Featured Image: Amanda Smith’s “Pinned Down, But What for?” displays itself in the Fine Arts Gallery Tuesday, April 6, in Martin, Tennessee. (Pacer Photo / Ethan Tanner)

Eyes were opened with the presentation of two senior thesis exhibitions at the Fine Arts Gallery at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, in Martin, Tenn.

The League of Striving Artists President Amanda Smith, a studio art major from Jackson, was one of the artists. Her exhibition was titled “You Are Next.”

This exhibit in particular displayed a variety of paintings that discussed the ongoing political climate, concerning police brutality, homelessness and poverty.

“It is never addressed by politicians or they say that they’ll do something but never follow through. So I think it just comes from a lot of frustration with both sides of the aisle,” Smith said.

Every painting in the exhibit included at least one figure, and each of them shared the face of Smith even if she was not entirely visible. This helped represent how anyone of any background could be a member of the National Guard or a victim to a supposedly unrighteous government, proving how anyone can be affected by current events.

Smith’s proudest work was most likely “Pinned Down, But What for?” a piece that delves into the subject of police brutality and the recent incidents involving ICE officers.

The painting in question displays Smith being aggressively pinned down by two faceless individuals, who show no signs of backing down. The painting is very realistic and detailed in nature, creating a grim picture of the kind of threat the common citizen might undergo.

Smith believes that this senior exhibition demonstrates the strengths she has developed during her time at UT Martin.

“I’ve always enjoyed doing realism and have been relatively good at it. I have definitely improved and gotten more comfortable with painting specifically,” she said.

Studio Art major Callie Hollowell of Jackson also presented an exhibition. Hers was titled “The Glasshouse.”

This exhibition was centered around Hollowell’s faith and its perspective on judging others.

“One of the things recently in the Bible that’s been really speaking to me is judgment and how we view that as Christians and kind of how we’re taught to have humility and how the world sees that differently,” she said.

Across her numerous pieces, one of the most consistently used items were television screens.

“It’s kind of like a symbol as a person, like the TVs are people and what’s about their lives and you watch them and you take in their image,” she explained.

One of her most notable pieces was “How Is Your Heart Postured?,” which portrayed a variety of televisions that presented hearts of different shapes and sizes. This piece is meant to represent how people are not judged for their outwards appearance, but for what is inside their hearts.

Whether through her artistic endeavors or her leadership, Hollowell believes that she has grown in many ways ever since she started attending UT Martin.

“Being a leader in the art department, I’ve had the opportunity to be the vice president and the treasurer of the League of Striving Artists,” she said. “That also kind of helps you with your art too, being around creative people who push you to do better.”

Art professor Jason Stout has served as a mentor to both of the students throughout their college career. He knew that they were capable of such masterful artistry ever since he scouted them out when they were still in high school. 

“Even at that early age, they were both really impressive technical artists,” he said.

Over the past four years, Stout has paid close attention to how both students have grown as artists and as people.

“One of the things they really worked on and developed is most college students also grow and develop as people. They take a larger interest in the world and get more invested into things around them and the community and people around them,” he said. “I hope also that they platform this work and maybe think about going to the next level, like maybe doing a graduate studies program.”

Currently, both students are considering enrolling in a graduate program to continue their journey in the world of studio art.

Both exhibitions will remain open until Saturday, April 11.