HIRAETH
NOWHERE & EVERYWHERE
2025 SENIOR EXHIBITION
APRIL 25TH - MAY 17TH
Brandon Chino Munoz
Artist Statement
This series of etched prints and digital paintings showcases a high level of detail, capturing the experiences of war. My focus has expanded to encompass various aspects of conflict, highlighting soldiers' experiences and emotions, as well as the horrific and political perspectives surrounding war. I aim to understand why individuals choose to fight by carefully composing scenes of battle and conducting thorough research, sharing that knowledge through my body of work. Additionally, I wanted to depict soldiers in their natural environments, emphasizing moments when they are not engaged in combat, such as visiting their families or dealing with the aftermath of a bloody battle. This motif emerged as I learned more about the Mexican Revolution and how nature is impacted by war, along with the interactions and relationships thatunfold during such times. Themes of family loss, destroyed homes, and ravaged environments are prevalent in my work. I strive to include these elements through layers of visual symbols and meanings, as I aim to produce art that elicits similar feelings in viewers. I also seek to explore the theme of life and death, emphasizing that there are no true winners in war—only losses. In my prints, I want viewers to recognize and reflect on these moments that convey these ideas. In some pieces, I work gesturally to capture the intense motion and emotion that war inflicts on both humans and animals. I want viewers to understand how each element I incorporate adds meaning and significance to the subjects. The layers of visual symbols and meanings are crucial to me as I strive to create work that evokes feelings of grief, pride, and horror in viewers.
Biography
Brandon Chino Muñoz was born in 2002 in Izúcar de Matamoros, Mexico. He primarily focuses on printmaking, digital video, and figurative/portrait drawing, drawing influence from classical realism. Chino's main theme revolves around the profound consequences of warfare, exploring the intricate interplay between life and death. His narrative powerfully underscores the stark reality that in the devastation of war, there are no true victors—only significant, often painful losses that impact everyone involved. Chino earned his bachelor’s degree in Digital + Studio Fine Arts, with a concentration in studio arts, from Hamline University. Among his notable accomplishments is the creation of abstract documentaries featuring local shops and artists in the Twin Cities, including Vigs Guitar, Tattoo Cultura, and Jeff Limke, an art instructor at the Atelier. In 2023, Brandon Chino Muñoz interned with the Hamline Athletic Department, where he documented the Hamline University football program and produced promotional videos for new recruits. He was also awarded a grant to take classes at the Atelier, where he focused on classical realism. Chino currently resides in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he remains enrolled at the Atelier and continues to produce work in digital video.
Eris Fleitman
Artist Statement
My current work in progress is titled Welcome to Perseverance. It is a three tier bird cage style terrarium. The materials consist of wood, fabric, metal, and found objects. The aim of this project is to highlight the layers of inner turmoil within the mind. The first layer, the highest point of the piece, represents a scene of escaping the life of the dome. With small characters placed in spots of curiosity, fear, and defiance, they aim to move on and explore their new world. Moving down, the second layer contains a decrepit flower with rotting vines set on a crudely painted ground. This layer is the symbolization of my version of limbo. These pieces represent the harkening of my inner turmoil and the feelings I have contained inside. The last layer is the darkest and represents the endless void. The void consists of the darkest parts of my mind and the hardest to escape from. Even from above with the characters' new found freedom, the eye of the void is always watching.
Biography
My name is Eris Fleitman and welcome to my world. I am 21 years old,live in Saint Paul Minnesota and I like to make wacky and grotesque art. My main form for most of my artworks consist of mixed media with a special interest in material cohesion. I enjoy making works based on my emotions, mental state as well as personal experiences I go through throughout my life. Many of my inspirations come from the indie horror genre of video games but also the sci-fi scene. Art has been my coping mechanism for as long as I can remember and has been a way for me to articulate myself in a decent manner. While I still think I have a long way to go, in terms of handling myself as an art professional, I have made strides in my artistic capabilities. Currently I work with metal,wood,yarn,and have a growing interest in painting. I plan to expand with more works in material cohesion, self reflection and possible graphic design. The Souls of I is a continuous series of my journey exploring the beauty with deconstruction of oneself in life and death, while finding the balance through societal pressures and self acceptance. How do you accept the truly grotesque parts of yourself? Is it in the abstract of the living or in the unknowns of death? My darkest thoughts and emotions are brought to life by mixed media and true passion.
Jevon Jones
Artist Statement
The knowledge and skills I’ve acquired in mixed media art have enabled me to conceptualize and develop ideas. My work revolves around storytelling through comic writing and animation. The themes in my artwork reflect my unique perspective on the world, manifesting through my comic style. My comic alter ego is named Senoj Novej. In this narrative, I portray him as a ninja and a brilliant scientist with extraordinary abilities that specialize in elemental forces. His personality is shaped by my interests in digital fabrication, technology, art, martial arts, boxing, and taijutsu. Senoj emerged from my isolation and self-absorption, dedicated to his work with an unwavering passion that made him feel invincible and unstoppable in achieving his goals. Studying martial arts, he finds solace in both digital and studio art, but he also yearns to use his intelligence to assist others. As for me, Jevon Jones (aka JJ), I embody qualities of leadership, joy, peace, and love. My passion for football, art, and the love I share with my family and friends, coupled with my career as an artist and graphic designer, has led me to adopt my personal motto: “Always be yourself through the path of the Lord." I firmly believe that God has gifted me with these talents, allowing me to share my story with the world. I strive to express gratitude through my art, drawing inspiration from renowned artists and various forms of entertainment, including manga, Marvel, and cartoons, whether created digitally or physically.
Biography
Jevon Jones, a graphic designer based in St. Paul, Minnesota, was born and raised in Woodbury, Minnesota. He graduated from Saint Agnes High School with his diploma and later earned his bachelor’s degree in Digital Media Arts and Graphic Design from Hamline University. Growing up, Jevon was inspired by artists like Akira Toriyama and Hayao Miyazaki, who captivated him with their cartoons and anime. This inspiration led him to explore the intersection of comic writing and animation in his own work. Jevon’s artistic journey involves experimenting with various media, including ink, watercolor, charcoal, color pencil, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Blender. His research in comic design and writing fuels his creative process, as he aims to create visually appealing representations of life that reflect his artistic concept and lifestyle. Throughout his academic journey, Jevon has honed his skills in Adobe Creative Suite, typography, branding, and digital illustration. His coursework and personal projects have provided him with a solid foundation in design principles and a keen eye for aesthetics.
Valentina Peroza
Artist Statement
I hate being alone. I have found that I am the most comfortable and true version of myself when I am around the people I care about. The important people in my life help create an environment that is safe for me to express myself–I wouldn’t be who I am without those connections. Human connection is something special that most of us take for granted. In this series of paintings I explore human connection and the ways our emotions and shared experiences intertwine when we connect with one another. I sought to explore connection as I was growing and learning throughout the process of this series. Using multiple painting techniques was something very important to highlight the emotions I wanted to convey, layering different paints much like having many different emotions for different people. Each piece represents a different form of connection, both physical and emotional. I used three different canvases for this series to show different forms of emotional and physical connection. I used the colors red, blue, and purple to keep the energy cohesive and convey different emotions. I wanted to emphasize skin-to-skin contact to illustrate how people are unified through physical connection as opposed to being isolated individuals that results from a lack of connection. How strong can human connection be? How can a connection alter your emotions? I hope you can see a connection you have in your life in one of these pieces. Whether it is a person you crave, love, or need, I hope my artwork inspires you to take the time to connect with someone.
Biography
I moved to Minnesota from Venezuela at two years old and grew up as a very outgoing kid but I struggled to make friends because I was different, I was an immigrant. So I fell in love with being on my own with my doodles and fun crafts, just making things with my own two hands. I have always had a love for art ever since I was a kid, as it’s been the only thing that I found that I resonated with. I grew up to be who I am because of art. I have made connections through my art and others' art. In school it was my favorite class, I have always communicated through my art. I was able to express myself and my feelings with my art in ways I couldn’t put into words before. Most of the time, regardless of what feeling I was trying to express, the paintings stayed colorful. I have worked hard learning new techniques throughout my schooling and have gotten more in touch with my creativity and feelings. My art is very free, I would describe it as soft, whimsical, flowing with energy. I was growing and learning throughout the process of this series. I’m making creative decisions every second. I mainly do ceramics, drawing, and painting as my area of expertise, but I also make music and jewelry. I always like to try new forms of art because I never know what I’m gonna fall in love with. I would like to consider myself more of a painter because that is what I specialize with the most. I use this as inspiration.The tools I use for my artistic expression are paint brushes, acrylic paints and my own two hands, of course! I like bending the rules of certain techniques and specific art styles because I just want to feel the paint and enjoy what I’m making. The colorful pieces I make are of various shapes and sizes. I’ll either work on small canvases, or the biggest one I can find; no surface is too big or too small. The gears in my head just turn every time I’m gonna start something and I just go for it. I try to express my feelings through my work, whether they’re good or bad. Landscape paintings, self-portraits, and surrealist works are what I like to paint the most. In short, I have been able to put my feelings into my art whether it be a painting or a sculpture, and it has been the way I communicate how I feel for my whole life.
Jasmine Phan
Artist Statement
Loss comes in many forms, whether it’s death or heartbreak, everybody has experienced some type of it. Even if we don’t always think about it, every relationship we have with another person will ultimately come to an end. Getting hurt is inevitable. How do we, as people, determine the cost of pursuing a relationship? Is knowing them worth the grief of losing them? Even with this circumstance we continue to form relationships with other people.My piece is inspired by the intricacies of loss within relationships. No matter what kind of relationship it is, I have found that a huge part of life consists of intertwining yourself with others. Who you choose to love and cherish is a huge part of your everyday life. The vulnerability of opening yourself up and allowing these types of relationships is what I like to explore. For this project, I decided to reach out to the world and asked people to anonymously send me short messages to somebody that they were no longer in contact with. I got plenty of submissions and selected a handful of letters ranging in a spectrum of emotions. Every postcard contains a real message from one person to another and the imagery on the back is specific toeach relationship. Through these postcards, I hope to bring a sense of catharsis for the people that opened up to me and a feeling of connection from person to person.
Biography
Jasmine Phan is a multimedia artist who resides in Lakeville, Minnesota. Growing up in a family full of artists, it was natural that she would become one as well. She studied at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and got her BA in Digital and Studio Arts with a concentration in Graphic and Interactive Design. Her artwork explores the idea of human relationships and the emotions that surround them, from feelings of despair to love and elation. She draws inspiration from some of her saddest moments in hopes of forming a connection with the viewer. During her time in college, she was invited to participate in Open Studios, Hamline University's annual art crawl. Though she studied digital art, a lot of her contemporary art consists of reduction relief printmaking and a small amount of sculpture. Having taken part in it very single year she attended, she had many different pieces on display, which allowed her to demonstrate her multitude of skills. At the moment, she continues her creative journey by doing youth work and teaching art to elementary school students.
Zosh Tanner
Artist Statement
In many cultures, trees are symbolically rich. Examples of this can be seen in Celtic and Native American folklore and the world tree from Norse legend. Trees are givers, takers, gateways, and stores of ancient knowledge that connect the earth to the sky and provide shelter in between. Their roots are anchors and tethers with connotations of strength, balance, and renewal. In this piece, trees frame the interaction between the human world and the natural world. The roots bind these elements together, but still maintain an amount of separation, which creates a tension that reflects the relationship between wild creatures and the human engineered landscapes that some animals are adapting to survive in. The expansion of our cities and networks of roads creates rapid change in surrounding environments. For some species, the new cement forests and alleyway bins of old food are just as good to live in as long as they occupy the margins of our schedules and thoughts. They own the witching hours, ghosting through dark streets and reusing what we’ve discarded and abandoned, leaving little trace of their presence once the city shudders back to life in the light of day.
Biography
I have been a student, an art teacher, a canvas for tattoos of my own design, and a creator of many unusual things. No matter what, the making of art is something I circle back to. Ideas bubble up in my mind, and my fingers itch for carving tools or the simple satisfaction of graphite-smudged paper. The seed of my art journey was planted when I was a child. It was nurtured into a sapling during the years I attended a youth fine arts school called Studio 7, where my work was exhibited and where I also taught after graduating. My branches now make up many forays into different media, made possible by studies at Hamline University, the Chicago Fire Arts Center, the Glasgow School of Art, and Minnesota State College Southeast (MSCS). At MSCS, I took a one year program in lutherie (the building and repairing of violin-family instruments), and received a young luthier spotlight and scholarship from the Violin Society of America.. I built my first violin and honed my woodworking craft. I bring those skills and knowledge forward into my sculpture practice. The 3D world of metal, wood, and glass currently holds my attention. I enjoy the tangibility and the labor that goes into sculpting intractable materials, and the unique textures that these materials can create. I incorporate found objects, and reused materials into my art so that I can repurpose their stories and their significance. The natural world is my touchstone. There is a rightness–a perfection–in the tangle of life cycles, seasons, and tides. I seek to emulate those relationships and examine humanity’s place within them. I aim to explore our insignificance, our reverence, and our hubris, as well as my personal connections to the natural world as a steward.
Elena VonBank
Artist Statement
My art is deeply rooted in personal experiences and personal meaning. I have no prejudice about the medium that best fits this expression, though it often manifests in oil paintings and acid-etched intaglio prints. Within my most recent works, I have focused on different forms of grief and what can be considered negative emotions that I have experienced recently. These works are a journey of my experience, reflection, and acceptance of my grief for a friend and later a relationship.
About nine months ago, I was told a close friend of mine passed away. We never met or shared names, and I never saw her face, but we talked nearly every day, and I loved her dearly. In February, when I had become more comfortable with my grief, she called me. I was unable to comprehend any part of it. Eventually, I accepted that she had intentionally faked her death and returned. This is a journey of my emotions and experiences, looking back on the situation, each having a different, though more apt meaning now than when I first started this.
These first four works—Ruin, Grasping, Sickly Sweet, and In Memoria Proditionis—are all acid-etched intaglio prints that focus on my relationship with her and with grief. The use of À la poupée and Chine Collé techniques in Grasping and Sickly Sweet, as well as the use of watercolor within In Memoria Proditionis, all allow me to more accurately reflect my relationship with her as well as the intense grief I experienced. These works are a journey through my current reflection on the situation. It begins with a ruined relationship and the desire to remember the good that has been tainted; it moves through my grief and her death, and then finishes with a reminder of her, her betrayal, and the relationship I now grieve.
I wanted The Exhale, The Crook, The Delta to feel like a large traditional oil mural as a statement of my acceptance and ownership of my grief, but like many of these works, its meaning has changed dramatically. This is the largest painting I’ve attempted, and I worked with an unfamiliar medium of water-mixable oil paints. These provided me with many technical challenges, though they allowed me to turn the corner on these debilitating emotions. Through this imagery, I hope to convey the idea of death not as an end to fear and fight, but as a transition to the next stage of life, whether that be my own or a new life. I wish to convey death as an action rather than a destination.
Biography
Elena VonBank grew up in Rogers, Minnesota, and has been pursuing a career in the art field for many years. Within her work, she focuses on lived experiences and transient emotions that cannot be expressed in language. She has previously explored themes such as whimsy, depression, grief, and other experiences that she could only accurately portray visually. She is deeply connected to her work in hopes that intimate emotions and experiences, though niche, will allow her to be known by those who connect with her pieces. After developing her skills and passions in high school, she completed an undergraduate degree in Studio Arts at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, focusing on painting and printmaking. There, she also studied Art History and Chemistry as minor concentrations. She plans to continue her studies with a Master’s Degree in Art History or Museum Studies, furthering her career in the museum and gallery industry.
Her work has been acknowledged with great distinction at multiple shows and competitions on local, state, and national levels. She has received the Minnesota State High School League Award for Excellence in Visual Arts, multiple Supreme Awards from the Mississippi 8 Conference, and the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have awarded her with Silver, Gold, and honorable mentions, one of which was a recognition on the national level. She has worked as a gallery assistant for Museo degli Innocenti in Florence, Italy, and she currently works as a gallery assistant at Hamline University’s Soeffker Gallery. She is exhibiting acid-etched intaglio prints and a large-scale oil painting in the Soeffker Gallery during the Hamline University Digital + Studio Art Senior Showcase.
Justice Vue
Artist Statement
Smog is a short film by Justice Vue utilizing photography and rotoscoping. He explored the Twin Cities through his process of photographing interesting elements for the film. He saw cigarette butts as the most interesting object to photograph because they littered the entire urban landscape. To create sound that reflected the imagery of this short film, he collaborated with Michael Langeberg, Hannah Laursen, and Soren Goebel to design the audio landscape.
The film depicts a man walking through the digital world seeking connection with his real world. He finds himself disconnected and addicted to the digital world so he escapes to the physical world seeking connection with the tangible environment. Cigarettes and Instagram are visual motifs that reflect data smog. Justice explores those themes starting with Instagram. The algorithm starts with nature and is slowly shaped by the man’s obsession with idealized versions of his environment. That obsession turns to addiction and he finds himself stuck scrolling. He eventually escapes and finds reality is just as polluted as his digital world.
Pollution can be defined as “the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects”. How we choose to interact with our environment can sometimes be harmful. I think the same can be said about how people interact with social media. Social media can be a pollutant of the mind. It allows for people to escape reality and obsess over idealized versions of themselves. Perhaps, in that sense, people have found social media as a mechanism to help cope with their own realities. In this case, our digital environments are just as important as our physical environments and how we nurture both can shape us.
Biography
Justice Vue is a multimedia artist who is engaged with telling stories through digital media. He graduated from Hamline University with a Bachelors in Digital + Studio Arts with a concentration in Graphic and Interactive Design. He prioritizes telling stories that focus on community and connection in his creative process.
Justice grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota and mostly spent his educational career engaged in community building. In high school he was a part of Student Council and Tri-M Music Honors. He only got to explore art in the form of music and videography but that passion for connection with his community carried over into his college career. He graduated from Hamline University with a bachelors in Graphic and Interactive design. His digital design career has mainly consisted of poster creation, Instagram marketing and advertising. He took on responsibilities for Hamline University Programming Board, Global Students Society, and Food Resource Center. His career in art started when he became an illustrator for the school newspaper, The Oracle. This experience allowed him to explore his creativity through illustration and digital media and ignited his passion for digital design.
He draws inspiration from graphic novels, video games, anime, and movies, where he finds the fantastical settings and outlandish plots important elements that drive his interest in community building. He also found connection to his art through his Hmong roots. He has always found Hmong traditional clothing to be elaborately beautiful. That beauty is mostly found in its repetition of pattern and color and, although his art may not directly reflect those designs, he is still influenced by Hmong clothing.
Sara Lee
Artist Statement
Frozen Fantasy is a small ice cream business built around joy, community, and togetherness like a summer picnic or neighborhood BBQ. My goal for this project was to create a brand that felt just like that: warm, welcoming, and full of personality. I started by getting to know what made Frozen Fantasy special. From there, I designed the logo, brand visuals, website, and truck graphics to reflect that sense of fun and connection. I leaned into playful colors, hand-drawn elements, and a design system that could stretch across digital and physical spaces while still feeling consistent and true to the brand. This project pushed me to think more deeply about how design can bring people together. It helped me grow not just in terms of technical skills, but in understanding how to tell a story visually and how to design for feeling, not just function. Creating something that felt real and joyful, for a real business with heart, was the most rewarding part.
Biography
Sara Lee is a graphic and interaction design major with a minor in digital storytelling, set to graduate in December 2025. With a focus on UX/UI design, illustration, logo design, and branding, she enjoys creating work that connects people to resources and each other. One of her recent projects includes designing an app for Hamline University’s Food Resource Center, aimed at making it easier for the campus community to access food and support services. Whether she's sketching out a new interface or crafting a visual identity, Sara brings curiosity, empathy, and a thoughtful design process to everything she does. She’s currently exploring how her design skills can intersect with community work, storytelling, and everyday experiences, and is excited to keep discovering what kind of designer she wants to become. Outside of design, she finds joy in gardening and cooking that are two hands-on, creative outlets that reflect her love of nurturing ideas and watching them grow.