Junior Sophie Devincenti and senior Tirzah Reed are representing the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis in Varsity Art XXV. The annual exhibition, which opens March 5, is hosted by Art St. Louis and features work by undergraduate and graduate students from St. Louis college- and university-level art programs.
Reed’s mixed-media sculpture “$10,000 Socks” pays homage to the artist’s grandmother, who died last summer. “The last time I saw her whole body, Grandma rolled towards us wearing hospital-issued yellow socks,” writes Reed, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in studio art, in her artist statement. “Two weeks later during her Zoom funeral Dad introduced me to her favorite hymn. With stunning synchronicity, I heard that hymn ringing from a nearby church the next day. After six months, I have her socks, a pillow, a piece of glass, and words to carry the weight of those weeks.”
Devincenti’s “Skull Study” depicts a skeletal head and shoulders, rendered in pale blues, yellows, greens and pinks, arranged atop a shock of bright, reddish-orange fabric. “I value people, education and empowerment in my art,” notes the artist, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in educational studies from Arts & Sciences, with a second major in studio art. Her current projects include collaborating with St. Louis Mutual Aid on a series of interviews and illustrations. “I am proud to represent Sam Fox and I hope to continue making art to amplify the voices of those around me.”
Art St. Louis is located at 1223 Pine Ave. Varsity Art XXV will remain on view through April 1. For more information, including in-person viewing guidelines, visit artstlouis.org.
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