At Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s (FCLC) Ildiko Gallery, visitors will have the opportunity to view 10 different pieces that display abstract subject matters, ranging from things in strip clubs to the branding world. Artwork by seniors will be on display as part of the annual Senior Exhibition Series from March 13-18.

As an artist working with mixed media installations and sculpture, Aubrey Vollrath, FCLC ’15, will display artwork that conveys a combination of domesticity and the strip club. “Elements from the home are brought together with clear heels, plant life, fake eyelashes, fried eggs and fish tanks,” she said. “It’s all about turning a hoe into a housewife.”

Vollrath said that her inspiration comes from observing the world around her. “I just try to be in tune with the world around me and create a response to those experiences,” she said.

With an approach differing greatly from Vollrath, C. Sarah Strafford, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’15, involves the use of animated film in her artwork, which she created the set for and filmed by herself. “I’m very concerned with the emotions I want people to experience when they watch my films, so I have to think a lot about how to get the right emotional impact,” Strafford said.

As a double major in visual arts and communications and media studies, Strafford got inspiration from both studies to come up with her thesis.  “What I was really interested in was how modern communications between individuals works, via texting and online messaging and such and how isolating those forms of communication can be,” Strafford said.

Contrasting from the other artists, Abby Wilson, FCLC ’15, will be presenting artwork that is part of a branding project she’s currently working on. “I want viewers to leave with a new understanding of what branding can be and a sense of the vibe I am trying to create.  My piece will be fun, playful and interactive,” she said.

Creating something incredible isn’t a quick process and Samantha Smith, FCLC ’15, has worked on her narrative film project for a long time in order to be specific in every detail of her work. “My work breaks free of the rules by using the theme of memory. Creating this sort of tension and uncertainty allows the viewers to fill in the blanks on their own,” she said.

Some of Smith’s inspiration came from what she learned in her senior seminar class. “Not only was I able to work with a group of talented artists, but most of us created work in different mediums,” Smith said.

Despite these very different approaches to artwork, all the artists hope to evoke a response from visitors who view their projects. Vollrath wants to make viewers chuckle and shudder. “It’s a curation of attraction and repulsion,” she said.

From this show, students hope that they continue to grow as artists. According to Smith, “My thesis project has allowed me to grow a lot as an artist and help me in recognizing my strengths and weaknesses more easily.”

For Vollrath, she is using different mediums to try and find her voice in the art world. “It’s trial and error … like so much of life.  I just try to be in tune with the world around me and create a response to those experiences,” Vollrath explained.

Vollrath thinks taking a vision and turning it into a reality is a really rewarding process. “You surprise yourself, you challenge yourself, you edit yourself and change yourself in order to display exactly what you want to say to the world,” she said.