Area artists critque each other's work, hold exhibit

Consensus, an exhibit featuring the work of four artists, is on display in the Dobbins Center Hallway Gallery at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus.

Works displayed were created by Emily Booth, Emily Denlinger, Katherine Smith and William Thielen. The four artists participated in peer critiques with one another to form the Peer Crit Club. They have been able to support one another and give feedback, which led them to the opportunity to show their work collectively in the exhibit.

"Critique meetings last for hours, and I find both mentorship and friendship blossoming among those in our peer crit group," said Booth, an instructor of foundation art at Southeast. "The way we challenge and inspire each other creates a kind of growth and clarity that wouldn't be possible without each other's input."

Katherine Smith, professor of art and foundations coordinator at Southeast, said, "I have enjoyed the critique group's friendship and professional guidance, especially in its diversity of perspectives. We are very different in the way we approach techniques, materials and subject matter, but that is what makes this group valuable."

Smith said the critiques are a great way to build an artist community and have encouraged her to push up deadlines and set new goals for herself.

Emily Denlinger, assistant professor of digital arts at Southeast, said, "The critique group has been great for me because it helped me reinvigorate some of my projects by seeing them from someone else's perspective. I have a very different medium and narrative in my work than the other members, so I was able to receive vastly different feedback compared to critiques I received in the past."

Booth is a native of Richmond, Virginia, and holds a bachelor's degree in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts and a master's degree in painting from the University of Delaware. She teaches foundation art at Southeast, where she has revived the art department's study-abroad programs, developing courses that culminate in trips to locations including England, Belgium, the Netherlands, French Canada and Scotland.

Denlinger is assistant professor of digital arts at Southeast. She received a bachelor's degree in 2-D art with a concentration in photography from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She went on to study at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where she earned a master's degree in digital art, which was transferred into a master's degree in photography and digital imaging.

Smith, a native of Minneapolis, received a bachelor's degree in fine art from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and a master's degree in painting/printmaking from Michigan State University. Smith is a professor of art and foundations coordinator at Southeast.

Thielen, a Pierre, South Dakota, native, received a bachelor's degree in painting from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and a master's degree from Southern Illinois University, where he is a studio artist.

Exhibit hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday through Aug. 14. Exhibit hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday Aug. 17 through Sept. 25, when the exhibit will close.

Pertinent address:

518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.