The Boseman Gallery schedules give (5) exhibitions per year to showcase work by UNCW students as well as local and regional artists. The upcoming year's exhibition line up will be previewed on the main Boseman landing page. See below for an overview of recent exhibitions!
2023-2024 Artist Exhibitions
The Flowers and Pearls Collection | CLR LIVIN
CLR LVN (pronounced CLEAR LIVIN) is Chris Robinson, a mixed-media artist who draws inspiration from his community, travels and life experiences to create unique and meaningful art. A self-proclaimed Renaissance Man, CLR LVN creates art with narratives through his expertise of interior and graphic designs, mediation, mindfulness and storytelling.
In childhood art was his refuge to soothe the pains of life and brokenness; art helped him navigate his adverse experiences and chronic depression. In adulthood, responsibility took priority over art until he was diagnosed with ADHD, which went undiagnosed due to him not displaying the typical identifiers of the condition. For most of his life he felt exposed, underserved, and questioned his existence as he struggled in plain sight.
Inspiration for THE FLOWERS & PEARLS COLLECTION came when he was asked what he was passionate about as a child and he was reminded of his unique perspective for seeing the beauty in chaos and hardship. Through the help of therapy and getting to his passion of creating art, CLR LVN reconnected with his craft and is now taking his resourcefulness and creativity to new heights.
2022-2023 Artist Exhibitions
Scholarship Show: In Divine Image | Olivia Froelich
Olivia explores her belief in God as Heavenly Parents, the divine nature of every individual, and the oneness of divinity and humanity by seeking the divine that manifests itself in people. She has done this through two-dimensional works of art: figure studies, self-portraits, portraits of loved ones, and in conceptual depictions of divine figures. In Olivia's artist statement, she describes 'It is inherently human to seek the divine. Sometimes we look up to seek this divinity, sometimes we look around, and often, we look within. Like Albrecht Durer’s self-portrait as Christ, or Artemisia Gentileschi’s self-portrait as Saint Catherine, in portraits of God and their saints, a human has acted as reference. If one can look into the eyes of God by observing a man-made portrait in a man-made museum, then the idea that humanity is separated from divinity by unconquerable lengths must be an illusion.”
Remarkably Human | Rachel Johanningsmeir
Rachel recreates the female body in her work, telling visual stories of its strength, fluidity, and spirit. As a child, Rachel participated in many activities such as gymnastics, dance, yoga, and swimming that inspired her figurative work and its focus on movement, energy, and expression. These elements collide with her interest in psychology to generate artwork that celebrates how remarkably human we are. Rachel's artwork reflects her own thoughts and experiences that connect people to our shared sense of humanity. This is evident in the way she poses the form and tone for each piece by creating anatomically ‘correct’ bodies while abstracting the material and/or color to deter the audience from assigning identity to the piece and enhance emotion behind it. This allows the audience to recognize them as a manifestation of human experience. While Rachel uses the human body as a vessel for expression, they are made simply for the fate of creating, or l’art pour l’art (‘art for art’s sake) as stated by Théophile Gautier, French poet and art critic.