The Artwork of the 2021 Annual Research Colloquium
March 5, 2021
HARTSVILLE, SC – Since 2018, GSSM has turned to students to design the cover art for the Annual Research Colloquium book. It has proven vital as a means of contextualizing the research projects within the year they were carried out in. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 added a layer to each. Suddenly, students had to find new ways to carry out their research and stay connected with one another as they navigated a year of uncertainty and isolation. Gracen Tompson’ Pandemic Pen and Ink project wholly embodies that feeling, and that is why GSSM chose her work as the 32nd Annual Research Colloquium Book cover art.
“For my Pandemic Pen and Ink Project, I used Pigma micron pens and a Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen to draw zentangle patterns and accentuate the stark white hands,” said Gracen. “The hands work to make the drawing COVID-related as they represent human contact. The hands, linked only by one finger, symbolize tenuous physical connection during this time of low-to-no contact due to the pandemic and the struggle faced by people craving interpersonal connection.”
More participating students provided the rest of the book’s artwork under the guidance of Patz Fowle, GSSM’s Visual Arts Coordinator & Art Instructor. Other contributors included:
- Luke Phillips
- Matthew Li
- Anavami Isa
- Andrew Chekanov
- Pia Kayser
- Jack Aragon
- Anish Kanthamneni
Photos for Download:
Gracen Thompson’s Artwork (.png)