Riley Parrish with her work “Deterioration”

UM student artist Riley Parrish, who attended the Art in the Legislature Reception on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 in the Mackinac Room, Anderson House Office Building, took a photo beside her artwork “Deterioration”. She was also congratulated by State Senator Peter J. Lucido, 8th District, as he paused to admire her artwork which is displayed near his office in the Binsfeld Senate Office Building. Riley writes of her artwork:

“This 18 x 24 inch linoleum block print is a self-portrait of intentional disfigurement. I wanted to illustrate the struggles of my relationship with my body. The media constantly tells us that there is only one way to be beautiful. Although many companies in the beauty and fashion industries have begun to be more inclusive of all shapes and sizes, I still have a hard time loving my body. Through this piece, I explored my feelings more deeply about this subject to better understand what holds me back from loving who I am.”

Riley Parrish’s artwork is displayed on the 3rd floor of the Senate Binsfeld Building. All are welcome to visit the House and Senate office buildings to see all of the 2019-20 artists’ work through September 2020.

The Art in the Legislature Program displays and celebrates the work of amazing student artists from Michigan’s 15 public universities each year, and their work will adorn the walls of the Anderson House Office Building, or the Binsfeld Senate Building, for one year. UM proudly has seven 2019-2020 student artists:

Vanessa with Flowers
Elizabeth Hungerman

The Red Coat (Version II)
Olivia Arau-McSweeney

Feeling in the Dark
Eliana Harrison

Sounds Like a Personal Problem
Aditi Kannan

Sunset Over Burton
The late Atharva Kharkar

Deterioration
Riley Parrish

Bounding Hope
Karson Schenk

When UM student artist Gillian Yerrington’s work was brought to Lansing in the summer of 2018, she did not realize the extent to which her artwork would capture the attention of the House of Representatives administrators who decide the placement of student art each year. Pictured below are photos of Gillian’s work “Finding Peace” which the House of Representatives has now purchased so that it will reside permanently in the lobby of the Anderson House Office Building for all to see as they enter the foyer. Finding Peace is a work of the heart for Gillian who described it as follows:

“I made the piece following the death of my step-father, who owned a recycling center, and gave it to my mom. He was a carpenter and we had the piece framed in one of his center’s frames. It has a lot of meaning to our family, as the title conveys. Also, as my step-father believed, every day we throw wrappers into the garbage and forget how much waste piles up. This work is supposed to be an ironic display of nature through the lens of our trash.”

UM Lansing Service Center Director, Dr. Veronica Wilkerson Johnson, who has facilitated this work with UM student artists over the years, noted that “when it was time for artworks to be returned to the 2018 artists, the House decided Gillian’s work should remain for our leaders and citizens to enjoy for years to come! The University of Michigan is proud of Gillian Yerrington and all of our artists. Also, another UM student, Paul DiStefano, whose artwork “Whirling Dynamics” was purchased by the House in 2013, is an additional UM work permanently adorning the first floor of the Anderson House Office Building. Paul’s work is another source of pride for the University of Michigan, and the UM Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design.”

View Art in the Legislature Brochure

View Art in the Legislature House Brochure

View Art in the Legislature Senate Brochure

A reception hosted by MASU and the Michigan Legislature was held on:

Wednesday, October 23rd

Senate Committee Room 1100

Mackinac Room, Anderson House Office Building 201 Townsend St.
Lansing, MI 48933

Art in the Legislature is a partnership between the Michigan Association of State Universities (MASU) and the Michigan Legislature to promote art in everyday life.

State Relations Officers, university art department representatives, student-artists, their families, and the public at large were invited to attend the reception where the new pieces of art were unveiled and the students were recognized.

Art in the Legislature 2019-2020

Participants in this years Art in the Legislature (pictured right) are:

• Dan Hurley, CEO of the Michigan Association of State Universities (MASU)
• I’m Fine
  Stephanie Streeter, UM Flint
• Portrait of an Artist
  Christopher Wisniewski, Saginaw Valley State University
• Staged Compost
  Irene Strenski, Eastern, Michigan University
• Femme Fatale V
  Danielle Little, Central Michigan University
• Framework Grid
  Nicholas Pobutsky, UM Dearborn
• Country Fall
  Lavonaa Lynn Horton, Wayne State University
• Up North Connections: The Mackinac Bridge as seen through a Crystal Ball
  Ana Grace Dykstra, Grand Valley State University
• Vogue Magazine Cover (Marchesa) Volume 1-3
  Dominique Alyse McNeal, Ferris State University/Kendall
• Traffic
  Timothy Griffin, Central Michigan University
• Deterioration
  Riley Parrish, UM Ann Arbor
• Sunset Over Burton
  Atshata Kharkar holding framed photo of the late Atharva Kharkar, UM Ann Arbor