Lyon College Kresge Gallery features two-dimensional works of Alexandra Giannell
BATESVILLE, Arkansas – The Lyon College Kresge Gallery will showcase the two-dimensional works of artist Alexandra Giannell, assistant professor of painting and drawing at Utah Valley University, from now through Friday, Nov. 3, in the historic Alphin Humanities Building on the Lyon College campus, 2300 Highland Rd., Batesville.
There will be a reception and artist talk on Thursday, Nov. 2, from 5-6:30 p.m. in the gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
“Unbound” consists of select abstract two-dimensional works by Giannell, which consider the broader theme of restriction and expansion. The compilation of oil paintings and graphite drawings is comprised of three of Giannell’s currently developing series –“Breathturn,” “Fallacy of Structure” and “Inside on the Outside,” all of which attempt to confront and unpack aspects of contemporary and historical displacement, incarceration and genocide, informed by Giannell’s time and research in as an artist in residence with The Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project collaborating in men’s medium security prisons as well as with The Pienkow Foundation in Poland studying the Holocaust’s Majdanek Concentration Camp in 2019.
Exploring conversations of perception and architectural structures of penitence, the works often allude to landscapes of such control while simultaneously emitting qualities of freedom or being unbound. This tension is enhanced through the symbiosis of ephemeral qualities and guttural, physical mark-making processes in the work, visually charging the gallery space and passages between.
Giannell is an American artist who also spent several years growing up in Europe. She earned a diploma in visual arts from the North Carolina School of the Arts before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts cum laude in painting with a minor in art history from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master of Fine Arts summa cum laude in painting from Clemson University in South Carolina.
Currently, Giannell lives and works in Utah as an assistant professor of painting and drawing at Utah Valley University.
Kresge Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Admission is free.
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About Lyon College
Lyon College is a private, liberal arts institution founded in 1872. Located in Batesville, Arkansas, Lyon is the oldest college in the state with its original charter. Ranked by US News & World Report as a 2022 “Best College,” Lyon currently enrolls approximately 600 students from more than 30 states and 18 countries. Students can tailor their education, selecting from 21 majors as well as pre-professional and individualized options. Learn more at lyon.edu.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors, is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current publicity chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.