Art 2025
Tristen Hahn, “How’s the weather up THERE?”
Shelley Crouch, “Graceful Hunter”
Rahima Mohammed, “Tokko”
Emily Simpson, “Diana the Huntress”
Lucy Britt, “Child Like Heart”
Emily Bales, “vesselhead”
Erika Reidy, “She Holds Up the World”
Grace Walker, “Daytime, Downtown Stroll”
Alexa Peters, “Guardian”
Ella Farris, “Paper Flowers”
Tristen Hahn utilizes humorous quips accompanied by "childish" symbols to narrate a world that has been lost to time. He was inspired by the quirkiness of surrealism and ironies of daily life. His works soft and approachable nature encourages discovery and reflects an endearing nostalgia. He aims to connect viewers of his work to the universally shared human experience that is childhood.
Emily Bales will be graduating from EIU in spring 2025 with a BFA in 3D studio arts and a minor in art history. She will continue on to EIU’s MA program with a focus in fiber and sculpture in fall 2025. Her work consists of abstracted and organic forms adorned with various textiles and cordage in vibrant color schemes. She creates her artwork using a wide variety of mediums and techniques ranging from steel fabrication to basketry. Her current work has focused on creating a relationship with the human body as well as allowing for viewers to interact with the sculptures physically by entering and touching them. Other prevalent themes in her work is the reuse of materials that would otherwise be discarded, such as scrap fabric from craft and fashion production, as well as discarded or damaged textiles.
Erika Reidy, class of 1997, has a BA in theatre arts. Since graduating, she has lived many lives, worked in several fields, traveled the world, explored the continental US, and raised a family. She hopes to keep exploring, growing, finding people and places to inspire her to create art. “She Holds Up the World” is a multi-media portal study. It depicts a woman in a washing machine holding up a quilted sky. The piece explores the ideas of traditional views of women's labor. It focuses on their roles as a mother while acknowledging how their hearts and achievements are often overlooked and “thrown out with the wash.”
Lucy Britt entered her work into a few local shows, but this is Lucy’s first time entering a student-involved showing of works. She took home an Award of Excellence and a People’s Choice Award for two of her pieces at last year's Belleville Art on the Square.
Grace Walker is a second-year undergraduate student at Eastern Illinois University, majoring in art education and minoring in art history. Her work focuses on observational storytelling with hidden meaning, capturing the themes of family, identity, and under-appreciated aspects of daily life. She is focused on drawing and painting. She has received several honors in juried shows, including Best of Show at the Effingham Art Guild’s 2024 Exhibition, the Sarah Wozencraft Cox 2D Award at EIU's Undergraduate Exhibition, and recognition for the Ruth C. Boyd Cook Memorial Art Award. Her recognition includes additional juried awards and publication in Blue Room Magazine. Grace's work can be found online as @gracewlkerart.
Shelley Crouch lives in Casey, Illinois, but grew up in Charleston where her first residence was married student housing at Eastern with her parents and brother in 1967 when she was only four. A 1985 EIU alum serving on the EIU Academy of Lifelong Learning Advisory Council; she recently participated in Tarble’s biennial flat-file exhibition, Touch Me, showcasing ten pieces. She is an author and illustrator of two books for young children, Let’s Learn About Bugs, published in 2023, and Let’s Learn About Birds, published in 2024, and is currently working on her third. You can find her work on her Instagram: @shelley_loves.
Alexa Peters is an undergraduate at EIU.
Rahima Mohammad is an artist and fashion designer who explores the intersection of fashion and contemporary issues like globalization and consumer behavior. Drawing inspiration from African and Western cultures, her designs incorporate natural fibers and vibrant textiles to create distinctive garments that reflect her cultural and environmental consciousness. Her artistic journey is grounded in a strong academic foundation, including a BA in Fashion Design and Textiles. She has a BA in Integrated Art, and an ongoing MA in Studio Arts (Fashion) at Eastern Illinois University. She also has an MA in Development Communication. For over a decade, Rahima founded and led Tokko Atelier Fashion House in Ghana. Her dedication to education continues as a graduate teaching assistant and lab instructor in art and design at EIU. She was recognized with the Distinguished International Graduate Student Award and featured in publications and exhibitions. Her innovative design and her role as Vice President of Inclusion and Diversity at EIU make her a compelling figure in contemporary fashion and art. Her Instagram is @mo.rahima.art
Ella Farris is a junior at EIU majoring in art and English. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, creating art, being with her friends and family, and discovering new hobbies. She does a lot of 2D art, but during the spring 2025 semester she has expanded to 3D art styles. The 3D art includes more fabric, clay, wire, and paper folding. She has found 3D art to be eye opening and helpful for creating new pieces for both 2D and 3D art. She has enjoyed the journey of exploring new ways of creating and hopes to continue expanding her horizon in the years to come.
Emily Simpson writes, “For my artwork, I have focused my work towards my personal experiences and struggles as a woman and representing that through the classical, European painting aesthetic in my artwork, specifically taking inspiration from the Gothic and Baroque eras. I have spent my time at EIU aiming to learn from the artwork of the past and their traditional techniques. I want to apply what I gain into my own paintings to create a genuine and authentic look into my feminine experiences. I focus on figural artwork; my main medium is oil painting, as well as drawing models from life.”