Monika Leininger
mleinin1@uwyo.edu
Whether you’re waiting for the bus, walking to class, or sitting at a traffic light, after visiting the “Slow Down” exhibit you are likely to notice the small, playful objects in life.
The University of Wyoming will be hosting an art exhibit by Cody Anderson, senior art student, which will be featured in Gallery 234 in the downstairs of the Wyoming Union.
“The exhibit is called Slow Down because the hope is people will slow down and find unique things throughout the day, lots of things go unnoticed, and my work is just trying to shine a spotlight on things like that,” Anderson said.
Gallery 234 is filled with Cody Anderson’s refreshing work that captures the essence of free spirit and animation of pictures, symbols and objects that inspire creativity in daily life.
“I think it’s about little things that brighten up people’s day, creating this work really makes me happy,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s work consists of charcoal and pastel drawings, acrylic paintings, and mixed media sculptures that show appreciation for the mundane objects in life that hold accidental magnificence.
“I’m inspired by just different things every day, anything I’m passionate about. Being in school and seeing other artists work and collaborating with other students is really interesting,” Anderson said. “People are trying to push themselves and that’s really exciting.”
Anderson is originally from Gillette, Wyoming and has been engaged with the realm of art ever since he was a young child.
“I would have my dad draw baseball cards and try to copy them,” Anderson said. “I think drawing is my favorite medium, that’s where the majority of my ideas come from.”
The senior art student decided to pursue art as a career near the end of high school. Anderson made the choice between following his dreams to be a professional basketball player and becoming a freelance artist.
“It’s almost a leap of faith going with an art degree! Saying I’m going to try to be an artist is hard to say and actually there is a lot of pressure of it,” Anderson said.
Anderson will be graduating this upcoming fall semester and plans on staying around Laramie to pursue the post baccalaureate art program. He wants to apply for a graduate program to complete a master of fine art degree.
“The thing about being an artist is many people think it’s impossible to have a career and support yourself with your own work, but [it] really is possible if you believe in what you do,” Anderson said.
This is Anderson’s first solo art showing, but he has been involved with other local art shows in collaboration with other students. Most of his work was created over the past summer and school semester.
“I think there’s more opportunities to see art than people realize, the University students get exposed to a lot more diversity,” Anderson said. “I think the community really appreciates local artwork like the museum, downtown area, galleries and things like the Laramie Mural project.”
The art exhibit “Slow Down” will be on display in Gallery 234 until Mar. 3 and Anderson encourages everyone to come check it out.
“I encourage people to look at it and just think about the little things that they see every day that they find interesting and just take that in and make a mental note,” Anderson said. “I worked really hard but it was all worth it.”
