by: Kerrick Shaw

Handmade monsters and canvas creatures lurked throughout the Seton Hill Arts Center with one student’s show pulling a full house on opening night. 

Jake Carnahan-Curcio, a senior art therapy major at Seton Hill University, recently wrapped up his senior exhibition titled “Creature Feature,” a deeply personal and imaginative body of work. 

Held in the Arts Center’s Critique Room from April 25 through May 10, the show’s opening reception was held on April 26 from 6 to 8 pm and had over 50 attendees connecting with the deeper meaning of the exhibition. 

“I’ve aspired to have a solo show since my freshman year of college,” Carnahan-Curcio said. “I didn’t know I would be making creatures until January of 2024, when I made my first painting about my mom who has stage 3A breast cancer; it then spiraled into a series about grief and how people cope with it. I struck gold with my painting ‘Der Doppelgänger,’ as he became the face of my series.” 

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Carnahan-Curcio’s “Der Doppelgänger” sculpture.

Photo Courtesy: Jake Carnahan-Curcio

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“Creature Feature” was his first self-curated exhibition full of his own work; however, he previously had the opportunities to curate two Seton Hill shows involving other students’ work and his own. 

In 2023, he put together the “Women in Art” exhibition, full of work from the school’s Women in Art seminar course. The following year, he curated a show titled “Intersections,” featuring work from beginner to advanced classes of his and the other advanced painting student at the time, Keelin Becker. 

“As part of the Professional Practices for the Arts course, we were given the opportunity to apply for a solo show or be part of a group exhibition,” he said. “The application was a proposal; showing the work that would be in the show, which is when I had to come up with a concept.” 

Other students visited the gallery room frequently throughout the exhibition’s stay. One student, freshman fine arts major Maxwell Hoffman, described Carnahan-Curcio’s character as “iconic.” 

“I really love the collaged, almost computer pop-up motif among all of his paintings,” Hoffman said. “I remember hearing people completely outside of the art majors talking about how excited they were to see the show. I got to see the evolution of his work periodically by just visiting the studio rooms.” 

Hoffman looks forward to his own senior exhibition, regardless of being a first-year student. He explained that he has already started to “conceptualize” his plan. 

The show’s reception was complimented with refreshments and a giveaway Carnahan-Curcio held through his Instagram. The winner was given a custom-printed T-shirt, a small sculpture of his character Der Doppelgänger and a print.  

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The T-shirt, print and sculpture included in the giveaway.

Photo Courtesy: Jake Carnahan-Curcio

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“The turnout was great,” he said. “I want to say over 50 people came; a lot of friends and family, but also underclassmen that I didn’t personally know and others who were just interested in the work.” 

GS’ art teacher Mrs. Kelley Audia expressed that everything about Seton Hill’s art program is “awesome.”  

“Every experience I’ve ever had there has been great,” Mrs. Audia said. “The facilities are great and the professors too; Mr. Audia and I have gotten to be a part of a bunch of different shows there. They have a really nice partnership with us, giving us a lot of cool chances for students.” 

Starting in the fall, following his graduation from Seton Hill, Carnahan-Curcio will be moving onto a program through PennWest Global Online. 

“I’m graduating with my Bachelor of Arts in art therapy,” Carnahan-Curcio said. “I’ll be doing the Masters of Science in Counseling art therapy program through PennWest. I already have a lot more ideas for a neon series I’m working on; I would love to do another show in the future.”