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(02/15/15 5:30pm)
Digging into family history and exploring how it relates to a person is important in discovering oneself, according to artist Cynthia Farnell.
Farnell, originally from Birmingham, graduated from Auburn in 1992 and attended the Rhode Island School of Design from 1999-2001.
Farnell is now an artist and director of the Welch Galleries at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Farnell said she has always been interested in art. She said her parents were very encouraging, providing her with private lessons and museum trips.
According to Farnell, her teachers at Auburn also impacted her love of art.
"One of my first teachers at Auburn, Allyson Comstock, was my mentor when I was younger, and she made me think that it was possible for me to become an artist," Farnell said.
Comstock said Farnell is a talented artist whose work deals with important topics such as memory and transcultural identities.
Farnell said she figured out she wanted to consider art as a profession in high school, when she started to recognize other artists.
"(Art) keeps me engaged with the world and what's going on in it," Farnell said.
The best part about being an artist, Farnell said, is there is always a new project to work on, never leaving her bored.
Farnell said another high point for her is engaging with students and people who come to see her exhibits.
According to Farnell, having a job in education and being an artist at the same time can be difficult. Farnell said she is fortunate because her job supports and encourages her art.
However, Farnell said being an artist can be frustrating because of the financial considerations. She said her projects cost money, and she is not always compensated.
Another challenging aspect according to Farnell is the strains on relationships. She said art is time consuming, and not everyone understands the work put into each project.
For her projects, Farnell said she doesn't use one specific style.
"I don't think of myself as having a style or trying to have one," Farnell said.
However, Farnell said she has gravitated toward photography.
"Art can be intimidating, but most people have a relationship with photography," Farnell said.
According to Farnell, everyone speaks the language of photography.
"I use that medium because it's more of a bridge with the audience," Farnell said. "I want to make them comfortable."
Farnell has placed her art in exhibits in non-traditional places, such as houses and a state park.
Lately, Farnell said older photographs and their stories inspired her.
Her most recent exhibit "Ancestors," which was featured in Biggin Gallery, came about when Farnell saw a statue of a Roman man with masks with his ancestor's faces in his hands.
Farnell said the statue made her think about her collection of family photographs.
"I wanted to think abut how the stories of my ancestors impacted who I am," Farnell said.
The exhibit featured pictures and symbols of her ancestors and their stories.
"It was a powerful show that dealt with its subject matter through the objects and projections," Comstock said.
Audience member Mary Wetzel, senior in art, said the exhibit was easy to relate to, and had a sense of story to the art.
Farnell said each project requires a lot of research, but she keeps a timeline to help make sure she doesn't spend too much time on one project.
"It's not always easy," Farnell said. "Sometimes it brings up uncomfortable feelings if you're exploring things that are troubling and meaningful at all."
Farnell said she does not consider herself a Southern artist, but being raised in the South definitely influenced her art and made her who she is.
(02/06/15 2:35am)
Students filled Biggin Hall on Thursday, Feb. 5, as artist Cynthia Farnell, originally from Birmingham, talked about her most recent exhibit, called "Ancestors".
After a brief lecture, the exhibit was open for viewing in the gallery.
Farnell said she graduated from Auburn, and is currently the Director of the Welch School Galleries at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
According to Farnell, she grew up being encouraged by her parents and teachers to pursue her love of art.
"Allyson Comstock was my mentor when I was younger, and she made me think that it was possible for me to become an artist," said Farnell.
For inspiration, Farnell said she enjoys looking at other artists and cultures to see how they view things differently.
Most of Farnell's work includes the themes of place, identity and community.
Farnell said she does not consider herself to have a certain style, but she has always gravitated towards photographic imagery.
Farnell said she does most her work with lens-based imagery because most people can relate to pictures.
"Art can be intimidating ... but most people have a relationship with photography," Farnell said.
Her exhibit, "Ancestors", included examples of lens-based imagery.
The idea for the exhibit came about when Farnell saw a statue of a Roman man with ancestor masks in his hands. Farnell said that made her think about her collection of family photographs.
"I wanted to think about how the stories of my ancestors impacted who I am," Farnell said.
The first piece that started the collection was a Bible belonging to her grandmother, in the form of a scanned image on a black background.
Other images with similar style in the exhibit included a skillet, a conch shell, and a glass bottle.
Hanging from one of the walls were strips of matted posters, each strip with a picture of one of Farnell's female ancestors along with images and symbols describing each one.
While the photographs were on the wall, there were also various projected images on the wall and floor.
On the floor was a box with red dirt taken from Wire Road, which reflected the theme of place and burial.
Farnell said some reoccurring themes in the exhibit were the ocean, portrayed by images of sailboats and the conch shell, and mirrors, which appeared in some of the work.
Audience member Mary Wetzel said the exhibit was easy to relate to, and had a sense of story to it.
"I want the audience to reflect on how they can look more deeply into their family history," Farnell said.
(01/31/15 5:24pm)
College students filled Bourbon Street Bar on Friday, Jan. 31, to listen to the musical stylings of Little Raine Band.
Little Raine Band, originating from Birmingham, now work their way around the Southeast, including places such as Florida and North Carolina.
The band preformed after the opening act, the Aquaducks, from Nashville.
Between the bright colorful lights and the upbeat, groovy music, audience members could not keep still.
Little Raine band caught the attention of audience member Nathan Jamison, who had not heard of the band before.
Jamison said the atmosphere the band created was enjoyable and optimistic.
Saxophone player Jonas Shultz and drummer Rohan Prakash joined Little Raine Band on stage.
Daniel Raine, rhythm guitar and piano player, said the two performers helped add a jazz-funk edge to their sound.
According to Raine, this was the bands first time having two drummers on stage at the same time with the band.
Little Raine Band performed many of their own songs as well as a few covers.
"I want our audience to leave feeling like they were positively impacted by our performance," Raine said.
Raine said the band did everything in their power to bring the heat and blow their audience away.
The goal of the band's performance was to get their audience to want to come back, Raine said.
"If you put all of the genres in a blender and mix it up, you get our style," said Davis Little, guitar player and singer.
Raine described the band as a combination of jazz, blues, funk, and electronic.
According to Little, the band started when he and Raine performed acoustic gigs together in seventh and eighth grade. The band has been together since 2013.
The band said they were looking forward to playing for the new and familiar faces of Auburn students and residents.
Little Raine Band performed with smoke and multicolored lights, and left the audience on their feet the whole night.\0x200B
(03/24/18 12:16am)
Madison Collins, freshman in biomedical sciences, has earned a nickname around campus.
(01/22/15 1:00pm)
College professors and college head football coaches are paid noticeably different salaries.
Gus Malzahn, head football coach, earned $3,854,500 last year, according to USA Today, while the average professor at Auburn earned $109,860 during a 12-month span from 2012-13, according to auburn.edu's factbook.
According to jobmonkey.com, football coaches work approximately 100 hours per week during football season.
Drew Clark, director of Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, said the average professor, based on studies, spends approximately 58 hours during the week teaching, grading and advising.
"Football coaches get paid so much because football... brings in a lot of money to campuses," said John Carvalho, associate professor of journalism who specializes in sports reporting.
Carvalho also said while academics bring in revenue, the amount of money brought in from television, tickets and the promise of a successful football season contribute entirely to the high salaries of the coaches.
"It has to do with supply and demand," said James Barth, Lowder Eminent Scholar in Finance.
Barth said coaches' salaries are higher because there are fewer successful coaches than there are professors..
"I am reluctant to say coaches' salaries are too high and professors' salaries are too low." Barth said. "Both have to motivate people to be successful."
Auburn athletics department had no comment on the coaches' salaries.
"I think professors are paid fairly," Carvalho said.
According to Carvalho, while coaches are paid more, the salaries of professors are consistent and higher than most schoolteachers.
Michael Milford, assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism, said football brings in a lot of money to the University.
According to Milford, professors are paid according to how they contribute to the University.
"Part of me says, 'No, it's not fair,'" Milford said. "(Malzahn) never had to grade quizzes or lecture or any of that stuff."
Milford also said, just like in any occupation, there was an element of fair and unfairness in the salaries of coaches and professors.
(01/16/15 5:00pm)
Choir students raise their voices in different ways every day, according to those participating in the program.
Chamber choir president Seth McCollough, senior in instrumental and vocal music education, is involved in conductors' chorus, men's chorus, chamber choir and gospel choir.
McCollough studies with a vocal coach and takes instrumental classes. Each choir class lasts 50 minutes. He also participates in concerts on select Sundays, which last an hour and half to two hours.
"Each day is different," McCollough said.
William Powell, director of choral activity, said the days start with a warm-up, which changes depending on the class' goal.
Some days, choir members focus on balance in their warm ups by making sure one section does not stick out from the rest, according to Powell.
Powell said other days they will focus on blending by making sure no one is standing out within the section.
The rest of the day consists of learning new songs or mastering just one. Chamber choir often focuses on one piece per day.
"Just like an actor with a script, we have to be true to the composer and the style of the piece," Powell said.
Alumnus Taylor Vogl was in chamber choir, men's chorus and opera workshop. He also taught singing technique.
Vogl said he only spent two choir-related hours per day, and two and a half to three hours per day practicing.
Powell or another music major lead the warm-ups, according to Vogl.
Vogl said most of the chamber choir's rehearsal was focused on phrasing words in the music, not necessarily just the notes. The choirs sometimes break into sections to practice.
"Dr. Powell was good at helping us see what a piece was trying to tell us," Vogl said. "That is what made us one of the best choirs in the region."
Vogl said Powell gives students a good feel for the style of each piece.
Amanda Anderson, senior in music education and vocal performance, is involved in chamber choir and AU Singers.
Anderson said she spends two to three hours in class, and two to three hours practicing per day.
Anderson also described her day in chamber choir as varying from day to day. After the 10-minute warm-up, Powell and the choir discuss what they're working on.
"We come to a collected, understood and agreed upon meaning for what the composer is saying," Powell said.