Amanda Erickson, a senior at Hamline, is one of many students in the Twin Cities area to have the honor of having her work on display at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities. Erickson has two works on display, a sculpture and a print series, that seek to invoke feelings of connectivity through humor in the mundane.

Her sculpture aims to tackle body dysmorphia in a way that isn’t so heavy and can almost be laughed at.

“Most of my work has a lot to do with color and how color can be used to portray feelings and almost be funny about it,” Erickson said. “I decided I was going to make a leg that was proportionally just slightly bigger than my own. So I created a big frame work and welded that together piece by piece… I created a hot pink stuffed leg that I filled [the steel frame] with to create this illusion of fleshiness and fullness without it being too literal.”

In conjunction, Erickson also submitted and has displayed a series of prints entitled “Three Swimmers.”

“The idea is taking something like learning how to swim and putting it on different bodies and the way swimming looks for different individuals… My idea with that series of work is portraying mundane things in an intimate way that’s personal and understanding that everyone has mundane experiences,” Erickson said.

Erickson said having her work on display is not inherently the best part of the process; it is the learning opportunities and community formed through all the artists on display that means the most.

“It was really great to see what other people in a similar spot in their lives to me are making and what their processes look like,” Erickson said.  “It was cool to compare and see techniques other people are using and say, ‘Oh I could use this material for a print or a sculpture.’”

Erickson further commented on the bit of Piper Pride the experience awakened in her.

“It was also great to see my peers and the other people from Hamline who had work on display and say, ‘Oh, I know that person; this is my friend, look at their art,’” Erickson said.

At the end of the day, Erickson believes her professors are the ones who make the most impact on Hamline artists’ lives.

“The amount of support from Allison Baker and John-Mark Schlink for their students and the amount they want their students to be successful practicing artists is what allows these sort of things to happen,” Erickson said.

Erickson’s works are on display at the Regis West Gallery as part of the Student Art Forum.  The artworks are scattered throughout the building and will remain on display until Sep. 29.

Walking through the halls of the Regis West Gallery, the talent is immeasurable. Each piece is a glimpse into the artist’s self and a reflection of the community that the Twin Cities fosters. The artworks hang as hidden gems that remind viewers to take stock of the world around them and always be exploring and investigating it further.