a Middle Eastern woman, which takes form through a modern, conceptual practice primarily portrayed in oil. Koyash has been included in various exhibitions across several universities. She currently works as Assistant Director of the student-run gallery at JMU and is an active member of the national academic art fraternity. She currently lives between Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Springfield, Virginia.
Artist Statement
Gabby Miller is a painter and fiber artist exploring femininity through self-portraiture and personal narratives. Her work grapples with self-image, desire, and the line between the beautiful and the grotesque.
Biography
Gabby Miller was born in 2002 in New Jersey. In 2024, she will receive her BFA in Studio Art at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Miller has been included in various group exhibitions, including the SECAC Juried Exhibition at the Hanbury Design Studio in Richmond, Virginia, and the Annual Undergraduate Juried Exhibition at ArtWorks Gallery in Harrisonburg. Her first solo exhibition, Underbelly, was at JMU in 2024. She has interned at the ArtWorks Gallery in Virginia and the Farmstead Arts Center, a nonprofit in New Jersey. Her large-scale self-portrait paintings offer an intimate view of female identity as it relates to self-image and sexual autonomy. She currently lives and works in Harrisonburg.
Views and positions expressed in exhibitions are those of the artists and do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of the university.
