"It Has Been A Joy": Seniors Recognized at “Perspective” Capstone Show
Ryleigh Johnson | April 7, 2026
From left to right: Kimber Gada, Trace Howard, Will Finch, Ennis Shepherd, Blue Wilkinson, Kathryn Cellerini Moore, Goob Jefferson and Altair Barlow pose for a photo inside of the Holden Art Gallery at Warren Wilson College (WWC) on Friday, April 3, in Swannanoa, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
Half of the senior art students at Warren Wilson College (WWC) celebrated the culmination of their studies on Friday, April 3, at the opening of the “Perspective” show at the Holden Art Gallery in Swannanoa, N.C. The class cohort, who began working on their contributions to the show last fall, had the opportunity to mingle with spectators and share their statements about the philosophy behind their work.
Kathryn Cellerini Moore,assistant professor of art, painting and drawing, helped to oversee the class as they developed their artistic ideas for the show. She was surprised at how prepared her students were, even in the beginning.
“When I met with them for the first time at the beginning of the semester...I had everything calendar-ed so everybody would know exactly when things were due and when the shows were and they could figure out over the next week who was gonna show when,” Moore said. “And no, they wanted to choose their show dates that day, day one! I was like, ‘All right, I'm gonna pull up my pants. Here we are. Yeah, let's do this.’ They've been exceptionally driven.”
The show’s theme, “Perspective”, was chosen by the class in a group brainstorming session. Through conversation, the students settled on the word as an idea that all of their work could relate to “in a very concise way”, said Moore.
The artwork, though united by this theme, covered a variety of topics. Artist Altair Barlow initially struggled with what to create, before a moment of inspiration struck during a class.
“I was sitting in a painting class, and I watched a bug over and over, walking along the rim of a stool, just in circles for probably at least a half an hour,” Barlow said. “It could not figure out how to get off of the stool, until finally it figured out that it could just climb down. I kind of just got stuck on this idea of a bug trapped in the cycle of its own making, and about how people get stuck in the patterns that we create for ourselves.”
Two students stand talking in front of Barlow’s work at the “Perspective” show in Swannanoa, N.C. on April 3, 2026. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
Barlow’s initial block gave way to a burst of creativity as they imagined themself as the bug, using their art as an opportunity to explore some of their own emotions.
“I don't particularly like bugs, and I don't like the part of myself that gets stuck in these cycles that it feels impossible to break free of,” Barlow said. “But I think that a lot of people can relate to that, and this aspect of myself I don't love. I really enjoyed depicting it in art as something that can be seen and admired, even though it's nothing I'm proud of.”
This theme of making undesirable feelings or experiences into art was also reflected in Ennis Shepherd’s work.
“I feel like it's very easy to paint a beautiful painting, but I find it's not as rewarding as finding things that are unlikely to be seen as beautiful and finding out ways to interpret them as beautiful,” Shepherd said.
These ideas have long animated Shepherd’s work, which often leans into horror. For Shepherd, it was exciting to decide what pieces to show and how they fit together. He believes that the artist intuition that guided his decision making process exists in everyone, it just needs to be cultivated with practice.
“I think a lot of people don't consider themselves artists, but anybody can look at something and tell if they like it or not,” Shepherd said. “I think that's just kind of an inherent part of being a human. I don't think it's anything innate about myself or anything, but it's definitely something that you have to practice and develop and encourage in yourself.”
A close-up of one of Shepherd’s pieces in the Holden Arts Gallery in Swannanoa, N.C. on April 3, 2026. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
This individual intuition is what led Blue Wilkinson to make ornately sculpted snake habitat accessories. Wilkinson has been a snake owner for several years, and was frustrated by the lack of custom enclosure additions.
“I was kind of thinking about how when [snakes are] shedding what they need is a good surface to rub against, to get the skin off,” Wilkinson said. “I just kind of wanted to blend the natural and the unnatural. I wanted it to be something fun and whimsical, but also very weird and natural, something that could go in their tanks, but also have a little bit more personality to it than just plastic.”
A patron inspects Wilkinson’s work at the April 3 “Perspectives” show at the Holden Arts Gallery in Swannanoa, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
For Wilkinson, these pieces were made out of an immense love for her pets.
“Snakes live for a very long time,” Wilkinson said. “It's like having a baby, you raise it till it's 18, and then it still lives with you. It's just a lot of longevity. I want to make things that are functional and can be around for a long time, something that can really serve a purpose, and provide comfort and something fun for these creatures.”
Trace Howard also pulled from strong emotions to create his exhibition, which focused on the destructive elements of AI. His artistic process involves a lot of considerations of how the viewer will engage with his work.
“I think about the viewer a lot when I'm making stuff, like, how will someone view this, how will someone interpret this?” Howard said. “I'm trying to pull on a lot of references to different things like alchemy and like esoteric religions – all these different levers I'm trying to pull. I had to think about, ‘Okay, if I combine it like this, what will that mean to somebody?’”
Howard’s view of his work includes not only thinking about the viewer, but also drawing on specific people in his life to shape how he presents his ideas.
“My partner, Lena, is a really important part of my life,” Howard said. “[I think] about, how will she view this?...It doesn't necessarily change what I'm gonna make, but it maybe changes how I'm going to present it.”
Behind students, part of Howard’s exhibition can be seen in the Holden Arts Gallery at Warren Wilson College (WWC) in Swannanoa, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
This communal process fit well into the ethos of the show, with the artists expressing their gratitude to their peers and their audience for coming to the opening.
“The work you see here tonight is the culmination of countless hours of work and dedication to our craft,” Howard said. “Making and creating is amazing, but the payoff of seeing everyone here and having conversations about beautiful art is especially enriching. I am honored to share a wall with these talented artists...It has been a joy.”