The Weber Fine Arts gallery and Criss Library Osborne Gallery are currently hosting exhibits with graduating art students’ thesis projects.
Thesis art projects from graduating art students and graphic design students are on display in the Criss Library’s Osborne Gallery and in the Weber Fine Art Building’s main gallery. The thesis showcase will be on display through May 5.
Graduating students shared details about their final projects as University of Nebraska at Omaha students.
Adriana Montano created a children’s coloring book for her thesis project. The book’s subject is about significant women throughout history. The purpose is to give children a hands-on activity while providing a learning opportunity.
“You don’t hear a lot about these women in history,” Montano said. “But they were serious bad asses.”
Montano has already self-published her book and hopes to create future volumes.
“When you have a passion project it does not feel like work,” Montano said. “These are more obscure woman, but I’d like to do another one with well-known women like Oprah and Malala.”
Roxanne Milner, another graduating senior, also designed a book for her thesis project. Her book explores the teenage experience—and how easily it can be forgotten.
“We kind of forget as we grow up how hard it was to be a teenager,” Milner said. “We kind of glaze over it as we get older and more experienced.”
Milner is currently considering publishing her thesis project but worries that the finances might be too difficult to work out.
“It would be really cool to eventually get it on Amazon,” she said.
Milner has an internship with a company that started up two years ago. She said that she plans on taking a full-time position there after graduation.
Graphic design student Sunkist Judson made a final project paying homage to his cultural heritage. Using what Judson called “kinetic typography,” he displayed moving Karen language text on a screen.
“A lot of Karen people don’t even know their own language anymore because they are heavily exposed to English language,” Judson said. “By doing this, young Karen people might get excited to learn the language and learn about our culture.”
Karen people have historically lived in areas of Burma and Thailand. This ethnic group has been subjugated to violent discrimination from governments, forcing many people to flee their homelands. Judson said that he wants his project to help preserve the Karen culture for those living abroad.
Art professor Adrian Duran was present at the gallery reception and spoke highly of the students.
“There’s no surprise in this. They’re good. They have been for a long time,” Duran said. “It’s a less explosive revelation for those of us who have seen them improve over time.”
