Two artists, mother and son, were recognized for their art at the recent DAC Art Walk and 2009 Open Exhibition hosted by US Bank and the APSU Department of Art.
Randall Boen and his mother, Debbie Boen, both brought home awards, with Randall’s being a 1st place award.
The Open Exhibition is an opportunity for all artists over 18 years of age to exhibit and sell their work and help raise money for college art scholarships. To date thirteen art majors at APSU have received the US Bank Scholarship.
Debbie Boen, whose popular work has a decidely political bent, described her son’s work as “birds in distance at top and tree tops at bottom. It is serene and very cool. He made the frame.” After he won, she said, “I hugged him and in his calm and quiet voice he said, “I beat you.” She considers that bit of humor priceless.
Debbie took second place, amateur division, with a unique and thought provoking work titled “PTSD.”
“Besides the weird head on this soldier, he is sitting on a barbeque; the barbeque tools have American flag colors around the handles and he has a passport. The tiny pictures inside the passport are all about Iraq and the painful images taken there of civilians and soldiers. There is also some print taken from a recent story the (newspaper) did about soldier suicide. Some professionals seem to think the soldiers can “think positive” their way out of PTSD.
“Even though we live in a ticking time bomb of PTSD around us, it’s not talked about. When I first brought the piece in, two people asked me what PTSD is and why is he sitting on a barbeque? I made this 3D and life size to be right in people’s faces (try to ignore this!). I worried about whether I would “get away” with showing this. This isn’t lovely, beautiful or fine art and it’s controversial. — Debbie Boen
Boen’s wish was that “everyone would get an award or even just hear the awesome comments that people give their art. Art is such a personal statement that we put out to the public. It is personal and so vulnerable. ”
Congratulations to these fine artists. Such acknowledgment of your craft is indeed inspiring to your future efforts. Good job to both of you.