Just a Moment

Senior Fine Artist, Josh Weinstein, showed his 25 minute film in the Judy Hughes Studio on Friday, April 2, 2010. The show was a huge success.

I started drawing because I am interested in the many different ways we can see. Recently, I have applied this interest to the objects I encounter on a daily basis through the act of physically manipulating what I find. This is one way of seeing. Presently, I am evaluating why I feel the need to go out of my way to reconfigure the interesting day-to-day objects and situations I encounter at all. This is another way of seeing. In the meantime, I have resigned to the somewhat less-intrusive approach of videotaping various moments in my day-to-day life. Through this mode of seeing I have discovered entirely new ways to be intrusive and manipulative (the simple act of holding a small electronic device is a very curious and powerful gesture.) This practice has also allowed me the opportunity to witness my life in action, so to speak.

-Joshua Weinstein

The Greatest Show on Earth

This show was a collaboration between Senior Fine Artist, Wayne Levy, and Fine Artist, Jeremy Fisher.

Gallery Visitors were surprised to find theirselves entering the gallery into a large cage as "alien" creatures ridiculed them tirelessly.

My work is purely about telling stories from my imagination. Story telling is something I am very passionate about, and I have been telling stories through my art for a long time. My favorite stories to tell are the ones from my phantasmagorical dream world. These stories consist of mystical creatures that dwell in my mind and the fantastical adventures they have. All of my artwork is a first person view seen through the eyes of the deceased Dr. Z, the scientist/archeologist, who has transported through a gateway to another universe. As Dr. Z explores this universe he records everything he sees. What we see is everything he has recorded and brought back, which includes the origins and the fate of the human race. Installation is the biggest medium I am using, but not everything is limited to installation. There will be many colorful paintings, masks and an extensive journal.

-Wayne Levy

Ubiquitous

UBIQUITOUS featured artwork by senior fine artists Tiffany Gosselin and Catherine Villeneuve.

I combine the human form with the natural shapes of trees. Borrowing from yoga with its natural balance, inner strength, and flexibility I use the postures and stances for my figures. Mangroves, also known as the walking tree, have a flexible stance and grow along coasts. They are a critical part of our ecosystem helping water be compatible with the land. I have blended the human form, the yoga postures and mangroves to create sculptures that speak of a balance.

In casting, rebirth or recycling is a part of the process. A block of metal is melted down and then reformed into a tree reflecting a metamorphosis process. The natural element we use to make or melt metal is fire. I use fire as a symbol for recycling and loss. (Even the original wax sculpture is lost because the mold is being made from it for the metal sculpture.) I demonstrate the recycling process by creating the same sculpture in recycled paper. Then I ignite it with fire. The paper mangrove person is reduced to ash, creating a sense of loss.

My art reflects my personal interest in nature conservation, science, spirituality, and enjoyment. I want the viewer to reflect on how they are interconnected with nature. How the disappearance of one species can eliminate others. There is a direct symbiotic relationship between man and nature. Disturbing this positive connection can result in the death of both.

-Catherine Villeneuve

My artwork represents the ongoing issues within the water crisis and the treatment of the planet as a whole. My process is related to the issues through its time-based set up, and the materials. I use ice because it talks about the many forms of water. First I start with an ice sphere, it melts into a liquid and then evaporates into a gas. There is a residue left behind on watercolor paper which for me represents the presence of water everywhere around us. It also represents the depletion of the fresh water supply throughout the world. My projections and installations use current environmental topics such as possible climate change, wars created over fresh water, and the mistreatment of the planet by humans in general. The work should bring the viewer to understand that these issues are real and they can (and will) continue to grow.

-Tiffany Gosselin

The Voyage of Infinite Parallels

"The Voyage of Infinite Parallels" featured artwork by senior fine artists, Amanda Seckington and Mikaela Williams.

Artists Mikaela Raqueal Williams and Amanda Lee Seckington made the decision to have their senior thesis show together after fully realizing the naturally occurring dialogue that exists between the content of their work. Williams' imagery reflects her affinity for space, where Seckington's reflects the sea. For Williams this stems from growing up in Titusville, FL with parents working for the NASA program, while for Seckington it stems from growing up on military bases with parents enlisted in the US Navy.

Williams combines personal craft and technology, creating a rich dialogue between the hand-made and the machine object, and the often blurred line in between with a metaphysical viewpoint. Through self-portraiture she is using herself as a substitution for the human race and how we as individuals are affected by the increasing influx of information available through technology.

"Overall, the work is about the overwhelming sense of longing for a New World, and the silent haunting of the Old. Opposition plays a key role throughout my work. The natural landscape of the tropics in contrast to the fabricated, industrial aesthetic of the military is where most of my imagery and content originate. The constants throughout my work are personal symbolism and a polished level of technical craft." –Seckington

This interview was a bit longer than the rest, so in order to upload it to the blog I had to create 3
smaller videos. Enjoy! -Tiffany