Sikeston native's photo-based work on display in solo show at Mizzou

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston native Andrew Powell admits he hadn't taken an art class since junior high school when he decided to pursue a fine arts degree nearly two years ago at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Unlike junior high, art courses in college gave Powell some direction and helped him discover his niche -- digital photography.

A 2006 graduate of Sikeston High School, Powell said his love for photography actually took off while he worked as a sports writer at the Standard Democrat beginning in 2007.

"I enjoyed going to the games, covering stories ... conducting interviews but my favorite part was always shooting the photos. Capturing that perfect moment and seeing it hit the press the next morning -- there was nothing like it," Powell said.

Eager for a change, Powell said he transferred to the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2009.

"Fulfilling the rest of my general education requirements, I enrolled in an art appreciation class that fall semester, thinking it would be easy credits to pick up," Powell said.

But little did Powell know his collegiate career would take a drastic turn.

"One day a printmaking professor from the art department named Chris Daniggelis came in to give a guest lecture on art and what it meant to be an artist," Powell said. "His passion was contagious."

During Daniggelis' lecture, a message struck a chord with Powell: "Anyone can be an artist. It just doesn't mean everyone is going to want to look at your art."

"It was that day that I found out the art department offered a photography emphasis so I thought why not, if anyone can be an artist," Powell said. "After all, photography was what I loved most about my last job."

Fast forward two years, and the 23-year-old's work is on display in his first solo show. Powell's exhibit, "Altered Landscapes," opened June 20 and runs through Sunday in the Craft Studio Gallery at Memorial Union on the University of Missouri's Columbia campus.

"The owners/curators asked me to exhibit after they saw my work in the senior art exhibition this past spring which highlighted the work of the graduating seniors," Powell said.

The show contains the primary body of work he's developed during his undergraduate career.

"Essentially my work deals with altered landscapes -- me going into landscapes and taking what is physically around me and altering space and dimensions," Powell said.

Some pieces tend to be more sculptural while others are more performance-based. Whether it be footprints in the snow or painting ink on a tree, Powell said there are aspects from a range of mediums including printmaking, painting and drawing.

"However, the one constant in my work is that the photograph serves as documentation for an altered location," Powell said.

Without the aid of photography, the only way of seeing one of his pieces is to be on location during its transformation, Powell said.

"It's been a humbling experience here at Mizzou," he said. "Being someone who was completely alien to the art world before taking my first studio class to the successes I've achieved as an undergrad."

Powell received first place for his piece "Untitled," which is part of his snowscape series featured in his solo show, in the 2010 University of Missouri Undergraduate Showcase. This showcase was a juried show containing works of all mediums from all students in the art department.

He also received third place in the same show this year for "Altered Landscapes: Tape on Concrete/Study of Subconscious Awareness." In this piece, Powell altered a parking lot landscape by placing white tape in an open parking spot in the middle of the lot to mimic a "no-parking spot."

"I went back every two hours throughout the day to document the interaction of those people who park in that specific lot -- to find that nobody had parked there," Powell said.

Another of Powell's achievements is being selected as one of three artists whose work is being exhibited at the Residency on the Quadrangle where the university's chancellor resides.

Powell's professors are equally impressed with the budding artist.

Joe Johnson, assistant professor of art and head of photography in the Fine Art Department at Mizzou, said Powell works as hard or harder than any of his art students.

"The work ethic there is key, and I'm thrilled to death he is now starting to exhibit," Johnson said.

Dan Farnum, visiting assistant professor at Mizzou, called Powell one of his best students.

"He's really mature and he's a student but doing work that's really sophisticated but sharp and very conceptual," Farnum said of Powell. "It's work [that] when I look at it, I don't see it as student work, but interesting artwork which ultimately is the goal coming into our program ... and he's exceeded that."

Powell, who is the son of Lester and Carla Powell of Sikeston, expects to complete his bachelor's degree later this year through the University of Missouri in Columbia. Currently, he works as a teachers assistant for beginning photography courses at the University of Missouri.

"As for my future plans in digital photography, I would like to take a year or so off from the art world and return to school to receive a graduate's degree in fine arts. With that, I would like to teach photography and work on art at a smaller university," Powell said.

Until then Powell said he will continue studio work on the commercial side of photography, shooting weddings, senior pictures and other occasions.

"He really works his legs off," Johnson said about his former student. "One of the things I preach is that more than talent, success in photography is really based on sweat, and the person who sweats the most and takes the most pictures, will probably have the most success."