Bay College Announces Art Exhibitions and Panel Discussion for the Celebration of Women’s History Month

News

Restless, Caitlyn Swift

By Kristine Granger
Published February 12, 2024

Bay College announces two exhibitions, featuring artist Lindsey Heiden and artist Caitlyn Swift. These exhibitions will be on view from March 11 through April 18, 2024, in celebration of Women’s History Month. An Artist Talk/Panel Discussion will take place in the Besse Center Auditorium on Thursday, March 14 at 2pm, with a reception in the Besse Gallery to follow. This event is free and open to the public.

Lindsey Heiden’s work will be on display in the Besse Gallery.

BIO

Lindsey Heiden is originally from Illinois. She earned a BFA in painting from Western Illinois University, along with a BA in Spanish. Heiden also received her MFA with an emphasis in ceramics from the University of Arkansas, in Fayetteville. Heiden has been a resident artist at Center Street Clay in Sandwich, Illinois, and at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana. She has exhibited work nationally, as well as internationally. Heiden makes both functional and sculptural work. Regardless of the style or function of her work, it is all rooted in the whimsical. With a painterly approach to decoration and a love for hybrid animals and storytelling, the illustrations and sculptural pieces she creates come to life. Lindsey now lives and works in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

STATEMENT

What happens when reality mirrors fairy tales? When science is used to make hybrids, in more ways than just selective breeding, but to really make and combine, to create? And what role do I play in this? Do I fight it, accept it, or use it as fuel? I choose the latter. Certainly, I am not a scientist, I am an artist and my scope of understanding and ways of approaching the topic limit me, but also allow me to work in the realm of “what if.” This body of work stems from real science. We live in a world that is rapidly changing, the climate is changing, more and more destruction to the natural world is happening. These weigh heavily on me when thinking of the future and the world that I will leave behind for my child. I look to my art making practice to express these emotions. The animals chosen for this body of work are all extinct and a large amount of these selected animals are gone due to human causes. Whether these causes be from a warming planet or over hunting, but there is hope. Scientists are using genetics to try and bring back these animals from the dead. Much like a fairy tale with magic. Through the whimsical portrayals for these animals, I am telling a tale of just that. Weaving together visual art, scientific advances, and storytelling. I create a visual tale. A tale of “what if” and hope.

In a way this show is the start of how I build a tale, my studio turned laboratory. Through research of advances and projects that include genetic engineering, I choose my characters. From there a world is built and then the narrative is developed. This narrative asks the viewer to wonder of the possibilities. To touch and interact with the work, to become part of the story.

Caitlyn Swift’s work, “Restless,” will be on display in the Hartwig Gallery

BIO

Caitlyn Swift is a multimedia artist based in Phoenix, Arizona. Early in her education, Caitlyn was awarded with “Best of Drawing” and “Best of Painting” by the Luis Bernal Gallery at Pima Community College. Swift graduated summa cum laude with her bachelor's degree in two dimensional studies from the University of Arizona in 2020.

Caitlyn is a published artist, and has work featured in Sandscript Magazine (2019 Edition), Polaris Magazine (Spring 2020 Issue), as well as Persona Magazine (2021 Issue, Vol, 42 and 43), two of which she was awarded first place in the visual arts category. She was an artist-in-residence at Chateau d’Orquevaux, France in June of 2022, was awarded the Denis Diderot Grant in support of the residence and has a piece in their permanent private collection. Caitlyn is a second-year MFA student at Arizona State University and is set to graduate in Spring of 2025.

STATEMENT

Using my practice as a tool for methodical and meticulous personal introspection, I explore the layered compartments that shape identity through painting, drawing and sculpture. After grappling with the jarring psychological aftermath of a head on collision in 2021, I grew obsessed with uncovering the complex inner workings of the human psyche. My work is a physical confrontation with internal fragments– an attempt to speak for the women rooted in the depths of my Self, so their stories may finally be told.

These exhibitions will be on view from March 11 through April 18, 2024, in celebration of Women’s History Month. An Artist Talk/Panel Discussion will take place in the Besse Center Auditorium on Thursday, March 14 at 2pm, with a reception in the Besse Gallery to follow. This event is free and open to the public.

For questions, contact e: events_FROM_BAY_COLLEGE or p: (906)-217-4040.

Bay College is the community’s college with a mission of: Student Success, Community Success. Culture of Success. Bay is devoted to each individual’s achievement in the classroom, on-campus, online, in the community and into the workforce by providing certificates and associate degrees,  transfer credits to universities, and workforce training programs which develop skillsets and advance careers. #BayIsTheWay

The Art and Design Program at Bay College is designed to provide students with a strong general education background, as well as a concentration in art and design. This program is designed for students who wish to transfer to a four-year college or university. Students should work closely with an academic advisor to select courses needed for their intended major at the four-year institution they plan to attend. The school, through the Besse Gallery and Hartwig Gallery, also provides students with exposure to exhibitions, visiting artists, and artist talks that exemplify the cultural breadth of the visual arts from natural, regional, and local sources, including the College’s permanent art collection. Studios include professional facilities and equipment in Ceramics, Photography, Digital Cinema, Graphic Arts, Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Performance, and Installation.