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Art canvases the SUB
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The Student Union Building is the place on campus where students find food, study areas, brief relief from the cold and fantastic new art exhibitions. Currently, the SUB also houses three art exhibitions.
Eleven different treasure valley high schools submitted pieces to the High School Juried Art Exhibition. The pieces were created using a variety of artistic media, especially sculpture, painting, digital photographs. The first installation-style piece to be submitted from a high school student is also on display.
“It’s really great to see someone at the high school level branching out to that capacity because typically what you see from high school students is the ’standard media.’ You almost never see installation pieces. It’s great to see that level of thinking at the high school level.”
The exhibition has been on display since the close of the fall semester. Best of show, first, second and third place winners of the High School Juried Art Exhibition will be announced in a closing reception for the exhibition on Feb. 1, 2008 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. in the Student Union Gallery.
“It’s a really great show because it is the best of what the high school students are doing today, right now, this year. There’s just some really great talent that is up-and-coming in the treasure valley and it’s wonderful to see that,” Fine Arts Program Coordinator Holly Gilchrist said.
Each participating high school was asked to submit 10 pieces for the event, and approximately 65 pieces were then selected for display in the Student Union Gallery, located upstairs in the SUB. Art Department Chair Richard Young selected the pieces for display.
Approximately half of the submissions from each high school were selected for display in the exhibition, so that a variety of work from across the treasure valley could be displayed.
“I was very impressed with many of the pieces brought in. I am really seeing some students step out of the conventional box for high school work and really exploring their creativity,” said BSU student Vivian Sanchez, who was instrumental in the creation of the exhibition. “If anything is gained for the students, I hope that this is a learning experience for them in how to prepare their work for a show, not just creating it. This will ultimately help them decide if this is a career or hobby they really want to pursue and possibly communicate with our Art Department for future college choices.”
The High School Juried Art Exhibition is set up on a bi-annual basis. The Boise Art Museum also offers a juried exhibition opportunity for high school students. The two events alternate years, so that the opportunity for high school students to be a part of a juried exhibition occurs annually.
“This is potentially current BSU art major students’ competition coming in the door,” Gilchrist said. “It’s really an exciting show.”
The Greener Solutions exhibition can be found around the corner from the High School Juried Art Exhibition, located in the North Lounge of the SUB.
This juried exhibition is a part of the national global climate change event Focus the Nation, and will close on Feb. 1.
Artists were asked to submit work that portrayed an ecologically-conscious message. Some artists used only recycled materials to create their piece for the exhibition. Others found existing materials (including cardboard, bottle caps and an old television/radio) and repurposed them to create a work of art. Some pieces were created from more conventional media, but sent the same eco-friendly message.
The Focus the Nation event also included a “Shrink Your Footprint” contest, and national symposia that will occur on Jan. 31 on campuses across the nation. The art exhibition, in conjunction with these other events, is a means of communicating the importance of being eco-friendly.
“Art is a definite tool for communication. Even if the artist isn’t successful in conveying what they wanted to convey with the piece, anyone that approaches a piece of art is going to bring their own perception to that piece and it’s going to strike a chord with that individual,” Gilchrist said. “One of the things that’s so wonderful about art is that it sparks that dialogue.”
Sometimes the conversations that come out of an art work may not be the best, but they aren’t going to be the worst. It still gets people talking. Whether people agree to like it or dislike it or it gets them thinking about something else, or, in the Focus the Nation and the opportunity that we’ve had here, it can get people to think about how they might involve change in their own lives and understand their own footprint on this Earth.”
Joshua Olson of Boise City Arts Commission and Barbara Robinson of Idaho Commission on the Arts will jury this exhibition. Award winners will be announced on Jan. 31, and include $100 – $500 awards, as well as gift certificates sponsored by Boise Blue Art Supply.
Both juried exhibitions give the participating artists a unique opportunity.
“Looking at juried exhibitions from a beginning artist’s point of view, getting into a juried exhibition looks a lot better on your resume as opposed to only having group exhibitions. It shows that you’ve put your pieces into competitions and they have ‘made it.’ It gives your work a little more provenance,” Gilchrist said. “Also, knowing that your piece has been accepted into a juried exhibition is a good feeling. Compare it, for interest, to athletes. You can run around a track all day, or you can compete in a race. It’s the same kind of thing. It gives a chance to be rewarded, be it with cash, products, or just an extra line on your resume. It’s a type of validation.”
Three paintings by Art Department Chair Richard Young are on display near the Special Events Center.
The paintings stem from a 16-inch hard rubber replica of Godzilla.
“These three paintings are part of a larger series that explores issues of popular culture, narrative and sublime, presented in grandiose imaginary settings,” Young wrote on a placard, which hangs near the three large canvases.
Exhibition proposals are being accepted for next year.
Contact Gilchrist at 426-1223 for more information and to obtain an application.
SHEREE WHITELEY
Managing Editor
