By Taylor Johnson

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All of Dana Harper’s artwork is open to interpretation, which is what UK students had the opportunity to form when an exhibit dedicated to her work was unveiled at the Rasdall Gallery Wednesday evening.

“I wanted to get Dana here because I saw her work at WRFL’s festival, Boomslang,” said Mel Simon, director of cultural arts for SAB and arts administration senior. “Her work is so different and she is the first female we would have here to display a solo exhibition. I was interested in her from the first time I saw her talent.”

The exhibition was defined by vibrant colors and purpose-driven details.

“It’s crazy to think that she deliberately placed each object in her works for a purpose,” said English junior Elizabeth Baker.

These details were shown in works such as “The Center of the Universe,” which was created using wood, paint, polymer clay, glass, resin and found plastics. Each piece included an information card that described the media Harper used in their creation.

“I saw Dana’s works in other galleries and loved it,” said international studies junior Taylor Hamilton. “She is a local artist from Ohio, so having her stuff here is great. The vibrant colors attract an audience, but there is an underlying theme to her work. It looks playful, but it actually touches on gender and sexuality.”

Harper said that she received a $2,000 grant after showing her famed work “Bloom Bloom” at the ArtPrize international arts competition in Michigan, and that she used the grant to make the artwork larger.

“Bloom Bloom is important to me because of its message,” said Harper. “It references multiple things and places at once. I want every person to get their own perception of art.”

In fact, Harper said that the piece is aimed at constructing multiple interpretations.

“To connect the underlying theme of gender and sexuality to ‘Bloom Bloom,’ every person has their own perception of these two things as well,” Harper said. “There is not one idea of Bloom Bloom, while there is not one idea of gender and sexuality.”

The idea of everyone connecting differently was shown in the students’ opinions of the exhibit.

“She pays a lot of attention to detail,” said finance and arts administration freshman Katrina Timbers. “There are a lot of reoccurring themes like the small pieces and colors. The bright colors take me back to my childhood.”

Harper said that her works are meant to ignite everyone’s imagination and “take them to another place.”

The exhibit will be on display until Dec. 15.