ACC Art Student and Alumni Invitational

Gallery View

Anthony Snyder
Gallery View of Series

Anthony Snyder
Untitled
Holga B/W Images, Darkroom Prints

Showing us our hopes and fears, dreams guide us down a pathway of our mind. Subconscious desires with the terror of the fear we were previously ignorant of, we have paved a path through the mind. A convoluted path that tells us the secrets that we have kept from ourselves. A path we lose ourselves in just to forget the moment we wake up. It’s a forest where every tree has an answer in the form of a riddle. With many paths, with so much to see, we have no choice but to walk this convoluted path of our own making.

Anthony Snyder
Untitled
Holga B/W Images, Darkroom Prints

Anthony Snyder
Untitled
Holga B/W Images, Darkroom Prints



 

Anthony Snyder
Untitled
Holga B/W Images, Darkroom Prints

 

Sisel Lan
Photography Installation

One of the main aspects of zoos’ culture is the so-called conservation of animals, but, what exactly does that entail? And at what cost should we pursue it? Portraits in Confinement portrays the Denver Zoo’s captive animals. Taken with a toy camera and self-made telephoto lens, it explores and emphasizes the artificiality of the facade of the zoo’s animal welfare premises often times referred to as “conservation.” at the same time, that enabled me to challenge the conventions of wildlife photography. The way I present this series addresses the disparity between the animals' natural habitat needs for space and the confined zoo habitats in which they live. The size of the animals’ enclosures represented by the size of the enclosed portrait, is contrasted with the canvas’ size that, portrays the territory they actually require in the wild. This interactive installation scouts our interaction with the environment and the destruction and abuse we’re willing to inflict on natural habitats as means to build these artificial displays.

Sisel Lan
Photography Installation

Sisel Lan
Jasiri
Photography Installation

Sisel Lan
Kal
Photography Installation

Sisel Lan
Kipel
Photography Installation

Gallery View

Gallery View

Zoe Handler

This series of works is guided by my belief in the idea of holy sparks residing in all things, and the enduring interconnectedness of all beings across space, time, memory, and death. I make slowly, working primarily with textiles, natural matter, and salvaged/repurposed/found items. The slow processes involved in creating with these mediums are deeply contemplative. It allows me to truly feel that I am a small part of a great whole, as I attempt repeatedly to translate and imbue experiences of family, memory, grief, comfort, connection, and time onto and into material.

Zoe Handler

Zoe Handler

Zoe Handler
Winding
Salvaged Cotton Voile, Warping Thread

Zoe Handler
I Miss My Father’s Garden (I Miss My Father)
Vintage Loom, Cotton Warp Thread, Stone

Zoe Handler
These Golden Threads [I]
Cyanotype on Cotton Sateen, Cotton Linen Backing, Metallic Thread

Zoe Handler
װילדע חיה
Palm bark, charcoal, graphite, soy ink

Andrea Gordon
Gallery View

Andrea Gordon
Gallery View

Andrea Gordon
Gallery View

Andrea Gordon
Gallery View

Andrea Gordon
Becoming Dimensional
Wallpaper, Paper Mache & Ceramics

While considering elements of painting such as composition line color, I use clay and other materials to translate my ideas of an abstract painting into 3 dimensions. I work intuitively and in a reactionary way – starting with a morsel of an idea and building from there. I intentionally work without preconceived themes which I find completely freeing. At its core, my work is about embracing the unknown, which, I also believe is related to how I deal with fear. Not fear of something immediately life-threatening. More common fears like uncertainty about the afterlife or fear of change, or many other everyday common fears which can be crippling. I thrive on not planning the outcome of my work but instead just jumping in feet first. Learning to embrace the uncertainty and joy of experimentation is liberating. Embracing the uncomfortable feelings that come with unknown outcomes and constant experimentation, for me, are not completely dissimilar to being comfortable with the uncertainty of life after death. It is inevitable, uncontrollable, a mystery. How I choose to think about and behave in reaction to the unknown is meaningful for my personal mental health and growth. Not allowing fear of failure or judgment to affect my process is challenging. There is limited control in the way I make ceramics. The only way to get through the creative process is to embrace the unknown. I make many choices, both in my paintings and ceramics, that are intentionally risky such as combining odd colors and multiple patterns, setting ceramic sculptures on a precipice, or combining new techniques at the same time in one piece. I’ve grown to take great joy in and find personal growth and strength from this approach.

Andrea Gordon
Gingerly
Ceramics & Paper Mache

Amber Seegmiller

Amber Seegmiller
Bad Hands Collection
Watercolor & Ink

Bad Hands touches on the idea that no person is ever truly alone as humans are an interdependent social species completely interconnected to all life and the universe itself. As the late astrophysicist Carl Sagan once said, "Like it or not, we humans are bound up with our fellows, and with the other plants and animals all over the world. Our lives are intertwined." From the atoms in our bodies, which were born inside of dying stars billions of years ago, to the actions made by our ancestors and peers, we are as one with each other. We are nothing without community and our environment.

Amber Seegmiller
Brain Exhibit

I use art as a means of communicating issues surrounding mental health and our place in the universe with a steady emphasis on the interconnectedness of all life and matter. It is my goal to bring others support and validation by reminding the viewer that you are never alone, especially in your feelings of inadequacy and alienation in a competitive and individualistic society.

Amber Seegmiller
Requiem
Ceramics

Amber Seegmiller
Requiem
Ceramics

This sculpture, titled Requiem after the poem by Kurt Vonnegut of the same name, is representative of our approach to climate breakdown. The overwhelming evidence for Earth's changing climate has been present for multiple generations. Although we have been an ongoing witness to its devastation, we, as well as our governing institutions, persist in advancing its decline. Our reckless behavior in escalating conflict as well as fostering profit over sustainability, puts us on course for our collective demise in which we are fully complicit.

Amber Seegmiller
Merit
Watercolor & Ink

Amber Seegmiller
UHG & Your a Piece of Shit
Ceramics

Amber Seegmiller
Let it Out
Bad Hands Collection, Ceramic Box

Amber Seegmiller
Bad Hands Collection
Watercolor & Ink

Cindy Young
Life Series
B/W Darkroom Photography

Cindy Young
Life Series
B/W Darkroom Photography

I am privileged to have a window into individuals with special needs through my daughter Ava who has Down syndrome. This body of work captures and Illuminates the full range of her reality in life. Life can be full of friends and family yet isolating at the same moment. Her name, Ava Marie means “saying yes to life” and she lives it her own way. Sometimes happy and joyful, other times isolated due to her disability. With all the push in our society for full inclusion, the fact remains, she and others with Down syndrome/trisomy 21, remain isolated due to their limited speech, medical complications, and intellectual disabilities. Many times, my heart breaks for how alone Ava is, yet the moments of joy and living in the moment shine through her beautiful soul and others like her. Ava wants what we all want, to be loved unconditionally for who we are, not what we achieve. As I explore this topic through photography and working in the darkroom I have learned to slow down and be in the moment. The printing process can be isolating which in a way mirrors Ava's life. The traditional form of darkroom and printing in black and white best captures the depth and intimacy of photographing Ava and people with special needs. I appreciate the connection I have through this medium. My goal with this ongoing body of work is to highlight those with Down syndrome and help each of us aspire to be included in their world - full of joy, living in the moment, and without judgement. My hope is to bring a broader perspective of how she experiences the world, as well as how the world perceives her.

Cindy Young
Life Series
B/W Darkroom Photography

Cindy Young
Life Series
B/W Darkroom Photography

Cindy Young
Life Series
B/W Darkroom Photography

Cindy Young
Life Series
B/W Darkroom Photography

Nicole Hartman

Nicole Hartman
Lost: An Evolution of Emotion
Color Photography

This series of photographs is centered around my piece Betrayal, an extreme up-close portrait that captures a single tear dripping down someone’s face. Taken almost two years ago, this photograph was an outlet to express my emotions and cope in a time of need. Re-exploring these pieces when asked to curate a series about the embodiment of lost has been cathartic, as my perspective has matured along with my journey from being lost. I have selected photographs I’ve taken throughout the years since Betrayal that have synergetic moods. Each piece-Betrayal, Silenced, Split, Sink, and Reawaken-exhibits how the theme lost can be remolded as time passes and show how I personally process the feeling of being lost. The series begins with Betrayal: this was my initiation and most extreme pain. I captured this feeling by showing someone in an exposed and vulnerable position. The image leaves no room to hide which is exactly how I felt. Silenced follows Betrayal with the sensation of slipping into depression. One can feel so suffocated by being lost that it feels like grief, imprisoning them within its walls. I chose to play on shadows covering the mouth and portions of the face to correlate being trapped by the loss. Split captures detachment, which utilizes camera focus and depth of field to express dissociation. The intensity of being lost to oneself, one’s surroundings, and one’s life can be so overwhelming the mind can’t begin to process it, therefore forcing it out and away creating this feeling of disconnection in order to survive. Thereafter, the isolation begins in my image Sink, using secluded location, soft colors, and lack of clothing to display a sense of vulnerability and loneliness. Being lost is extremely lonely, even within oneself. For this reason, I instructed the model to close their eyes and submerge their ears under the water to stunt their senses and connection to the viewer. It emotes being hidden within oneself and trying to ignore the hopelessness of being lost. Finally, I move the viewer into a reflection of what’s been, and looking forward to what’s to come. I captured this in a self-portrait I took recently, titled Reawaken, to show the cycle of loss and escape from pure isolation into a more subtle dissolution as the model looks back into the real world where the viewer lies. I demonstrated this by playing on focus once again, to show how reaching back out isn’t always easy. I used deep blue tones to connect back to the overwhelming sadness that never fully went away but used highlights of purple to show the evolution of change and a shift of thinking. Ultimately, being lost pushes your mind to travel outside its linear trajectory. Each of my images indicate some version of the routes I took, and how being lost is both subjective to each viewer and universal to the human condition

Nicole Hartman
Betrayal
Color Photography

Nicole Hartman
Silenced
Color Photography

Nicole Hartman
Split
Color Photography

Nicole Hartman
Sink
Color Photography

Nicole Hartman
Reawken
Color Photography

Amy Mower
Display View
Jewelry & Metals

I explored enameling and different techniques such as cloisonné and champlevé. I love etching silver that can be inlaid with enamel glass. Playing with patterns within the metal, along with color is a wonderful mix.

Amy Mower
Display View

1. Polka Dot Ring – sterling silver, enamel 2. Easter Earrings – sterling silver, enamel 3. Easter Necklace – sterling silver, enamel

Amy Mower
Conspired Ring
Sterling silver, and enamel

Amy Mower
Cloisianne Pendant
Pendant, sterling silver, 18K, Peridot, and enamel

Amy Mower
Rotko Neck Piece
Sterling silver, 22K, Chrysophase, spiny oyster, enamel

Mary Murphy
Display View

The Mixed Metal Series combines silver and 18k or 24k gold. I took a class in Spain last summer and learned an ancient Korean technique called Keum Boo. This is where a thin sheet of pure gold is burnished under heat and fused to the silver.
 

Mary Murphy
Display View

Mary Murphy
Oh My! and Pinwheel Necklace
Earrings-sterling silver, and 24k gold fused, Necklace - Sterling silver, 22k gold, fused

Mary Murphy
Mirror Series

The Mirrors series started with an inspirational San Francisco Women’s Art Walk. The Mermaid and Nefertiti mirror reflect strength and self-initiative. The technique used is Chasing and Repousse. Flat sheet metal is placed in a pitch bowl and tooled from both sides to create the final 3-D relief. The Art Deco sterling silver mirror is fabricated cast pieces and is reminiscent of a zen garden sculptural piece. Mirror Collection 1. Art Deco Mirror-sterling silver, mirror, cast, fabricated 2. Nefertiti Mirror- bronze, mirror, cast 3. Mermaid Mirror- copper, chasing and repousse, fabricated

Amy Mower
Fowler Ring
Sterling silver, chalcedony enamel

Mary Murphy
Klimt Inspired Ring
Sterling silver, 22k gold, fused

Mary Murphy
Art Deco Silver Mirror
Sterling silver, mirror, cast, fabricated

Mary Murphy
Nefertiti Mirror
Bronze, mirror, cast

Jodee Sweet
Nihilism - Installation

Paint and plastic
This piece was interactive; visitors tore, ripped, and destroyed the piece. Jodee Sweet’s Nihilism and spoiled skin maneuvers viewers through an in-depth journey of imposter syndrome and the harsh process of self-grief by giving viewers control of how the piece evolves.

Jodee Sweet
Nihilism - Installation

Jodee Sweet
Nihilism - Installation

Jodee Sweet
Nihilism - Installation

Jodee Sweet
Nihilism - Installation