Have you ever wanted to tell a story with thread alone? That is what Kovarik did in her recent known as I watch too much tv news along with her many other pieces from her gallery: Herd. To Kovarik stitching is an extension of her thoughts being transferred onto fabric.

I watch too much tv news is a visual dialog about the media and how we get our news. These are tumutolous times. Immigration, voting rights, climate change, social protests and disease are used by many news outlets and pundits as dividing forces. Social media has compounded that scenario. It is hard to sort the truth from the fiction. My worry as a citizen and human being is the messages we recieve are now so skewed and siloed that we will be unable to think for ourselves.

Paula Kovarik: Creator of Herd

During COVID-19 it is easy to lose one’s self amid all the noise. As we are all divided we can all see the division as well as isolation of others. Artists often reflect this in their art- mirroring what they feel and transferring it into whatever medium.

” Artists are particularly suited to hold up a mirror to themselves and others to interpret these feelings and events.”, Kovarik explains the feeling of COVID-19 in her works.

The New Gallery at Austin Peay State University along with support from The Center of Excellence for Creative Arts and the Department of Art & Design allowed Kovarik to display her art. The exhibit opened on Wednesday, August 17th, and runs through September 16th within the Art And Design’s Building New Gallery.