Discover the Mary S. Byrd Gallery at Augusta University

Since 2010, the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art on the first floor of Washington Hall on the Summerville Campus of Augusta University has promoted relevant works of art by emerging and contemporary artists.

Independent graphic designer and illustrator Jason Craig will hold an opening reception and artist talk for his solo show entitled, “Over the Line,” from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, at the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art. The exhibition of his show will run from April 4 through July 20.

Craig, who has worked with clients including Chick-fil-A, the Atlanta Braves, HBO and Nike, recently designed the branding work behind the award-winning “Vintage Augustus” for AU.

When Scott Thorp, chair of the Department of Art and Design, approached him about a solo show at the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art, Craig said he was excited, but acknowledged he had a bit of anxiety.

“But I’ve got a motto that you just do things that are scary and don’t just say ‘No’ to something because it makes you nervous,” Craig said, laughing. “My motto is, ‘Go ahead and do it. Say yes and make it cool.’”

“I got this just by being myself”

Craig, who previously worked as a senior graphic designer for more than 20 years with local organizations such as Westobou Festival, Weir/Stewart and the Metro Spirit, recently revisited the space at the Mary S. Byrd Gallery in Washington Hall and said he felt comfortable providing students, faculty and staff a solo show they would enjoy.

“It was funny because I was like, ‘I don’t know what Scott Thorp expects from me. I’m not a painter,’” Craig said. “After all these years, I still don’t know exactly how people see me as an artist.”

But Craig, who has hosted a number of local art events in the past such as the Augusta Poster Show and Artzilla during the Arts in the Heart of Augusta festival, said Thorp wanted him to bring that same energy to the Mary S. Byrd Gallery.

“I told Scott, ‘You saw me spray-painting a pig at the Augusta Common during Arts in the Heart. You’ve seen me at the Poster Show and all these things that I’ve done. What do you want from me here?’” Craig said. “And he was like, ‘I want that. I want that thing that you do where you do these events that are cool, and people show up and it’s well done.’ That was very cool because I went from the thought of, ‘How do people see me?’ to thinking, ‘Well, this is a very well-respected person who is seeing me exactly how I want to be seen.’ So, it’s one of those things where it’s like, I got this just by being myself.”

Therefore, Craig said his character and his style of art will be on full display for his show, “Over the Line.”

“There’s nothing in the show that is out of character for me,” Craig said. “But I’ve challenged myself with some of the things that I’m doing, and it’s been difficult, because I’m making a lot of pieces that require a lot of process. But it’s fun. It’s going to be a really interesting show that I don’t think they’ve had exactly like this before.”

Thorp said Craig was an obvious choice to invite to have a solo show at the Mary S. Byrd Gallery.

“Jason embodies the essence of someone pursuing a creative career,” Thorp said. “His work spans different approaches and media, including illustrations, graphic designs, large murals, event curation, and even inspiring motivational speeches. His career mirrors the message we send to students, that we want them to pursue creative opportunities in a variety of fields.”

“Also, Jason is highly engaged in the community and likes to give back,” Thorp added. “He brings a lot of energy to everything he does, and his work quality is exceptional. We are looking forward to Jason’s transformative installation. I’m sure his work will inspire and motivate both our students and faculty.”

After designing the newest mascot logo known as “Vintage Augustus” for Augusta University, Craig said he feels a close connection to the university.

“When Communications and Marketing had an unveiling event last year at the Roar Store and I showed up, there were about 200 people in line to buy the Vintage Augustus merchandise,” Craig said. “It went over so well, and it was really cool to see.”

Since then, Craig has enjoyed seeing the Vintage Augustus logo on places around town including Christenberry Fieldhouse, the Forest Hills Golf Club and the new downtown mural at Reynolds and 11 streets.

“It’s just really nice to see your work multiply like that,” Craig said. “I’ve had a really good relationship with AU over the past several years and it’s been great to have them as an advocate for me.”

Explaining “Over the Line”

The title of the show, “Over the Line,” comes from the way he believes the public often views his art, Craig said.

“A lot of it stems from that thought of, how do people see me as an artist?” Craig said. “One of the things that has always come up over the years with my good art friends and people that don’t even know me that well is, when we start talking about each other’s art and critiquing, I always get complimented on my line work. They’re always like, ‘Oh yeah, you can make the best lines and straight lines, and all your lines are so clean. I wish I could make lines you make.’”

He also joked that his personality can sometimes be over the top as well.

“Over the line also means you’ve gone too far,” Craig said, laughing. “And so, I think that anybody that knows me knows that’s always a possibility.”

But Craig believes visitors to the art show will get to experience a real sense of him as an artist.

“The theme that seems to be coming out is a look at the way that we deal with stress in general. How stress affects us and letting go of that stress,” Craig said. “I think that the more pieces that I make, the more I think that it has to do with my art career and my design career just being very stressful for so many years and being almost taxing. But now, I’ve flipped it. I’ve let go of that stress.”

“I’ve quit worrying about the things that don’t really matter,” Craig added. “And I’m a much happier person for it. I’m a much better artist for it.”

Craig said his new work for the art show has some unusual juxtapositions that the audience should enjoy.

“There’s a woman with a centipede crawling on her face and a kid staring at a praying mantis right up by her eye,” Craig said, laughing. “A lot of it, at first glance, will get a reaction because they’re very stressful scenarios. But at the same time, they’re really pretty and colorful and not dark at all. And so, I think that the overall theme of the show is letting go of that stress and enjoying the surprises in life.”