WVU Libraries

The Art in the Libraries Committee and Dean of Libraries Karen Diaz selected Lilly Adkins, a junior double majoring in painting and sculpture, and Kieah Hamric, a sophomore majoring in graphic design, to receive the 2022 Dean of Libraries’ Student Arts Award.

Adkins won for her work titled “Detroit Fox Theater 1934 to 2022.” This mixed media painting compares the same area, nearly 100 years apart, emerging from times of turmoil.

“In 1934, the Fox Theater’s dramatic rise in attendance became a symbol of Detroit recovering from the Great Depression,” Adkins said. “In more recent times, the reopening of nonessential places that allow large crowds indicates society entering a post-COVID-19 world. Although the periods and circumstances are different, how society ‘returns to normal’ remains the same.”

Adkins said she went from sailing on the great lakes of Michigan to exploring the dense mountain forests of West Virginia, and often reflect on these areas for inspiration.

“In my work, I focus on subjects that examine people’s relationships with the world and combine traditional techniques with a wide range of nontraditional mediums and surfaces,” Adkins said.

Hamric won for her painting titled “In a Man’s World” that she created on Adobe Illustrator.

“It’s a visual representation of the world women are currently stuck in,” Hamric said. “Men throughout history have had their hands in so many decisions regarding women and they continue to do so. This piece utilizes a bold red color to show the warning and danger women face when men push them aside or back and make decisions for them.

Both paintings will be on display in the Mesaros Galleries at the Creative Arts Center through March 2 and then move to the Evansdale Library.