Art has long served as a visual display of expression – a communication of ideas through beauty and power. It interprets the world around us and reflects the artist’s inner vision.

On May 1, the University of Wisconsin–Superior opened the doors of the Kruk Gallery for its annual Senior Capstone Exhibition. Three graduating visual arts majors – Wendy Crescenzo Gomez, Dellana Graeber, and Rowan Willow – presented their work.

A Showcase of Skill and Vision

The exhibit, which ran through May 16, highlighted the development of each student’s artistic skills across various mediums, including painting, weaving and sculpture.

As part of their capstone requirement, each senior composed a written artist statement to convey their creative process and vision.

Wendy Crescenzo Gomez: Hope Through Material

“My art becomes an act of hope,” Gomez wrote. “Through material exploration, I seek not just to escape, but to carve out a space for light, movement, and resilience in myself and in viewers.”

Gomez presented a blend of paintings, woven works, and sculptures. Her paintings – such as Deeper Lake and Verdant Pastures – featured acrylics applied in varying shades and textures to evoke a sense of exploration and serenity. These pieces reflected nature-inspired themes that invited viewers to engage with curiosity and introspection.

Dellana Graeber: Love in Many Forms

“Everything we do is out of love, either for someone or something,” Graeber wrote in her statement. “And I am representing the many ways love can look.”

Graeber’s art drew from her personal experiences with love. She portrayed the relationship with her husband through a collection of shaped pottery adorned with vibrant swatches of color. Her love of reading was also explored in A Reader’s Dream, a mixed-media piece that captured the magic of literary escape.

Rowan Willow: Chronic Illness and Identity

The third senior, Rowan Willow, used their identity and lived experience as the foundation for a series of emotionally charged oil paintings.

“I hope to spread the worldview of the chronically ill community to as many audiences as I am able,” Willow wrote.

Their works – Content, Grief, Chronic Illness, and Familiar – depicted evocative imagery, including cats, spiritual figures, and abstract representations of emotion. Through color and composition, Willow communicated a nuanced perspective on pain, presence and resilience.

A Celebration of Artistic Growth

The Senior Capstone Exhibition served as a proud display of the students’ artistic education. These deeply personal and skillful works reflected the dedication and creativity of the visual arts majors as they prepared to move beyond the university into the wider art world.

By Olivia Fleming, English major and student writer for UWS.