Centennial Alumni Show
Nearly a month after I had graduated from the University I called home for the past 4 years, I received an email saying that I had been nominated for SU’s Alumni show this fall to commemorate 100 years as an institution. It felt odd being asked to be in a show that commemorated 100 years and only included Alumni; something I had technically been for only a few short weeks now. I felt honored; but at that same time I was coming off of putting up and taking down my Capstone exhibition and the world felt like it was crumbling at my feet.
But I still said yes.
I poured all of the emotions of being a graduate in 2025 into the work I created. The harsh realities and emotions that no one prepares you for after college. There were times these pieces didn’t come to be, but through my progress since May I’m proud to say I competed them. I am proud that they include my original hand-drawn lines and notes. Being original can be so hard these days, but this was the first time I took and crafted my own raw emotions into something original.
This work will be on display at Salisbury University Art Galleries | Downtown from September 16th - October 18, 2025
Below are the digital renderings if you didn’t get a chance to see it in person. Thank you for your support.
PCD, 2025 & Verbiage
PCD, 2025, 20 × 30 inches, Screen-printed on archival paper
I’ve been an alumni for only a few short months now, and over that time has come a lot of grief, anxiety, and sadness.
I was very torn if I was going to be able to making something for this show. I felt unmotivated and had no idea what I wanted to make for this show.
Summer is usually a time of inspiration, joy, and calmness for me. In the wake of graduating i’ve felt myself lost and uneasy. The place I called home the past 4 years was now in my past and drifting away. All while the reports of a job market in shambles pour riddling my persuits. Oh, and the infamous question:
“How’s the job search going?”
I know it’s asked in good faith. But for some it’s the most dreadful question.
But there was one morning I was sitting on the pier of the vacation home I was at one week this summer with my family. My feet were in the wake and as I looked across the marshy horizon; I closed my eyes and hugged the post I was leaning on and sobbed. I had an ethereal rush as the sun warmed my face. The tears dried and I smiled. I finally felt like things would be okay for once in a long time.
This piece is a snapshot of that moment, the best way I could conceptualize a turning point. I express how post-graduation has felt for me. I’m sure there are many more of my peers who may feel the same, and if you’re reading this you’re not alone in how you feel. This piece is a symbol of how I’ve felt over the past few months, it was the best way I could conceptualise my emotions. Fully me.
I leave this here as a symbol of my grief, but also of hope; of a warm future, even if it’s scary. I am so proud to be a seagull, and to come from such an amazing institution. My yearning for it back only shows a century of legacy, with more to come.
Half Full or Half Empty, 2025
Half Full or Half Empty, 2025, 24 × 52 inches, Adobe Illustrator and handwritten notes
This piece is a reflection of the thoughts that swarm my mind on an average day. Through handpicked colors from photos of the sunrise and sunsets I had collected this summer; I overlayed a day’s worth of journaling on the hourglass. Asking myself am I half full or empty?
