Kariann Fuqua and Jessica “JB” Burke are Wichita natives — and both are passionate about their art. The two artists came together to create the “A World Away” exhibition, which is currently displayed in the McKnight Art Center.
The exhibition is meant to create a dialogue that navigates the complexities and implications of “place.” The artists use their art to explore and seek meaning within our shared experiences.
Burke got her master’s in fine arts at the University of North Carolina. This helped her grow more in her art. Now, as a professor at the University of North Carolina, Burke enjoys putting on her own exhibitions and incorporating eye-popping colors and contrasting black-and-white shades.
Fuqua got her master’s in fine arts at the University of Illinois. This is where she mastered her style of abstract art — the kind of art that Fuqua wants people to really stop, look at, and think about. Simply, her style is non-objective versus objective art. Fuqua now serves as an assistant professor of art and director of museum studies at the University of Mississippi. Both artists have works displayed across the country.
Fuqua and Burke give the viewer two ways to view their exhibition. Burke uses a mix of graphite, watercolor and digital media that is eye-catching. Meanwhile, Fuqua uses acrylic and ink to create an abstract way of thinking.
Burke’s inspiration comes from children’s literature, utilizing vivid colors and items that a person would remember from their childhood while Fuqua uses different shapes and colors in an abstract way to express what one might also be feeling.
The pair aims to offer an escape to a world of joy and a sense of childhood. Burkes draws the viewer into a world of familiarity that might ignite something that could have been buried away.
Simultaneously, Fuqua’s obsessive mark-making depicts an environmental system that’s longing to find a place to connect. Combining these two completely different art styles tells a story of trying to find meaning in a shared experience but from the eyes of two different people.
“A World Away” will be available for viewing until Oct. 4 and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in room 205 of the McKnight Art Center.
