by Niki Acton '16

Emma Lister '17 chose Knox because she wanted a liberal arts education with the opportunity to pursue unconventional ideas and explore different creative spheres. She has already found a way to combine her interests in theatre and studio art through a sculpture entitled "Henrik," which was awarded first place at the Figge Art Museum's Annual College Invitational.

"Henrik" is an abstract representation of a body wound around a chair, coated by pages of the works of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. "For me, the piece has a lot to do with the idea of performance and presence onstage, along with the dual mindset of an actor; introspective and (re)presentational," said Lister. "Here, my interests in theatre and sculpture overlap literally and figuratively."

The exhibit, which included student work from more than 10 area colleges, was installed in the museum's Mary Waterman Gildehaus Community Gallery in Davenport, Iowa, from November 2014 to February 2015.

The faculty of each school represented in the exhibit is given the opportunity to nominate six or seven works for inclusion. The Knox art faculty selected Lister's sculpture, which is constructed of chicken wire, a wooden chair, and paper mache.

Lister is also interested in aspects of illustration and design, particularly theatrical scenic design. She plans to major in studio art with a minor in theatre, finding more ways to explore the creative opportunities available at Knox.

"The liberal arts open us up to the opportunity to experiment and follow our instincts instead of requiring us to constantly follow routine customs," said Lister. "I feel that anything that manages to challenge convention is valuable to the creative mind."

The Figge Museum's Annual College Invitational was sponsored by Barbara Leidenfrost in memory of her husband Oscar and included cash prizes for the first, second, and third place winners.