Ethan Versh `27 had been doodling on his coffee cup in class when he got an email about Smith Gallery applications — it was a sign. His muse, the coffee cup, in its “fullest, final form,” currently sits on display in the middle of the Edith Renfrow Smith `27 Gallery in a clear glass box.
Versh found beauty in the ordinary when choosing his beloved coffee cups as artistic inspiration. “I think it’s cool when you can take something kind of random or out of the blue and flip it into something,” he said. There’s a lot of cool stuff around us daily, you just have to look.” He said he draws inspiration from every aspect of his life.
When you walk into the gallery, the first thing you see is a calendar of March with the dates made up of coffee lids. 13 of these are spray painted red to mark the days his show will be up.
As you continue to walk in, you will see his map of Manhattan. Upside-down cups decorated with colorful stickers map out the subway system, and a neon green vinyl square marks Central Park.
However, this piece is not without controversy. “I’ve gotten some heat from someone from Manhattan about doing a map of Manhattan,” said Versh, a New Jersey native. “I don’t think you can really gatekeep places.”
Next to the map of Manhattan is a large sketch of a Pedal Grinnell bike made up of exactly 66 coffee sleeves. Versh — who admitted that bicycles comprise a large part of his life cycle — works with his brother, Peter Versh `25 at Pedal Grinnell. He spends most of his time sporting his Airpod Max’s and cargo pants, fixing up bikes he might be sketching for future works.
Another wall of the gallery is covered by sets of three-piece sketches, each part on its own coffee sleeve. The sets each feature their own respective subject matter — one, for example, being a rendering of “Peanuts” characters.
Versh’s original coffee cup doodle can also be found at the gallery as a coffee sleeve featuring baseball players. When asked why he chose baseball players, he responded, “I played baseball when I was very young. It wasn’t really a big part of who I was, but it was just fun to draw.”
He said he hopes people enjoy it. According to him, it was “a lot of fun to put together.”
Versh’s exhibit will be on display in the Smith Gallery until March 16.
