BFSDoArt alumna exhibition tells story of ‘Roach Town’

October 16, 2017

Created by artist Xed Blankenship, a 2017 alumna of the Georgia Southern University Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, “Visit Beautiful Roach Town” explores an imaginary world where cartoon roaches wear suits, visit hotels, and run town halls. Presented by the Averitt Center for the Arts and the BFSDoArt, “Visit Beautiful Roach Town” will be on view at the Averitt Center’s Rosengart Gallery, 41 West Main Street, from Nov. 3-24. A reception will be held during First Friday from 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 3.

“The Roach Town body of work is a creepy-cute look at a town made for and by roaches, focusing on the feelings of a small town and the politics and culture that brings, despite the species difference,” said Blankenship, who brings the quaint town of insects to life through a combination of cardboard and ink sculptures and watercolor drawings.

Blankenship won “Best in Show” for her “Roach Motel” in last spring’s Juried Undergraduate Exhibition, a show that granted opportunities for students to showcase their artwork. As a result of this success, she was awarded a solo exhibition at the Averitt Center for the Arts for the 2017-2018 school year.

“Blankenship has a creative drive that, coupled with her urge to explore ideas, is a marvel to see,” says Gallery Director Jason Hoelscher. “Given her ability to realize concepts in two and three dimensions, and based on complex backstories, I expect her exhibition at the Rosengart Gallery to be very cool and compelling.”

Blankenship is currently working on freelance art projects and manages social media for a marketing firm.

All events are free and the public is invited to attend.

The Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art (BFSDoArt) is committed to offering quality undergraduate and graduate degree programs that prepare students to become professional artists, designers, art historians and industry leaders. The BFSDoArt is recognized as an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). For more information, visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu/art.

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is the largest of the eight colleges that make up Georgia Southern University, and it plays a central role in every student’s core of knowledge. CLASS, also described as the University’s College of the Creative Mind, prepares students to achieve academic excellence, develop their analytical skills, enhance their creativity and embrace their responsibilities as citizens of their communities, their nations and the world. CLASS offers more than 20 undergraduate degrees and several interdisciplinary minors from its 11 departments and five academic centers. CLASS offers eight master’s degrees, two graduate certificates and one doctoral degree.  For more information, visit class.georgiasouthern.edu.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125 degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. GeorgiaSouthern.edu.