By Kelli Henderson/entertainment editor
An eclectic arrangement of art is in SE’s Art Corridor II for the SE Art Faculty Biennial.
Faculty came together to display their works for not only the TCC art community but for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of what art can be.Art can sometimes be intimidating. Trying to figure out what it means and how one should feel about it can be difficult.
But non-art students should not fret, said art associate professor John Phillips. There has always been a misconception with art and its viewers, he said.
Photos by David Reid/The Collegian
“The notion that art is some mysterious commodity understood only by a select few is a myth,” he said. “That concept first appeared during the Renaissance. It was initiated by and has been perpetuated forever after by the aristocracy and other wealthy patrons in an attempt to further separate their world from the rest of us, using art and artists to advance their own agendas.”
Phillips has two high-definition videos, including one featuring SE President William Coppola, and an etching on zinc in the show.
Assistant professor Dana Ferrara has five paintings in the exhibit, all part of a series that derived from Rogier van der Weyden’s Beaune Altarpiece.
Ferrara encourages all students to take time to view the pieces because, though students may have chosen other fields of study, she said they are all creative beings and can benefit from exposure to and appreciation of art.
“Come see it,” she said. “There is a lot of variety offered in this exhibition. Whether or not it all corresponds with one’s preferences or not, I believe everyone can have a meaningful experience, learn from and possibly apply what is offered in the exhibition for their personal benefit. That is the purpose of what we do.”
Art students on all campuses should take the time to view not just this show but all faculty shows because it gives students a chance to see their professors’ approaches to creating and see who they are as artists, art adjunct Penelope Bisbee said.
The shows can also be used by non-art teachers as teaching tools, and they are invited to use the works as critical thinking props for discussion and written statements in their classes, Phillips said.
Something different for this show is an artist’s statement positioned by each work.
“Hopefully, students will gain a greater understanding of the impetus behind the art,” art
assistant professor Sharon Covington said. “Each artist’s statement is displayed near the artwork so students can gain insight and make connections between image and idea, form and content. Our curator, Christopher Blay, came up with this thoughtful arrangement to act as the faculty’s verbal explanation.”
Like many students, the creative process for faculty does not come naturally. It takes inspiration from different aspects, like other artists or events going on in the world, for the faculty to create their pieces.
Photos by David Reid/The Collegian
Part of that creative process is struggle, Covington said, and it is important students come to terms with that.
“There are many different routes one can take when pursuing the creative process,” Ferrara said.
“For me, it involves waiting and being patient. … We aren’t accustomed to having to wait, to be patient, to allow something to germinate on its own time scale. It’s a process, not just a product.”
And in the case of Phillips, if the solution does not arise after spending some time away from the problem piece, “it’s time to build a bonfire.”
The exhibit is on display until Oct. 6. For more information, contact Blay at christopher.blay@tccd.edu.
