Every semester, WKU’s Department of Art & Design celebrates graduating seniors with an exhibition of their work while at WKU. 

This semester, the department honored 14 graduating seniors and their work. The exhibition opened on Nov. 17 and will remain open until Dec. 12. The gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The exhibition includes artwork made of several mediums, including paint, digital art, sculptures and sketches. The artists’ resumes are also displayed for any potential employers to contact them for post-graduation employment. 

Jack Coles

Jack Coles, graphic design major, has his work displayed on the first floor of the gallery. His work includes several prints and digital designs he’s made, including website graphics. 

Coles began his college journey at Boise State University in Idaho before he relocated to Bowling Green with his parents in 2020, taking a break from school. Coles worked as a car salesman for some time before deciding to come back to school. 

“I kind of decided that I didn’t want to sell cars for the rest of my life,” Coles said, “And I had heard Western was a pretty good school so I applied to go back to take classes, and here we are.”

Coles started at WKU in 2022 as an advertising major. He said his professor, Kelley Coppinger, convinced him to lean into the creative aspect of advertising, which led him to become a graphic design major. 

Coles said that being able to see the change his artistry made in the world around him is what made him want to pursue graphic design. 

“Without her kind of bringing me over to the graphic design side, I don’t think I’d be where I was right now,” Coles said.

Coles also reflected on the impact all of the faculty and staff within the art and design program have had on his time at WKU. 

“I can look back at just about any year I’ve been here at Western, and I can point out a professor that has helped me,” Coles said. “I feel like there’s even professors that I’ve never even took any classes with that have helped a lot.”

Coles said he enjoys working with numerous types of mediums in his design, including his work with prints and even designing t-shirts for the local Bowling Green band Splendour. He expressed his enjoyment in mixing the aspects of artistry with the technical applications of graphic design. 

Coles said his favorite memory of his time in the art program is when WKU’s student-run ad agency, Imagewest, won first place at its regional competition in the spring, which had not been achieved by the team in 25 years. 

“That whole process was really, really fun because I got to work in a team and it felt like how it would be to work like in the real world,” Coles said.

After graduation, Coles plans on pursuing a job in the graphic design field and continuing to gain new skills in design. 

Emma Tomlin-Smith

Emma Tomlin-Smith is a Bowling Green local who is a double major in studio art and graphic design. Her artwork in the exhibit included both graphic design and sculpture work. 

Tomlin-Smith said that she always felt drawn to art from an early age, “since I was a little kid, I was always drawing on stuff…so it kind of made sense for me, like, after I graduated high school.”

Tomlin-Smith’s favorite piece in the gallery was her skateboard piece “Eleutheria” because of how unique it is compared to the other pieces she created. 

She reflected on her growth in her artistry at WKU and said that one of the biggest impacts of her time in the art and design program was her opinion on sculpture as a medium. She explained that she initially hated sculpture, but now, most of her pieces in the showcase are sculptures. 

“I felt like it was going to be too much for me to do and I didn’t want to deal with it, but as I actually got into it, I kind of felt more confident in it, and I felt like I could be good at it,” Tomlin-Smith said. 

When asked about faculty or staff who had made an impact, Tomlin-Smith shared the support she felt from art and design department head Kristina Arnold. She explained how Arnold was a continuous voice of encouragement to many students.

“She’s always, like, super sweet and encouraging and, like, makes everyone feel heard,” Tomlin-Smith said.

Tomlin-Smith’s favorite memories from her time at WKU came from several of the campus and department events she participated in. Specifically, the Potter College of Arts & Letters Fall Festival and the Department of Art and Design’s annual Halloween party.  

Dylan Wilson

Dylan Wilson, a fifth-year visual studies major with a minor in graphic design from Louisville, said that he has always been an artist heavily inspired by his interests.  

“I always was kind of stuck in my own little world,” Wilson said. 

When Wilson was growing up, he said that he would watch zany and strange YouTubers with weird personalities and sense of humor, which shaped who he is as a person. 

Wilson’s exhibition displays his work using visuals inspired by Earthbound, a Super Nintendo game from the 1990s that he grew up playing. 

“I wanted to make stuff that…catches your eyes, or satisfies a certain niche you might have,” Wilson said.

His exhibition features graphic design work, including billboards, posters and custom characters.

“I wanted to have a split of more commercialized stuff that I could show to a business or a recruiter, and then the other half was more creative projects that I personally liked and wanted to show off,” Wilson said. 

Wilson’s exhibit also shows off his inspirations, such as visual artists like Pablo Picasso and musicians like The B-52s. 

“(They have) inspired me to do weirder stuff and take different approaches when it comes to my designs or my art, which I didn’t really get to showcase,” said Wilson. 

Wilson also takes time in his exhibit through a poster to thank the people who have helped him throughout his time at WKU, like his family, professors, and the general Bowling Green and WKU community. 

Wilson said he doesn’t typically show off his art so it was nice to have his “15 minutes of fame” before he graduates.

Wilson said that he hopes that through his exhibit, people realize that they can always put their own touches, hobbies, and interests into their work.

“If you have a weird idea or something interesting that you want to do, just go for it,” said Wilson. “You don’t have to conform to the most generic (thing).” 

Birdie Rogers

Visual arts BFA with concentrations in painting and ceramics, Birdie Rogers said their paintings focus on the human figure and animals, specifically rats. 

“I focus on a lot of internal heavy topics that are projected into painting, and (are) not super specific and obvious to most people,” Rogers said. 

Rogers said their inspirations include painting styles used by Jenny Saville and animal sculptures done by Beth Cavaner, as well as their own pet rats. 

In their exhibit, Rogers displays paintings and ceramic work that explore topics like trauma, grief, loss and love. 

Their two biggest and favorite paintings, which helped them create the rest of the gallery, are bright self-portraits of their body with rat heads. 

“It was the first time that I had combined a human figure and a rat into one subject matter, rather than keeping them separate,” Rogers said. “That was the first time I had explored using color in that way and just combining everything into one specific piece.” 

Throughout their time at WKU, Rogers has found a passion for ceramics, as well as lost and found their love for painting. Now, they like to mix the two, bringing clay into their paintings and painting their ceramic works. 

“I came here, and I was really sure that I was a certain type of artist,” Rogers said. “(When I) met all different kinds of people and the professors, I realized that I could be whatever I wanted to be, and there were a lot more options for me.”

Rogers said that they feel like the community of artists that surrounds them is a giant family. 

“I think it’s made me a better artist and also a better person,” Rogers said. “I get to talk with people who have different life experiences and also different skill sets in art, so I get more opinions that are varied, rather than just staying in a specific circle.” 

Through their exhibit, Rogers hopes that people see the beauty in the human body and animals. 

“I can paint something that isn’t considered beautiful and perfect, but try to make it aesthetically pleasing and beautiful, even if that is super personal to me,” Rogers said.