Welcome to CCU's Cube Galleries

The Cube Galleries are a series of satellite, mini – galleries found on the campus of Coastal Carolina University. An extension of the Department of Visual Arts RRB Gallery, we are dedicated to creating opportunities for approachable interaction with contemporary art for non-traditional visitors. The Cube Galleries demystify the gallery space in order to foster expanded dialogs across the CCU community and beyond.  

Much like the Free Little Libraries that have popped up in neighborhoods throughout the country, The Cube Galleries bring contemporary art to the people where they are. The Cube Galleries at CCU were inspired by the Art Viewing Boxes of artists Jackson Martin, Suzanne Dittenber, Luke Whitlatch, and Tiger Strikes Asteroid Greenville placed in and around Ashville, NC. During the summer of 2020, Martin and his collaborators placed art boxes to show work outside of the white box of a traditional gallery. Coastal Carolina University has built five gallery boxes, The Cube Galleries, to create spaces on campus for students, faculty, and staff to experience artwork created by artists in the community and beyond our campus.  

Spring 2024

Current Exhibit

April 1 – May 9
Jordan Sheridan

I imagine the maternal experience as an enveloping, polymorphous mass that is ever-stretching, fracturing, and shifting. My work documents and aestheticizes my personal experience as a mother, the fracturing of my identity, my endless and often invisible labor and care for my children, and the time conflict between my work as an artist and my work as a mother. Through painting and installation, I communicate my paradox of feeling both overwhelmed and spellbound as a mother, of reconnecting the fragmented pieces of my identity while the boundaries between myself and my children are often blurred. The crocheted installation is an extension of my painting practice with its own unique and deliberate mark-making and form; its woven structure situates a viewer within my position and identity as the mother and its paradoxical existence between beauty and chaos.

Jordan Sheridan was born in Northeastern Arkansas in 1989. She became a mother to her son, Samuel, in 2017 while attending graduate school at the University of South Carolina. As a mother pursuing an MFA degree, Sheridan’s work organically shifted to include her understanding of motherhood. This change in research pushed her from working primarily in 2-D painting to 3-D artmaking via large-scale textile installations. Sheridan’s studio practice unites painting, sculpture, and installation as she explores the visual dimensions of identity and motherhood. Since completing her MFA degree, Sheridan has continued exploring these textile landscapes, each installation evolving with her multifaceted experience of motherhood.
Sheridan is a full-time faculty instructor at the University of South Carolina, teaching painting courses. She resides in Columbia, South Carolina, with her partner and young children, Samuel and Kora Quinn.  

Past Exhibits Spring 2024

Jan. 8 – Feb. 12
Joe Quinn
All the Terrible Things

All the Terrible Things explores the dynamics of the ritualistic and abusive relationship visited upon the son, by the father. The false narrative of violence, verbal abuse, the wielding of fear, and anger as symbolic of masculinity, is depicted as if through the eyes of a child. Each cube serves as an artistic laboratory and memory box containing found objects and text camouflaged by a disruptive design of overwhelming line work and mark-making. Each piece and its associated text is from a direct recollection of the artist during his own upbringing.

Joe Quinn is a multi-medium artist working in painting, printmaking, drawing, 3D, and photography. Influenced by the visual landscape of New York City street art during his coming of age in the 1970's and 80's, he confronts contemporary social issues in real time. Quinn holds an MFA in fine art from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA, and a BA in art studio from Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC. 

Feb. 19 – March 25
Hit It!

Hit It! Is an exhibition of conceptual metalwork by Students enrolled in Jewelry and metal-smithing I through III. Students in these classes explore the role of adornment and materiality in the context of fine art. The outcome is a delightfully diverse response to what it means to be an artist working in, but not limited to, metal.

*Image features student work by Theresa Glazier.

Past Exhibits Fall 2023     

Bri Taylor

Detangle

Aug 23 – Sept. 27

Brianna Taylor grew up in the small, rural community of Hamer, South Carolina. Taylor predominantly works in the fields of sculpture and painting. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art from Coastal Carolina University in 2019. Taylor's work focuses primarily on the theme of identity; She draws influence from African American hair, history, and Southern culture.

Taylor states, as an artist, I believe in the power of art to inspire change and provoke conversations. This comb is not just a functional object but also a conversation starter, a way of raising awareness about the impact of systemic racism on our communities. I hope that by using this comb and sharing its message, we can create a ripple effect of empowerment and unity, a movement that will continue to grow and flourish.

For too many years, black women have been told that our hair is unruly, unprofessional, and unattractive if it's not straightened, relaxed, or modified in some way to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards. This idea has been deeply ingrained in our collective consciousness, reinforced by media, beauty standards, and even workplace regulations that dictate how we should wear our hair. It's a form of systemic racism, a way of marginalizing and oppressing our community by erasing our cultural identity and forcing us to conform to a narrow definition of beauty.

However, over the past few years, there has been a growing movement towards natural hair care methods and embracing our hair's unique texture and beauty. It's a movement that celebrates our heritage, our diversity, and our self-love. It's a way of rejecting the harmful messages we've internalized for too long and embracing our true selves.

Ada Smolen-Morton

Shaded Lament

October 5 – November 2     

Ada Smolen-Morton was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, and grew up in Florence, S.C. Primarily a ceramicist, she has produced extensive sculptural work with a background in painting and drawing. She has exhibited work in the Pee Dee Regional Art Competition with the Florence County Museum, the FMU Juried Student Art Show with the Gately Gallery, and the Peach Belt Conference’s online PBC Art Exhibition. She recently exhibited her two-person senior show at Francis Marion University’s Kassab Art Gallery. Smolen-Morton received first place in the FMU Juried Student Art Show in both 2021 and 2022 and received third place in 2020. She holds a BA in Fine Arts with a concentration in ceramics from Francis Marion University.

My work explores grief through the visual depiction of physical interactions. The people in my sculptures interact with animals and objects that embody grief, serving as physical manifestations of emotion. Some sculptures display an interaction for the audience to view, while others evidence an antecedent interaction. In both instances, this physicality allows me to depict an intangible, immaterial, abstract experience. I also use color in my work to convey different facets of grief. The color creates an initial atmosphere for the viewer as they approach the work. At this point, the viewer can’t yet discern the physical interaction or the character’s expression. The sculpture is an amalgamation of form and color. This use of Fauvism allows me to project an emotion to the viewer and draw them into the sculpture. Using striking colors for these sculptures catches the viewer’s attention immediately, while simultaneously representing grief more accurately and communicating it more effectively than a less intense or realistic color could.

Sage E. Perrott

Haypeep

Nov. 9 – Dec 7

Sage Perrott, aka Haypeep, is a printmaker and educator originally from West Virginia. Her artwork features grumpy, lumpy, ghost-like creatures situated in cramped, often humorous circumstances. Perrott’s preferred process is screen printing. She has degrees in printmaking from West Virginia University (BFA) and Ohio University (MFA). Perrott is currently an Assistant Professor teaching printmaking at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. Her prints, drawings, and zines have found their way into the hands of folks all over the United States and the world.

“Haypeep” is a pseudonym and “brand” name for much of the artwork I create. The name references the various popular big-name companies that produce saccharine images for the masses. It also allows me to function, somewhat, genderless and faceless—to use my artwork as my representation.

In all my work, whether it be prints, zines, illustration or installation, I explore relationships between created characters in an imagined world, different but not entirely unlike our own. I choose to playfully balance cute and cranky, to create desirable images and objects that engage with the commercial history of printmaking. These creatures and characters act as a template to investigate various subject matter, ranging from personal displeasure to joy to political and social commentary. The illustrative style acts as a “signature”, to alert the viewer that the ideas and concepts come from a certain artist and a specific viewpoint.

Printmaking is one of the more democratic media in fine art. Its goal, like my own, is to connect with a broader audience, by creating images and objects that are accessible and affordable. Accessibility becomes a key point in much of my work, and many of the processes I use most readily (screen printing, copier, digital, etc) are inherently more accessible. I work with screen printing too, because of its fast dry time, and potential for bright, eye catching layers of color. Sheer volume/numbers is integral in my work, for to reach a broader audience, a larger amount of items (zines, prints) must be created and disseminated.

Past Exhibits 

April 8 – May 8, 2023                        

Chroma 

The Coastal Carolina Student Organization, Chroma, presents work from selected members for this group exhibition. Chroma's basis in art and design expands beyond the Visual Arts department with a mission to provide exhibition opportunities for it's members along with community outreach. Students participating in this exhibition are from across disciplines and material exploration.

Feb. 26 – March 29, 2023                 

David Bogus

In conjunction with the Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery, The Cubes presents the work of David Bogus.

The Bogus Boutique is a lifestyle brand featuring unique brightly colored ceramic objects and status symbols. These everyday objects foretell the ironic codification of consumer culture as it embodies our current society. In The Bogus Boutique, high heel shoes, punk rock lock necklaces, anchors, oversized fishing hooks, suitcases, cigarette lighters, cases of beer, life preservers, telephones, knives, perfume bottles, and cocktail garnishes are outrageously overpriced objects as viable subjects for branding and art. Questioning the notion that ordinary objects can become an “object of art,” Bogus encourages a debate about authorship and originality, dissolving the distinction between sanctioned museum pieces and iconic everyday consumed objects.

David Bogus was born in Fall River, Massachusetts and holds an MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a BFA from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. He has taught at The University of Idaho, The University of Wyoming, Texas A&M International University, Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Florida.

Jan. 9 – Feb. 16, 2023 

Magnum in Parvo

Magnum in Parvo explores the wonders of miniatures in this collaborative exhibition organized by Assistant Professors of Visual Art Jeremy Brooks, Yvette Arendt, and Meghan O'Connor. The six Cube Galleries present various real-world art museum/gallery settings at 1/12 scale. From the historic, salon style richness of a herringbone wood-floored room, to the stark white walls of a cemented contemporary gallery, viewers will experience works from multiple studio arts courses. The mini-gallery movement began before the pandemic but became an accessible way for art to be appreciated while institutions were closed. These gallery diorama's pay homage to the history of miniatures and the impact Mini-Galleries have had on bringing artwork to the people.

Participating courses include - ARTS 231 Life Drawing I, ARTS 207 Silkscreen Printing, ARTS 204 Introduction to Ceramics: Hand Building, ARTS 211 Introduction to Painting and ARTS 313 Portrait Painting and Ceramic Area Student Work Studies.

The Denizens

Brandon Sanderson

Oct. 2 – Nov. 3 

A native of Kansas, Brandon Sanderson split his formative years between rural Kansas and Colorado. He has participated in more than 500 exhibitions since 2006, including 90 international shows. He maintains a private printmaking and drawing studio in rural Red Springs, North Carolina.

The Denizens series explores human folly. The characters are absurdly constructed of mechanical and organic elements. As with us, they are unaware of an awkward and ill-conceived nature. Nonetheless, these denizens belong to a community, a neighborhood. Similar to Goya's Caprichos, these manifestations emerge while the rational mind sleeps. In the late evenings and early mornings, these creatures dance, fly and fight.

They also reference the interaction of mechanical and organic parts within us and in the surrounding world. The tools we create have gradually become physically integrated into our bodies. Having artificial parts such as pins in a knee and a reconstructed inner ear, I find the android and automaton to be an appropriate symbol of our capacity for alienation and devastation but also of the ability for growth through constant education.

Site-Sensitive Collaborations. 

Nov. 6 – Dec. 8   
                 

Site-Sensitive Collaborations is an exhibition of installations built by students in Arts 104-03 – Fundamentals of Art II. Students collaborate to create installations for each Cube gallery on CCU's campus using wire, textiles and other found objects. These installations respond to each Cube's location in some way. 

Image Credit: Sandrine Schaefer, "Gestures of Greeting No. 1 (terrestrial)" 2022, photo by CCU photography

Apocalyptic Mythologies

Aug 21, 2022 – Sept. 21, 2022        

Apocalyptic Mythologies is a portfolio exchange organized by Professor Rachael Bower from Northwest Vista College in San Antonio, TX  and Assistant Professor Meghan O'Connor in the Visual Art Department at Coastal Carolina University.  A portfolio exchange is a suite of prints, usually addressing a common theme, with uniform size requirements, an edition size, and sometimes, but most often not, a limitation on the media used.  Usually, the media is open, as long as it incorporates some form of traditional printmaking. Both classes voted on a theme and "Apocalyptic Mythologies" was born!  Each participant created a 7.5 x 11" image incorporating a fine print process, meaning that there is a matrix, such as a woodblock, or silkscreen stencil involved in the process.  The edition size for this portfolio exchange is 12, with one set being donated to the permanent collection at Northwest Vista College, another set donated to Claw and Feather Press at Coastal Carolina University, and students each getting a copy of student work from another institution.

Exchange Participants included:

Coastal Carolina University Featuring ARTS 200, Spring 2022 - Assistant Professor of Art Meghan O'Connor, Brianna Byrd, Madison Elliott, Emalyne Fox, Hayden Giles, Dan Kraus, Frances Ludwig, Bre McNamara. Izzy Rice, Nick Turner

Northwest Vista College Featuring ARTS 2333, Spring 2022 - Professor Rachael M Bower, Anthony Banchs, Isabella Bustamante, Fernando Escamilla, Ana Flores, America Garcia, Kaitlyn De la Garza, Clara Lewis-Valero, Cynthia Meheran, Alexander Peden 

Ceramophile

May 13 - August 12, 2022

Samantha Senig, Senior
Materials: hand built stoneware covered in denim
Date: 2022
Course: Advanced Ceramics II

The Highest Elevation Exhibition

April 11 -  May 10, 2022 

Brant Barrett 

This project began as an investigation of our local county landfill and grew to encompass all Horry County Solid Waste Authority’s operations. It was a learning experience. I named the project “The Highest Elevation” because at 120 feet above sea level, the landfill is the highest point of land in Horry County. It is currently permitted to be 250 feet.

The purpose of the project is to inspire questions about our responsibility to the environment, as individuals and as a community. 

To see more work by this artist visit www.brantbarrettphotography.com.

Breaking Rank 

August 18 – September 23, 2021 

Sarah Bouchard, Awarded Best of Show, Senior Studio Capstone Spring 2021

This body of work, titled Breaking Rank, explores the transitionary periods of one’s physical and mental health brought about by previous manipulation in the military. Through an investigation of identity, we can observe what can potentially be lost or stunted due to the rigors of such intense mental abuse–there is a certain internal shift that occurs when a person is torn down and broken purposefully to conform to this narrative. By referencing military aircraft, I highlight phases one may go through both during and after active-duty time; that is, a shifting of mentality and emotional response. It is common for military personnel to remain detached and restrict their ability to express emotions or feelings. However, just because an individual is broken (or was broken) does not mean that they cannot find a way to express themselves freely and comfortably. This work utilizes my personal experiences in the military, but also expands to others with similar struggles. With the use of copper, pewter, and other materials, I create abstract forms that symbolize the disciplined and rigid nature of a military mindset, while simultaneously introducing elegant curves that reinforce a concept of liberation from restraint. Rivets and fabrication are used to unify each piece and make subtle reference to the exterior construction of aircraft. Though a manipulative past can cause one to become emotionless and distant, with time and introspection, the ability to express and feel can begin to flourish as they once did prior to training. 

For more work by this artist visit: https://www.sarahbouchard.org/. 

Ink to Surface 

October 4 – 29, 2021 

Meghan O’Connor, Printmaking ARTS 207, led by Assistant Professor of Visual Arts 

For this project, participants were challenged with working with both representational and non-representational imagery.  The works you see explore physical layers, actual and implied depth, printing on alternate surfaces and materials, and mono-printing (playing with variation vs. a matrix).  This is the first project of the Fall 2021 semester in ARTS 201 Silkscreen Printing class. 

Realism and Beyond

November 8 - December 10, 2021

Led by Yvette Arendt, Assistant Professor, Student Selections from ARTS 211 Introduction to Painting and ARTS 312 Intermediate Painting, Abstraction. 

Rooted in the traditions of painting, this exhibition explores Visual Art student's beginning their exploration into acrylic paint as an artistic medium and students working outside their comfort levels exploring abstraction in the historical cannon of painting. 

New Visual Arts Faculty Exhibition  

February 25 - March 25, 2022                 

The Cube Galleries present the work of six Assistant Professors of Visual Arts who have recently joined our Coastal Carolina University faculty – Jeremy Brooks, Ashlyn Pope, Sandrine Schaefer, Katie Lupton, Yvette Arendt, and Meghan O’Conner.

This cohort of newly hired professors showcase an award-winning range of study from Graphic Design, Ceramics, Printmaking and Performance. As part of the exhibition, Asst. Professor Sandrine Schaefer will perform Gestures of Greeting, a series of place-based performance art actions sited near the Cube at Britton Hall. Material and sonic traces from these actions will accumulate in the Cube over the month. Performances to occur on March 3, 17, and 24 from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

This project would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts between Assistant Professor Yvette Arendt, Department of Visual Arts, design and construction by Ron Hinson, CCU Facilities, T. Rein Mungo, Director of Facilities Planning and Management, and Associate Dean Easton Selby Edwards College. 

 Want to find the CUBES? 

Contact 

Yvette Arendt 
Assistant Professor of Visual Art 
yarendt@coastal.edu | 843-349-2786

James Arendt 
Director, Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery 
jarendt@coastal.edu | 843-349-6409

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