UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
LYNN HERRICK SHARP AWARD
Group Exhibition
May 7 – May 30, 2021
Her Story, Esther Lee
Of Blood and Tephra, Charlie Clery
We Are Alone, Mathea Madsen
OPENING EVENT:
Friday, May 7, 2021 | 5 - 8 PM during first Friday
In a joint venture with the University of Delaware, The Delaware Contemporary is pleased to present the 2020-21 Lynn Herrick Sharp Award Exhibition. This award is presented to an art major in the final stages of pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in the Department of Art and Design. During the student's junior year, portfolios are submitted to the fine art faculty. The faculty then selects one award winner and two honorable mentions to exhibit their work publicly and receive a financial award. The 2020-21 Lynn Herrick Sharp Award winner is Esther Lee, with honorable mentions going to Charlie Clery and Mathea Madsen.
Esther Lee has found her creative outlet in sculpture and oil painting. Her work talks about her Korean heritage and traditions, Nepal, faith, personal experiences/memories, and nature. Narrative plays a huge factor in her sculptures and paintings through imagery, color, shapes and forms. She likes to go big for her sculpture installations and uses materials such as: fabric, paper, thread, ink, wood, etc.
Charlie Clery is the author and illustrator of the web-based comic series “Of Blood and Tephra,” as well as the indie RPG “TinkerQuarry.” Charlie is also known for their illustrated memoir “Becoming Known,” a Queer retrospective on living as a transgender student during a turbulent age of human rights injustice, created for the 2020 UD Undergraduate Summer Fellows Program.
Throughout Mathea Madsen’s work, she explores memory, personal history, and the history of spaces. Overworked processing is integral to each piece, representing the way in which memory or narrative is warped, lost, and recreated as time passes. Through autobiographical elements, her work explores the interaction of ephemera and legacy. She is obsessed with bats, rats, and old houses.
Lynn Herrick Sharp is a long-time supporter of The Delaware Contemporary, having served as Secretary of the Board of Directors from 2002 to 2008. She is recognized as an Emeritus Board Member for her contributions to The Delaware Contemporary and for championing contemporary art in the region.
Constance S. & Robert J. Hennessy Project Space
