Art Students Selected for Tamarack Foundation Show

A Fairmont State University Art student and two recent Art graduates have been selected to be part of the Tamarack Foundation show “Emerge,” featuring the artwork of 18 students and recent graduates from college and university art programs across the state of West Virginia.

“Emerging talent is one of our great assets in this state. West Virginia colleges and universities are doing the work of developing outstanding artists. It’s an essential part of our mission to take that work to the next level by assisting in developing exceptional - and sustainable - creative businesses around the work of those artists,” said Executive Director Alissa Novoselick.  

Visitors to "Emerge" will view works including paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures and more. The exhibit is on view now through Feb. 29, 2016, on Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse, 300 Virginia St. East, Charleston. Visitors should be prepared to show photo ID for security purposes.

Kylie Ford’s sculpture and printmaking is part of the “Emerge” exhibit. She is currently an undergraduate Studio Art and Art Education student at FSU with a projected graduation date of May 2016. In addition to her coursework at FSU, Ford is also an alumna of the Chautauqua School of Art 2014 summer intensive residency. During her undergraduate studies, she exhibited work in West Virginia, New York, Maryland and Tennessee. With her work, she is interested in exploring the ideas of patterns and structures using influences from daily living.

Erin McKown’s drawing was selected for the show. A recent graduate of FSU, McKown is an emerging wildlife artist with a specialty in realistic, colored pencil works. Born and raised in the hills of West Virginia, McKown established a deep fascination with nature and art at a young age. Over the years, her appreciation of these two subjects grew more intense as she spent much of her time developing her artistic talent and making frequent trips to the woods. Her work is characterized by vibrant colors and an emphasis on detail. Her work has been accepted into numerous juried exhibitions across the state. Her most notable awards and honors include: receiving first place (2013) and Best of Show (2014) at the Randolph County Community Art Center’s annual juried shows, being voted People’s Choice at the 2014 Best of West Virginia Juried Exhibition in Tamarack, and having her piece, titled “Deer at Dusk,” published in the November 2014 issue of Ann Kullburg’s Colored Pencil Magazine.

Christopher Schultz’s painting is featured in the exhibit. He graduated from Fairmont State and is currently living in the state of West Virginia. He works primarily as a painter, most often combining spray paint and oils. He sets brutal abstraction against areas of highly technical work.

The Foundation is currently developing a set of professional development opportunities created for students in state college and university programs, including funding, business skills training, networking with peers and an opportunity to take part in an emerging artist incubator to sell work at the largest art market in the state, Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia.

For more information about the Tamarack Foundation and the “Emerge” exhibit, visit http://www.tamarackfoundation.org/artp.php.

The Art Department at Fairmont State, as its mission, provides the understanding and application of skills, imagery, processes, techniques, and contextual information necessary for the development and discussion of visual forms and concepts as they apply to working in the field of Studio Art and/or Art Education. Additionally, the Art Department aims to contribute to the cultural life of the community. For more information about the Art  Department, contact Jeff Greenham, Associate Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Art Department Coordinator, at jgreenham@fairmontstate.edu or visit /schooloffinearts/academics/department-art.

School of Fine ArtsArtKylie FordErin McKownChristopher SchultzJeff GreenhamTamarack Foundation