Annual student honors exhibition comprises works by graduating Art majors

McDaniel College’s Art department presents the annual student honors exhibition. Titled “Fragments of Becoming,” the exhibition runs Tuesday, March 3-Friday, March 20, in McDaniel’s Esther Prangley Rice Gallery. An opening reception takes place Thursday, March 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m., with a gallery talk at 6 p.m.

Flowers — Senior Art major Laura Vonella "*I wandered lonely as a cloud",* 2025, fake floral and scents, 72 x 48 inches

McDaniel College’s Art department presents the annual student honors art exhibition featuring a variety of work from eight seniors.

Titled “Fragments of Becoming,” the exhibition runs Tuesday, March 3-Friday, March 20. An opening reception takes place Thursday, March 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m., with a gallery talk at 6 p.m.

The graduating students exhibiting their artwork include:

Camellia Codd, Art major from Mount Airy, Maryland
Alexandra Combass, Art major from Westminster, Maryland
Kathleen Heard, Art major from Westminster, Maryland
Cara Olson, Art major from Mount Airy, Maryland
Marissa Riddell, Art and Environmental Studies major from New Market, Maryland
Danielle Silva, senior Art major from Gaithersburg, Maryland
Maya Stone, senior Art major from Mount Airy, Maryland
Laura Vonella, senior Art major from New Oxford, Pennsylvania

The exhibition and reception are both free and open to the public. The Esther Prangley Rice Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Call 410-857-2595 for more information.

About the Artists

Camellia Codd Senior Art Major

According to Camellia Codd, her work is rooted in memory, identity, and personal style. Codd said that she is inspired by the world around her and the small details that shape her sense of home.

Caption: "A song I won't forget", 2025, watercolor and gouache on watercolor paper, 15 ¼ inches by 22 ¼ inches

Alexandra Combass Senior Art Major

Alexandra Combass explores femininity, not as an internal trait, but as something that exists outside of the self. Combass said that her work is "built with intension, care, and permanence."

Caption: "Photogram #1", 2025, stained Glass and Film Collage on RC Darkroom Photo Paper, 8 x 10 inches

Kathleen Heard Senior Art major

Kathleen Heard said, "My work aims to incite viewers to see and imagine what the world could be. My artwork aims to convey possibility, foster potential, and awakening creativity in viewers."

Caption: "Outside", 2025, digital painting

Cara Olson Senior Art major

Cara Olson aims to highlight the virtues that build up harmony within society by utilizing anima imagery, depicting the nine fruits of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22 — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Photo caption: "Love", 2026, acrylic paint on canvas, 10 x 10 inches

Marissa Riddell Senior Art major

Marissa Riddell's current collection of work explores the role that cancer plays in her life. "Through my work, I hope to capture the raw and emotional aspects of illness, allowing for viewers to connect to feelings and experiences they may avoid. I aspire to represent the despair that cancer brings to those it consumes and those who surround them," Riddell said.

Caption: "A Silent Goodbye", 2025, oil paint on rives, 5 x 6 inches

woman in red with a blue bird's beak in hand

Danielle Silva Senior Art major

Danielle Silva's current work focuses on exploring her identity while utilizing avian imagery, showcasing the relationship birds have to her. "It is easier for me to talk about my life experiences if I use a bird as a substitute for myself; allowing me to showcase personal challenges without feeling like I’m exposing myself to an audience," Silva said.

Caption: "Now and Then", 2026, oil paint on canvas, 18 x 19.5 inches

Maya Stone Senior Art major

Maya Stone said her work involves childhood, the female experience, and the life cycle through the lens of metamorphosis.

Caption: "Shed the Red", 2025, acrylic paint on canvas, 29 ½ x 40 inches

Laura Vonella Senior Art major

Laura Vonella’s current work focuses on nostalgia by recreating an environment using manufactured objects based on a memory or a moment of time that, while personal, are universal experiences anyone can relate to. She said, "When participants immerse themselves in this counterfeit environment, the objects, colors, sounds, and fragrances may trigger a recollection of their own."

Caption: "I wandered lonely as a cloud", 2025, fake floral and scents, 72 x 48 inches

Additional information:

Requests for ASL interpreters are welcome and should be made as soon as possible (two weeks prior to the event preferred) by contacting the specific event organizer. Other accommodation requests and questions can be directed to Conference Services at 410-857-2407.
Visitors are asked to adhere to all health and safety policies and regulations in effect at the time of the event.

Mar 3, 2026