New and Nostalgic

A Fellows Show

Wednesday, February 1st through Saturday, February 25th, 2023

Suliman Abdullah

 New and nostalgic to me mean newness in the memories. Moments are fleeting but memories are forever, and that is the sentiment I wanted to capture in my photos. This project allowed me to reflect on fond memories, that have a sense of warmth and nostalgia for me while also giving me the opportunity to think back on my own experiences and accomplishments. So often, we are caught up in the day to day that we dont take time to sit back and use the things at our disposal; such as people, places, smells, etc. to unlock memories. I hope this work inspires others to take the time to unlock those meaningful moment for themselves.

Sarah Matthews

Sarah Matthews received a negative comment on a free class she was teaching online via Facebook in 2020. For hours, she kept returning to the post and re-reading every word. Sarah had become obsessed and needed to get that negative energy out of her body. She decided to carve the words and print them. It was exhilarating and sparked a new passion for using art-making as therapy. 

Sarah printed the words again with woodblocks she laser-cut in October 2022 at a Big Ink Event. She felt joyous and empowered this time because she had printed the words twice. When Sarah took the print to get it framed in January 2023, she thought it was hilarious that she was investing so much into this quote. Because of this, Sarah created seven more prints to add to this collection. 

In this age of social media, it is easy for people to make negative comments without regard for how it affects others. "Quandom" uses words as images and sounds to show how negative comments can reverberate in a person. It is Sarah's goal to help others see how their negative comments affect people and empower others to overcome them through making art.

Camilla Angel

For this series of paintings, Camilla Angel was inspired by the nostalgia and complexity of emotions behind her family photos. She drew inspiration from these photos because not only did these people mean a lot to her, but they all represented moments in time where she wishes she could return. 

Being able to see her parents at a young age through a lens and watching them go through a stage in life where they experienced genuine love beaming off one another is one painting that touches her heart deeply. The intimacy that they share in this photo and to see that same love projected in the family that they create years to come is like no other. Camilla painted this painting in 2021 to portray to the world that same emotion that she had the pleasure of witnessing in person. 

Seeing her favorite person in the world, her grandfather, doing his daily ritual (smoking a cigarette) almost 20 years younger is one to make her smile the widest. To see him surrounded in the atmosphere of his very Jamaican backyard in South Florida reminds her of a comforting place called home. This painting was painted in 2023. 

These two paintings will be a part of an ongoing series that visually represents the emotions portrayed in her family.