Seniors Ya-Wen Liu and Shelby Maznio are the next two art majors hosting their final showings in the coming weeks. Though Maznio’s show concludes today, Liu’s show will follow directly after, picking up on Tuesday, March 27 and runs through April 6.
Maznio’s exhibit focuses on “Art of Words” and features pieces like ceramic dishes, embroidery, watercolor and graphic design lettering. Through her final show, she combines her passions for art, graphic design and journalism to create an artistic experience.
“It was combining my love of words and my love of art and finding that connection between the two,” Maznio said.
For Maznio, the most challenging part of the process was not necessarily the work, but simply planning out a schedule for when to complete it.
“Planning the timeline for getting everything done was the most challenging because some parts, like the ceramics, had multiple steps to it, but then there were others that I could just crank out,” Maznio said. “So just figuring out when to get everything done was a process.”
Though it was a lengthy process, the reward of completing the show was worth it in the end.
“Seeing it all up in the gallery space and having that sense of accomplishment to round out the years here was great,” Maznio said.
After finishing up at NW, Maznio plans to pursue a job in a creative field in Sioux Falls, SD.
Liu’s exhibit, titled “Becoming Me,” focuses on an introspective approach to art. Liu will use watercolor, drawings, oil painting, screen prints, monotype prints, photographs and sculptures to help illustrate important aspects of her life—both from her home in Taiwan and from her time in Orange City.
“My show deals with every aspect of my life, even my questioning of what I really want to do or be in my life,” Liu said. “Sometimes I feel I am lost, but every feeling and difficulty I have gone through has made me who I am today. Every view I have seen, every person I have met and every moment I have been through, it becomes part of me. So, although there may not be images of ‘me’ in my show, there are foods, people and views that are a part of who I am.”
Liu plans to include the memories and emotions that have impacted her experience the most while at NW. Through looking back on her time here, she has found that the project has allowed her to do some helpful self-reflection.
“The most rewarding part of the process is when I start thinking what makes me who I am,” Liu said. “When I start searching through my memories and pictures, I feel I review my life again and realize something that I hadn’t noticed before.”
At the same time, Liu also recognizes the difficulty in narrowing down these memories and pictures to the most important but hopes that through the ones she has chosen she can accurately depict the experiences that most fully encapsulate who she has become.
Once Liu graduates this spring, she plans to continue her artistic pursuits at a school of visual effects called Lost Boys Studio in Vancouver, Canada.
After Maznio’s show concludes this Friday, Liu’s show will run from March 27 until April 6. A public reception for Liu’s show is scheduled at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 6.
