W&L Seniors Display Works

W&L Seniors Display Works

Washington and Lee University’s Staniar Gallery is presenting “Undercurrents,” the 2026 Senior Thesis Exhibition, on view in the Lenfest Center for the Arts through April 10.

“Undercurrents” featured the work of graduating studio art majors Jordan Hoover ’26, Katie Lawson ’26, Elka Prechel ’26 and Teresa Yoon ’26.

The senior thesis exhibit is a requirement of the studio art major at W&L and builds upon the work started during the students’ junior seminar. Over the past year, this group of student artists has worked independently on a body of work that serves as the culmination of their undergraduate education. As their debut into the art world, this exhibition allows the graduating seniors to display their work in a professional gallery setting.

Below are excerpts from the students’ descriptions of their work.

“I create moody black and white photographs with layered multiple exposures of portraits and landscapes to explore human connection with nature,” said Hoover.

Lawson explained, “I create colorful acrylic and soft pastel paintings that use layering and textured brushwork to depict solitary figures in domestic spaces.”

“My current studio practice centers on the intersection of gestural figuration and abstraction to explore the ever-changing perception of memory and the experience of womanhood,” said Prechel.

Yoon said, “I created mixed-media installations that explore the relationship between dreams, memory and the unconscious mind.”