For the May Gallery Hop, the Shearer Student Gallery is proud is exhibit the work of Kara Sparks, in "Thin-Skinned." Kara studied abroad at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland where she devoted four months to producing work on topics surrounding abuse. The figure is the primary subject of her paintings with a focus on treatment of skin and unsettling distortion. She is interested in the idea of embodying issues of abuse that are usually not noticeable on the surface through skin, which is a fragile surface itself that tends to be covered and protected.