Latigo, an art exhibit by senior art majors Missy Cunningham and Kelly Gray, shows the ideas of southern living in Tennessee.

Missy Cunningham, a Graphic Design major, displayed mostly black and white photography pieces.

“As a photographer, I am interested in images that capture the uncelebrated, ordinary life. I am drawn to the rodeo as subject matter by the endless dedication of the participants and the preparation taken before a competition,” stated Cunningham in her artist statement.

The photographs she had on displayed truly did capture the simple aspects of life. The black and white s truly reflected a quiet and peaceful mood.

In her piece, Preparation, the people in the picture were sitting preparing for the right moment to come. The picture reflected a calm mood, the calm before the big event.

Down Time, another black and white photograph depicted three men by a truck relaxing. The picture seemed to take you into the atmosphere the guys were in.

Cunningham also had a few public service announcements (PSA’s) displayed in her collection. The pieces were made for Save Lives, an organization that delt with the donations of organs to those who need it in order to live a full life.

Gray, an Art Education major, also had a southern living theme to her collection. Many of her pieces delt with horses and of things pertaining to the south.

“Coming from a rodeo background, the emphasis of the western tradition can easily be seen in my artwork,” stated Gray in her artist statement. “Rodeo is part of who I am and so is my artwork. By bringing the two together, they become the latigo that holds my life in place.”

In one of her pieces, Snow Days, Gray showed great detail of a snow setting. The painting was of a field of some type with snow covering the ground, trees and shrubbery.

Windmill Nights, an acrylic piece, showed Gray’s usage of colors to depict the horizon with the sun setting. The lone windmill, off-centered is the only thing that stands out.

“I found the use of color in Kelly Gray’s Windmill Nights to be very pleasing because the warmth of the colors gives me the impression of seeing what she saw... a sunset in the country,” said Justin Paschall, a freshman Dance Education major from Brighton.

Wanted Dead or Alive, a drawing, depicted a wanted poster with the face of a man. The facial detail on the man was drawn very precise and looked amazingly like a real person.

Both of Cunningham’s and Gray’s exhibit truly portrayed the latigo which held their theme together.

A latigo is a strap for tightening a saddle girth according to Webster’s Dictionary. The name chosen truly tied the the exhibit together.

The exhibit will be displayed in Fine Arts until March 2.