Katie Ness

Senior Exhibit

kn1179 — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:59:10 +0000

Senior EXHIBIT! has since come and gone. Leaving the twenty-one senior art majors incredibly relieved yet possibly in a state of mourning. Though our work is on display until the beginning of May, the night of the opening March 29th, seemed to be what we had diligently worked so hard for. Now with its passing I almost feel sad…disillusioned, asking myself, could I have made more designs? how could I have made my show better? where can I market these patterns? will a company want to buy them? are they good enough to get me a job? and ultimately what do I do with my life? My focus now on graduation and the future, this is a time of unknowns and unanswerable questions. Where will I live, who will I live with, can I bear to be apart from certain individuals? The only other time I remember feeling this way was when I graduated from high school…face to face with significant changes and brand new opportunities this time around the real world seems a whole lot scarier.

Here are some images from my show! enjoy:

16 days til go time

kn1179 — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:05:31 +0000

The end of this week brings the LONG awaited spring break ‘08! While in past years I have volunteered on a service trip to North Carolina, hung around a South Carolina beach with good friends, and toured the Italian countryside, this year I am left with uneventful break plans. With the art show going up in 16 days myself and many of my senior art peers are prepared to stay around campus and party it up with our work. A week or so ago I was OK with this outcome, enjoying most hours I worked on my show. But now three days away from break I wish I was going somewhere warm and far far away. It is true by this point in the semester, after suffering through numerous late nights (or early mornings I might say), and this far into the school year, everyone just needs a couple days to get away from work. And maybe it will be possible to slip away for a day or so, in order to keep my sanity. But the end result of a beautifully hung show remains in my vision field and for that I say bring on Spring Break ‘08!

the show

kn1179 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:34:27 +0000

WEll it has been a long time…and for that I am truly sorry. While this semester has been fairly light on the academic side I am right in the middle of preparing my Senior Show. Exactly a month from now Climenhaga Fine Arts Center will be completely covered with artwork created by the senior art majors. In past years there have been multiple exhibits featuring seven to eight students at a time. But this year the show was changed so that all senior art majors are showing their work at the same time. Thus from the upper lobby of Climenhaga to the lower lobby to the gallery, student artwork will be on display.

Pressure to create a stunning show causes most of us to dwell on NOTHING but out exhibit. While I may not always be working on my designs I am constantly thinking about them, worrying about them, and hoping it will all turn out as planned. As a freshman I remember sitting in the first intro art class with nineteen other unfamiliar faces hearing that in fours years we would have to create a our own self-proposed show and being utterly terrified. Walking into the gallery that spring of my freshman year, and seeing the seniors work just solidified by fears. Everyone’s work seemed so professional…so good! And now I am in their shoes…finishing the course that four years ago seemed unachievable.

While with each passing we my finally product slightly shifts and bends into something else, at this point I can explain the overall design of what I am creating. I really enjoy patterning, but have never gotten a chance to design and create patterns. So for my show I have designed 20-25 patterns. These will be printed on paper and/or fabric and used to created lampshades. These 20-25 lamps will then be hung together as an installation. When all are illuminated it should create a beautiful atmospheric space! Bellow are some images that have inspired me thus far. I will be sure to post more as the show draws closer.

and its finally the last day

kn1179 — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:36:42 +0000

Today concludes classes for the semester! While finals will continue next week, tonight will be one of celebration at the annual Christmas Tradition! There are about 3,000 students at messiah and I heard from a pretty trustworthy source that over 1,000 students already bought tickets, which makes it a huge event. Its held at the Hershey Lodge, which is about a half hour from campus. Its an upgraded change from the gym where homecoming is held. Ladies attire will range from people’s old prom gowns to trendy jeans. And it is difficult to fathom what this DJ might find enjoyable to listen too. But there will be food, punch, dancing, and friends galore, sure to make it a fantastic evening. Maybe for one night we will all be able to erase our minds or lengthy papers, oral presentations, and complex projects.

and then there were none

kn1179 — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:58:48 +0000

With break right around the corner campus is beginning to quiet down. Although the senior art majors will be sticking around for a few choice hours. Having class the evening before break starts is one of the small let downs about the college experience! haha luckily though this is the first time I have had to stay until the bitter end. For our senior seminar class tonight we have a rather important, foundational paper due. Its called the Faith Integration paper. We must write about how how aspects of our faith and our major correlate. I am discussing the use of art as a tool for service. As humans we all have a right to aesthetic beauty. While we all have physical needs, God is the creator of beauty and quality and thus art is not only for the elitists of society but people in the margins without a voice. As artists it becomes our duty to service with the talents we have been given. It was funny because last night there was an army of art majors inhabiting the library writing. An then during a study break run to the local Sheetz there were about 25 Messiah students swarming the place at midnight. The “Sheetz Run” as it is known to be called has become a crucial aspect of Messiah life for many of us students!

fun times

kn1179 — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:18:03 +0000

Yesterday was the annual art department trip to New York City, which turned out to be the BEST one yet. I absolutely love the city, the flurry of activity is a craved experience after months in Grantham and I always leave with some new ideas or inspirations for projects i’m currently working on. Roughly around 150 students go each year. You can pick whether you want to be dropped off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Museum Of Modern Art. All of us graphics kid swarmed the one headed to MOMA. MOMA houses the famous, prestigious Starry Night by Van Gogh and I think about twenty-five people were crowed around the rather small, 24 inch piece when I walked into its gallery space. A little too many to really enjoy the painting. There is such a phenomenal collection at the MOMA, but after about 2 and half hours we had decided we had seen enough and wandered out on the street to continue our day.

A group of us headed to NYCAMS…which is Bethel University’s study abroad program in New York, which a couple Messiah students have studied and presently are studying at. GO here to check out the program: NYCAMS But the best part of stopping there was that we hiked 12 stories of stairs to the top of the building and got a 360 view of the city. GORGEOUS…located in mid to lower Manhattan it had the perfect view of the empire state building and Chrysler building. I felt like I could have been part of the movie Across the Universe, during the final scene’s climax when Jude is performing on the roof!

Next a couple of us graphic design students headed to AIGA for the exhibit 50 books/50 covers. A showing of the years 50 best book cover designs. The exhibit was set up like a dinner party and each book considered the plate. You could sit down at the table, read through the book then move to the next. For my senior seminar class I had to conduct a phone interview with an artist/designer that I admired. I picked Helen Yentus who is a book cover artist located in Manhattan working for Random House. I was excited to find that four of her covers were featured at the AIGA exhibit! I stood before them, shocked, I had just spoken with her the week prior! I guess I didn’t completely realizing the magnitude of her work!

Then of course we took a little time to shop, because that is almost a must when visiting New York. Ironically enough, the three guys I walked around with ended up taking home the packages while I left the city with Nothing! shocking!

To conclude out night we ate at a great restaurant in little Italy and I was able to have gnocchi a potato/pasta type food that I haven’t eaten since I was served it by the nuns in Italy! and surprisingly it was just as delicious.

all is all it was a day of success and fun times, which I think would be echoed by the rest of the students

P.S. Here are those hike of doom photos I promised! :

the climb scene!

The whole group…proud of reaching the top

Prof Finch showing everyone up!

designing for the 98%

kn1179 — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:22:55 +0000

This week visiting artist Bryan Bell came as a guest lecturer to campus! He started Design Corps, a non-profit organization, that designs and builds structures for people on the margins of
society. Right now he is particularly concerned with housing for migrant workers. His designs are structured around recycling, using found materials to create fresh, funky, and interesting structures. Bell’s well thought out and developed designs could easily be craved and demanded by the affluent of society. But his sole goal is to creatively and carefully design buildings concerned with meeting the inhabitants needs. awesome.

You can CHECK OUT his site @:
http://www.designcorps.org/Home.htm

This is Bryan Bell and an image of the cover of his new book!:

bryanbell.jpg" alt="bryan bell" />

post fall break

kn1179 — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:00:58 +0000

So alot has happened since I last blogged! As for finishing projects I completed everything but at the expense of very little sleep…while some students can finish a project a day ahead then have time working to review it…i work, work and am still working hours into the night before something is due. But the mac lab (where the graphic design students live!) turns into a party like atmosphere the night before a project is due…everyone is stationed at their computer surrounded by three kinds of caffeine, ipod’s, and speakers…as music and food become the buzz to keep us awake. We have also started projecting movies on the classroom projection screens, which makes it a fun place to be although there is a consistent complaint that we would rather be in our apartments and dorm rooms asleep. But I finally have something to show for the countless hours I have spent in the studio thus far!…you can check it out at: home.messiah.edu/~kn1179

As i mentioned in my previous blog….the HIKE OF DOOM! …was a complete success. One we hiked to the top of the ridge our professor surprised us but unveiling carabiners, rope, and harnesses. We spent the next two hours rock climbing of a rock face the size of the side of a house. SOOO Great. I will post photos tomorrow!

Fall break has also come and gone and much to quickly! My roomates and I were to head to Gordon college to visit friends we made studying abraod…but things didn’t quite work out…so we ended up staying on campus. Which can be awesome when you have no class. So we spent tons of time hanging out, sleeping, and RELAXING….which is sometimes all you want from a break : )

weekend!

kn1179 — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:11:10 +0000

A! so its finally Friday! which is an exciting thing…and will begin in 5 minutes when i leave work Although there are some fun things to look forward too over the next two days its mixed with fright as I think of projects and tests that are due before fall break. With break starting on thursday professors always find it a convenient time to make things due the day or so before. One big project I am working on right now is a profile website. Its for my Computer Graphics and Multimedia class which is an upper level graphic design course. Our site is to feature our work…with hopes of using it to get jobs! While now it is ALOT of work, it will be SUCH a great resource!

So mixed with hours of working on that this weekend I am also going to an art dinner tonight! Some art major friends thought it would be fun to have an Italian dinner….so after work I’m running to the store to buy espresso to add to the meal some fantastic cappuccinos. I just studied abroad in Orvieto, Italy (WHICH WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!) so now anytime someone references Italy, I am there! I uploaded some pictures from italy you can look at. Ill try to add more soon. Then tomorrow the senior art majors are going on the infamous “hike of DOOM”..haha….an annual event led by our one painting professor Daniel Finch. That is sure to be crazy….ill keep you posted

a quick snapshot

jsentz — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:19:03 +0000

HEY! So as I sit here, I wonder, what do I begin blogging about?! Being a first time blogger this empty white text box slightly scares me!! ahh! But I guess it makes some sense to introduce myself first off I should begin by stating my major, because by your senior year your whole life is consumed by your field of study. I am a studio art major with a concentration in graphic design. I absolutely love my major and can’t imagine being anywhere else. I am also a local. Although I don’t always like to admit my home is 5-10 mins from campus, its a fact. The nice thing is that home can feel incredibly close or extremely far away depending on what you want. While I looked at going to Westmont college in California, I ended up deciding that messiah was the better choice for me and im soo glad i picked it. ummm what else….I have an older brother who also attend messiah and just graduated two years ago…and a younger 17 year old sister.