USI alum and student present art show in Newburgh

A USI alum and current student presented their first art show together on August 31 at the Newburgh Preservation Hall in Newburgh, Indiana. Baggy Genes, created by Ethan Douglass and Christian Schmitz, is a multimedia art show that takes “a raw and vulnerable look into how relationships with our family and friendships have shaped how we create our art and how we connect with ourselves.” 

The two draw from their own relationship for the show—Douglass and Schmitz are second cousins. Douglass graduated in Spring 2023 with a bachelor's degree in graphic design. Schmitz is a senior public relations and advertising major set to graduate in December 2023. 

“I think art is just you actually wanting to do something,” Schmitz said. 

Douglass added that art is “whatever you’re passionate about.”   

“What my art means is a mixture of passion and aesthetic,” he said. “Being able to reach an audience without them knowing what it actually means and getting them to pay attention to it long enough. That’s a skill. I want to have that skill. Having someone sit and watch it and look at it and try to figure it out—that to me is success.”  

The idea for planning an art show came about when Schmitz attended an entrepreneur fair event his aunt was in at Ivy Tech Community College. When listening to the presentations, he said he was disappointed by the lack of motive people had for what they were presenting. “The people who had these booths really did not care about what they were showing,” Schmitz said. “I literally asked them, and they answered, ‘Oh, I’m just here to get a grade.’ The people there thought it was so cool they had a booth, when the people who had the booth didn’t even care about what they were doing.”  

Schmitz pitched the idea of making an art show to Douglass, who was skeptical about the idea at first but quickly gained confidence in the theme of “family.”  “I feel like we broadened the subject to what family means to us, and then it brought in how family affects us and how we feel within our family,” Douglass said. “It got more introspective about us as we started making the pieces.” Schmitz then came up with the show name, Baggy Genes, after trying to figure out a name that relates to the type of clothing he and Douglass wear.  

“We wear baggy jeans,” he explained. “Then I was like, 'genes.' Genetics. Family genes. It was an instant click, and we knew that had to be the name of the show.”  

Douglass created eight pieces for the show, and Schmitz created 11.  

Douglass’ favorite pieces in the show are Swing and Self Portrait on a Sunday. Swing is a photo piece inspired by the picture Boy falls from tree by Jeff Wall, who Douglass says is a huge inspiration to him. He wanted to capture the terrifying yet invincible feeling of when you first jumped off the swings as a kid. Douglass shot the photo when the kids were candidly swinging so he could capture the essence of kids purely being kids. It was the only unposed photo he’d ever taken and put in a show.  

Self Portrait on a Sunday is a photo showcasing how Douglass addresses the anxiety he experiences on his own terms. “I didn’t want to make a cringe picture about anxiety,” Douglass said. “But I also still wanted to do it because it’s really important to me. One of the things that comes with my anxiety is that I get sick a lot. It makes my stomach hurt, and I throw up in the mornings. Sundays are always the worst days for everyone, including myself. So, I thought it’d be a clever name and a good way to capture it.”  

Douglass chugged yellow Gatorade and several granola bars and actually vomited for the photo. Schmitz commented that he threw up several times to get the picture.  

Schmitz favorite pieces in the show were Survivor’s Guilt and Dogwood. Survivors Guilt is about his grandpa’s stress and anxiety when it comes to dying. Schmitz said the death of his grandpa’s father, brother and sister caused a lot of stress for his grandpa about his own death. That stress has influenced him to be more intentional about his time with his family before his own death.  

Dogwood is about Schmitz’s grandmother, who passed away earlier this year. The piece was inspired by a picture he took of his grandfather and father walking in sync through the hospital hallway after his grandmother’s passing. “The piece was created by digitally vectorizing the image and, with Douglass’ help, cutting it into a stencil and spray painting it. His grandmother’s face is stenciled at the top of the piece to make it appear as if his father and grandfather were looking up at his grandmother. He also painted dogwood flowers wrapping around the piece because they were his grandmother’s favorite flowers, and they symbolize her roots. 

Dogwood was created about 30 hours before the show because the pair couldn’t access the screen-printing lab at USI until then. They also made shirts they sold at the show.  

It took the two about four months to prepare the entire show, which provoked both rewarding and difficult moments for Douglass and Schmitz.  

Douglass said the most rewarding moment of Baggy Genes was the relationship he got from his grandmother, who was also a model in his piece Grandma Douglass. “She’s always believed in me, but I feel like she saw who I am by the end of it,” he said. “She got to see me do my thing, and no one in my family has really ever seen me do that except my mom.”  

Unfortunately, his grandmother was ill and unable to attend the show.  

The most difficult moment of the show for Douglass was staying motivated to create pieces during the first few months and being confident about the pieces he created. He said five or six of his photos were taken in the last two months, and only two were taken in the first two months.  

Schmitz’s favorite part of the show was filming his video, “How cruel is love,” which he premiered at the show. The video depicts Schmitz going on his dream date with a girl, but also comments on the struggles that can come along with love and relationships.  

 “I got to basically plan a huge date with one of my friends, and it was kind of surreal,” he said. “I got really into it and felt like I was actually on a date and actually in love. Ethan was just third wheeling the whole time, but it was cool.”  

The most difficult part for Schmitz was reflecting on how emotionally invested both he and his cousin were in the show. However, this provided an opportunity for the two to grow together and connect.  

Baggy Genes redefined the pair’s perception of family and what it means to have a family. For Schmitz, it was realizing the family he has and the support they give is rare and not something to take for granted. For Douglass, it was recognizing how special his family is even though he has a different dynamic from Schmitz’s and realizing how much he truly loves his family.  

“I think family is the biggest reason why we even do most of the things we do,” Schmitz added. “This show was about going back and paying attention to those people and highlighting them through our talents and our passions.”  

The pair will continue to make and sell art in hopes of making names for themselves. They plan to continue the hometown art show and improve it every year. They also encourage others to pursue their creative interests, whatever they may be.

This piece was written by University Strategic Communication student worker Tegan Ruhl.