The Johnson Center for the Arts holds an Artist Reception

An artist reception was held for Amita Bhakta’s “Moments of Radiance and Christopher Stagl’s Winged Creatures.” 

Food and an artist talk were provided at the event, which was held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. downtown at the Johnson Center for the Arts last Thursday. 

“I like free food and my friends are here,” said Dylan Blackinton, a senior graphic design major from Fairhope, Alabama. “I like supporting my teacher and friends, dressing up kind of nice and supporting art.” 

Amita Bhakta is the artist behind “Moments of Radiance.” This series of works varies from paintings using oil and acrylics to sculptures and mixed media works with porcelain as well as stoneware clay. Bhakta used her experiences as an Indian American immigrant to create a collection of work that shares cultural significance and ties back to the ancient language of Sanskrit. 

Bhakta’s work was on display in the Johnson Center from July 30 to Sept. 26. “Moments of Radiance” is a large body of work that filled two floors of the building. One work that many people commented on was her sculpture “Circle of Love,” which took inspiration from a story that is over 5,000 years old. This sculpture depicted the six teachers and 20 children whose lives were lost in the Sandy Hooks Elementary School shooting.  

On the children were grayscale imagery of what they had left behind, such as family, pets and their dreams for the future. 

“I truly enjoy the process of making, because you are in that flow and that is the most amazing,” Bhakta said. “Art events are very important because it keeps our community fresh.” 

Christopher Stagl is an associate professor and the associate chair of the Department of Art and Design at Troy. His body of work known as “Winged Creatures” consists of seven digital artworks. Using images he has taken from as far back as nine years ago, along with newer images he has taken within the past few months, he created these photographic experiments. 

Stagl’s work was on display in the Johnson Center from Aug. 1 to Oct. 1. One of the works in this collection known as “Cicadoidea” depicted an up-close image of a cicada, layered with other images to create a large work. Another work known as “Mimus Polyglottos: Ethos Horizon” depicted a small bird on a fence post that was layered to make a colorful and detailed image. 

“I genuinely love the output, and I love being able to see it on the wall and come to life in a real environment,” Stagl said. “Tonight was an excellent night, I felt supported by all of my fellow faculty, staff and administrators that came out this evening. 

“I think it’s important for the Troy community to come out and be a part of exhibitions and art shows because it’s just different than your normal daily routine. You get to see something new, and I think it’s important to just experience new art, different artists and different approaches.” 

Bhakta’s Instagram is @artbyamita2020 and Stagl’s Instagram is @sigma_beta_chris. More information about events at the Johnson Center for the Arts can be found on its Instagram page @jc4arts.