Georgia Southern art students showcasing artwork on Main Street
It was not too long ago when Maddie Grace Maierhofer was a freshman in high school and beginning her journey toward her painting career. In just a few years, she’d find herself regularly selling her paintings and seeing her pieces in downtown storefronts.
“It’s awesome to see people want to buy your art,” Maierhofer said. “I’m still telling people, ‘Oh, I’m going to be an artist,’ but I don’t know if I believe it myself. But it’s happening in front of my eyes, so I guess I need to believe it.”
Maierhofer is now a studio art senior at Georgia Southern University.
While she has had the experience of seeing her work on display on the streets before, she and her colleagues are getting an impactful opportunity in the coming weeks.
Georgia Southern’s Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art is hosting “Main Attractions on Main Street,” a capstone exhibition featuring art from the class of 2022.
The exhibition will include an art stroll, allowing viewers to explore Downtown Statesboro while appreciating the arts. Artists’ works will be split between two different venues on West and East Main Street. Students said the location plays a pivotal role in their art.
“Whether you’re a Statesboro native or a student who moved here for college, Statesboro is part of the roadmap that leads you to the next part of your life,” said Lou McCall, another studio art senior. “Having our audience physically move through Statesboro allows the audience to appreciate the role Statesboro has on their lives.”
For the exhibition, Maierhofer will be flexing new muscles she developed at Georgia Southern. After years of selling paintings, she has found a way to coalesce those skills with a newly-found passion for ceramics.
“Ceramics is something that has a hold on me,” said Maierhofer. “I thought, ‘Maybe I can intertwine the two.’ So, I started playing around and a few things started working.”
The opening reception will be held on April 15 from 5 p.m. through 7:30 p.m., and the exhibition will be open to the public until April 29 at the Rosengart Gallery on West Main Street in Statesboro. It will feature animation viewings, sculptures, 3D works and an assortment of savory foods.
From the reception, visitors can stroll over to the building that houses the University’s Business Innovation Group on East Main Street. That will feature 2D art installations, a beautiful outdoor walkway with music and offer an assortment of sweet foods.
Posted in Press Releases
