Related Links: About MVNU | Art at MVNU

The exhibit features installations of dresses built from layers of tissue paper. “The theme came naturally to me from my previous major as a costume designer. Their enormity came from a photograph of my brother hiding under my mother’s long dress when she was pregnant with me,” Hysell commented. “The image conveys such innocent intimacy. I wanted that feeling to draw viewers into my challenge to them to be transparent.”

Hysell said one of her goals was to show the beauty of transparency through her use of translucent, fragile tissue paper. This medium still allows color and light to flow through it, despite the hardening of the dress’s bodice from glue. “We are all afraid to show our true selves—to be vulnerable and transparent,” she said. Referencing artists Frieda Khalo, Krzysztof Wodiczko and others whose art encouraged people to be open, she said their efforts paved the way for her to create the dresses with a focus on transparency.

Hysell, in her fifth year at MVNU, has always been interested in creative endeavors. She majored in technical theatre during her first two years of college, but switched to art upon transferring to MVNU.

"Right now, I’m exploring the concept of emotional transparency and how humans hide behind layers of defensiveness,” Hysell explained. “I find inspiration through my visual and conceptual surroundings. What most intrigues me is the social and human dynamic of art.” Hysell hopes to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) after graduation in May.

She is the daughter of Gary and Dianne Hysell of Columbus, Ohio.

At MVNU, a visual fine art student’s first two years are spent completing the foundation program, including courses in studio art and art history. In the next two years, students focus more intently in a specific concentration, such as painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography or multimedia. Seniors receive personal studio space to produce a year-long senior project in his/her specialized concentration, culminating in a senior exhibit.

For more information about MVNU, contact (740) 397-9000, ext. 4341.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students and working adults. U.S. News & World Report ranks MVNU in the top 50 Best in the Midwest (Baccalaureate) institutions for the fifth year in a row. With a 400-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and eight additional satellite Adult and Graduate Studies sites throughout the state, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education to more than 2,500 students from 25 states and six countries/U.S. territories.