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K-State Today

Division of Communications and Marketing
Kansas State University
128 Dole Hall
1525 Mid-Campus Drive North
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-2535
vpcm@k-state.edu

December 8, 2023

Art department to host fall semester exhibition reception in Chapman Gallery

Submitted by Isabella Dugan

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The Kansas State University art department will present the first of two Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibitions of the fall semester featuring Holly Frakes, Michelle Jaramillo and Sarah Presley.

The artists will showcase an exhibition of their undergraduate artwork through Dec. 8 in the Mark A. Chapman Gallery on the first floor of Willard Hall. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The public is invited to attend a reception with the artists from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, in the gallery. Admission is free. 

Frakes, a senior and painter from Topeka, creates imaginary worlds of shape and color. Each painting holds a world created through a structured composition and skewed perspective.

"As a form of distraction, we dive into entertainment or other methods of escapism — yet now, these vices have begun to blur with what is real," Frakes said. Her paintings question reality and sympathize with those who experience isolation from their modern lifestyle.

Jaramillo, a senior and photographer from Manhattan, creates black-and-white photography rooted in the personal aspects of her life, from motherhood to her Mexican American heritage. In this new series of images, she has focused on place-based photography and captured immigrant households’ intimate interiors.

"Brimming with cultural artifacts, these spaces showcase their stories, traditions, and the timeless tapestry of the lives that have traversed borders," Jaramillo said. Her images embody the connection to her heritage and the profound kinship to the Hispanic community in Manhattan. 

Presley, a senior and printmaker from Spring Hill, works in intaglio etchings, screenprint and mixed media collage. Her work addresses how feelings like nostalgia and grief have personally affected her view of home.

"It is my hope to capture the notion of home in this print series and spark curiosity about the complexities that lie within each residence we pass by," Presley said. This is conveyed through explorations in color, fine linework, collage and typography.