Clinard Displays Juncture at Hopkins

The exhibit “Speaks about OUR stories, OUR narratives. You see many themes of journeys, solidarity, pain, joy, and curiosity,” according to Clinard. These themes were appealing to students like Miya Segal ‘21, who said her “favorite piece was the wooden sculpture of a woman cradling her baby, with the mother clearly in distress.”

She liked this piece because of its evocative emotion: “The mother and child connected as almost one body depict the happy and sad moments in life, and conjoin two generations, mother and child,” said Segal. This is why Clinard named the exhibit “Juncture,” because she was “taken by the layered definition of Juncture, a place where things join,” she said. 

The diversity is shown in both the styles of the pieces and in the materials used throughout the exhibit. “There is a little of this from this culture, and little of that from that culture, a little of this from this painting style, a little  from another painting style: put them all together and we create her pieces; so we’re seeing that eclectic,and prolific nature,” said art teacher Peter Ziou, on the mix of styles in the artwork.

The wide range of materials used to create the sculptures was shocking to many visitors. “She’s using beautiful design in creating her pieces. She’s using wood, and collage, so she’s really not limiting herself to anything,” Ziou said. “She gathered random objects that had different meanings when separated, but when put together, they made a whole lot of sense,” said Clara Goulding ‘21.

Various types of materials in  the different pieces helped to create unique effects for the viewer. “Sometimes a raw chunk of wood helps illustrate the impact I want the viewer to experience, while other times, a singular piece of bent wire shows a simple contour of a subject and that’s all that’s needed,” Clinard explained. This use of different materials also has helped shape how Clinard creates her art. “I am constantly exploring with new materials and techniques in my studio....it is how I grow as an artist,” she said.

Clinard’s love for art holds roots in her childhood, and it was what made her most happy in her adolescence. But, she attributes her development as the artist she is now to “being a fervent observer of life. Without my capacity to absorb what is happening around me I don’t think I would be able to articulate the range of emotions and stories that I capture in my work.”

“I think it’s wonderful that Hopkins allows us better access to art,” said Goulding. “I also like that in Keator Gallery, the art is mostly from local artists. Big museums are great and everything, but Keator better represents our closeknit community,” said Goulding.

To students considering entering artwork into any future art shows, Clinard advises to “Just do it. Don’t second guess yourself! When you are young it is important that you begin to feel comfortable sharing your ideas and work....how else can we grow?”

The next art exhibit in the Keator Gallery, “E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One,” will display artwork made by people in the Hopkins Community from November 3, 2017 to January 5, 2018.