Senior Jupiter McLean stands next to one of his lino prints at his senior exhibition in Cobb Gallery. Photos courtesy of Jupiter McLean ’24
The Main, Elliott and Cobb galleries at Eckerd College will be full of student work this semester as senior thesis exhibitions begin for visual arts and interdisciplinary arts majors.
Jupiter McLean’s show titled Sad Boi; Pretty Tears filled Cobb Gallery from February 11–16, the first of 24 senior shows. Jupiter is a senior visual arts student from Alpharetta, Georgia, and his studies focus on illustration and manga sequential art.
His senior show was mixed media—including lino prints, paintings and doll sculptures made from fabric scraps. Sad Boi; Pretty Tears explores themes of trans joy, fashion and culture.
In high school, Jupiter decided to pursue art in college and began applying to art schools around the country. An Eckerd postcard in the mail attracted him to the Nielsen Center for Visual Arts. He visited Eckerd’s campus the first time in November 2019 with his portfolio tucked under his arm. Professors from the Art Department spent time looking over the portfolio with him and delved into his goals for college. Later in the visit, Jupiter and his mother met Arthur Skinner ’72, professor of visual arts, who took them on a tour of the Main Gallery.
“My mom still talks about that day in the gallery,” Jupiter recalls.
One of Jupiter’s doll sculptures made from fabric scraps
A few short months later, when Jupiter officially enrolled at Eckerd and declared a visual arts major, Skinner became his mentor, significantly impacting Jupiter’s art journey. Skinner is supportive of each artist’s style.
“He meets you where you are,” Jupiter says, “and gives you freedom of creative expression without judgment.”
Jupiter is thankful for the resources and support offered by Eckerd’s faculty. A few years ago, Skinner presented an opportunity to attend a printmaking workshop in downtown St. Petersburg. Looking into it, Jupiter learned of a prohibitive entry fee and expressed his cost concerns to his mentor. Skinner secured funding to sponsor Jupiter’s attendance at the workshop. This connection to the local community allowed Jupiter to explore collage as an art form.
“There is opportunity to explore,” Jupiter says of Eckerd’s Visual Arts program. “I don’t feel boxed in. I’ve been able to build skills while also connecting emotionally with the art I’m creating.”
His experience studying abroad in Japan in the spring of 2023 inspired many aspects of his senior thesis exhibition. To satisfy the final course requirement for his Japanese minor, he’d been hoping to travel abroad. The desire to study in Japan had been inspired by a childhood interest in Lego Ninjago play sets. After a meeting with Eckerd’s Global Education staff, he settled on a direct exchange program at Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, Japan.
“I took classes in manga, Japanese art history and Japanese language,” he says. “I loved experiencing public transportation, and the art stores were fantastic!”
Professor of Visual Arts Arthur Skinner ’72
Being immersed in a new environment felt like a reset for Jupiter. He knew enough of the language to get around but not enough to understand the nuances of things like advertisements and media he experienced outside of the classroom. Without this media bombardment, there was space for self-reflection.
“It allowed me to look at myself in a new light,” he says. “Japan was the highlight of my Eckerd experience.”
Fashion was another cultural artifact from Japan that informed his senior show. Jupiter was fascinated by kitsuke, which is traditional kimono dress. Upon his return to the United States, he lugged a 20-pound duffel bag full of kimonos through the airport.
After graduation, he hopes to continue selling his art at local markets and artist alleys at anime conventions, which hopefully will lead him back to Japan.
Skinner says the senior thesis exhibition is “the culmination of one’s efforts as a visual arts major.” Artists create a coherent body of work that shows off their growth and maturity, and then they display it in a gallery setting. Learning how to present their work professionally can lead to the exploration of other exhibition opportunities—whether local, regional, national or international—which Jupiter aspires to pursue.
“Whatever career path our seniors choose to take,” Skinner says, “that first solo exhibition is a significant moment in their creative lives.”
See the full schedule of senior thesis exhibitions this spring.
