Be Well: The Art of Self-Care

The student art gallery in the UGL is inaccessible to all of us for the time being. But we didn’t want to let that stop us from showcasing artwork by some of the talented students at our University. After a call for submissions this summer, we have selected a couple of pieces to exhibit here. Both works beautifully align with our theme Be Well: The Art of Self-Care. They go beyond the idea of self-care as something you can buy, like an expensive facial or a fancy candle. Don’t get me wrong, expensive facials and fancy candles are great. But truly caring for ourselves and our communities, especially during a pandemic, requires digging a little deeper into the meanings and possibilities of self-care. These artists show us that engaging in self-care can mean asking yourself difficult questions and responding with compassion and remembering that all our well-beings are interconnected.

Samuel Feathers

Red flower with branching vines on a speckled grey/black background. Paint drips down from vines, the flower, and the top of the painting.

“everything’s greener when you’re colorblind” Simulated watercolor. 2020.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

“Done during the initial weeks of COVID-19 before I could go home. During that time, I was isolated alone on campus. I already was having respiratory issues from unrelated causes, so paranoia was starting to set in about getting infected, and it got me into a bad head space. For me, it’s super important to go out and make the best of a bad situation, but stopping to smell the roses in this case felt dangerous. As I got to a better place mentally, I started viewing the piece differently. Starting out, I could only really focus on the grime and imperfections, the flower and green vines were secondary. Now, the petals and gold of the flower are what I look to first. There’s pleasant and rough parts to it, but they are all mixed together. Like the quarantine, what you focus on determines how you interact with it. Do you make a choice to focus on the positives, or do the negatives grab your attention? Keeping that question in mind is how I make sure I’m taking care of myself.

It fits the theme not in a depiction of self-care, but as a question. How are you choosing to interact with the world right now? Are you choosing to focus on the bad? Or are you treating yourself with love and compassion and focusing on the good in the world, even though it is scary and confusing right now? It’s so easy to get down, so treat yourself with care and make a conscious effort to stay positive!”


Tiffany Teng

A person wearing blue with their head tilted back receives a massage from their mother, seated above them, wearing green and a cross necklace.

“Her Healing Hands” Watercolor. 2020.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

“Remember the healing and provisions that your friends and family have restored you with throughout your years together, and use it to look after one another as sheltering in place threatens to wear us down.

I recently had a migraine due to various factors including a lack of self-care. So, I gave myself a day of rest but didn’t feel well until my mother responded to my discomfort with an incredible head massage. As independent and self-reliant as we may want to be, we’re relational beings. We can’t uphold our well-being on our own. Part of self-care is not only knowing our own limits but also knowing that our well-being is made up of relationships. The relationships we have with family and friends are the passages that bring us love and care from others to build up our health.

Part of being well is knowing how to practice self-care with others. This piece illustrates one of the moments I relaxed with my mom, just chatting and massaging one another. In those moments, I often feel comfortable and at peace.”


Thank you to the artists for sharing their work. If you’d like to keep viewing, making, and learning about art from a safe distance, check out these resources:

 

Written by: Izzy

Edited by: Nicole

Twitter Linkedin Digg Delicious Email Tumblr Reddit

50th Anniversary Student Art Gallery

New art exhibition alert! In honor of the Undergraduate Library’s 50th Anniversary, the UGL Art Gallery has two new displays to celebrate. Come check them out and celebrate with us!

For the first display, you’ll find the submissions to the Undergraduate Graphic Design Competition. Each of these unique designs captures the spirit and mission of the UGL. You won’t want to miss this impressive display of student artwork!

 

In the second display, you’ll explore the UGL Through the Decades. Learn about the history of the Undergraduate Library while browsing photographs of the UGL over the years. You’ll see the UGL transform from a space on the first floor of the Main Library into the thriving library we know today. The gallery takes viewers through the “Early Beginnings of the UGL,” to “1969: Undergraduate Library Established,” and concludes with the “UGL Today.” Come learn more about this unique building and how it came to be.

We hope to see you there! And be sure to follow us on social media to learn more about events celebrating the UGL’s 50th.

Thank you to the students who submitted to our graphic design competition, and to the University Archives for providing historical images of the Undergraduate Library.

Written by: Izzy

Edited by: Ryan & Lauren

Twitter Linkedin Digg Delicious Email Tumblr Reddit

UGL Open House

Where did all of the art come from on the Upper Level of the UGL? What’s with the yoga mat and rocking chair in the study rooms on the Lower Level? The Undergraduate Library has a lot of cool new spaces and services and we want to show them off and answer all of your questions by hosting an open house! The Undergraduate Library Spring 2016 Open House will take place Tuesday, March 15 and the events are scheduled from 7:00pm – 9:00pm. Read more for a complete schedule of events:

Student Art in the UGL Student Art Gallery

“Untitled” by Monica Wilner

Art Gallery Opening

The new art gallery, located on the Upper Level of the UGL, showcases student artwork from The School of Art + Design. We are incredibly excited to showcase the artwork of talented students and we can’t wait to officially welcome this new space in our library. the UGL Open House will include a ribbon cutting ceremony for the art gallery (7:00), remarks from faculty in the School of Art + Design (7:10 – 7:30), comments from the featured artists (7:30 – 7:50), and free refreshments and cake (7:45 – 9:00).

Film Production Studio

Film Studio at the Undergraduate Library

Respite/Relaxation Room and Film Studio & Audio Studio Tours 

In addition to the art gallery opening, we will also be offering tours of our brand new respite/relaxation rooms and the Media Commons Film Studio and Audio Studio! If you’ve ever been curious about video production (or if you just want to see what the green screen room looks like), tag along and demo the spaces at 7:20pm and 8:20pm. Our new respite/relaxation rooms offer a spot to de-stress and unwind without leaving the library. You can sit on the rocking chair, test out the white noise machine, and learn more about the tranquility kits (which include a natural spectrum light, a stress ball, exercise bands, and more) on the tours at 7:40pm and 8:40pm!

UGL Loanable Tech Cameras

UGL Loanable Tech Cameras

Hands-On Loanable Technology Demos, New Collections, & More!

During the Open House event there will also be opportunities for you to interact with some of our more unique collections and services. From 7:00 – 9:00 you will be able to get a close-up look at some of our loanable technology devices, test out the library’s mobile app, and learn more about new software and services offered by the Media Commons. Writer’s Workshop will also be in attendance with information about their consultation services and some of our new collections will be on display for you to check out!

What is your favorite service or space at the UGL? Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages!

Twitter Linkedin Digg Delicious Email Tumblr Reddit