Lee Gallery, Center for Visual Arts at Clemson University
Artist Talks and Reception Friday, April 18, starting at 6:30 p.m.
CLEMSON – The Center for Visual Arts – Lee Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the B.F.A. student exhibition April 14, 2014 with artist talks and reception, Friday, April 18th starting at 6:30 p.m. The exhibit showcases the culmination of senior studio research for the graduating class of 2014. The exhibit will showcase oil paintings by Ashley Davis, Georgia Haas, and T. J. Fletcher; drawings by Chi-Chen Lee; photos by Sarah Phillips and Elisabeth Smith; and woodcut prints by Annemarie Weekley.
The gallery walls will be brimming with the work of seven up and coming artists to be, in one of the largest senior showcases for Clemson’s Art Department. While the styles and breadth of work-paintings, photos, and prints- are unique in their own right, this group of emerging artists shares an underlying perspective and tactic of abstraction in many manifestations. Many of the works on view in the exhibition rely on perspective and the conceptual route of abstraction, dissipation, and deconstruction as inspiration for their creative research. Works in the exhibit explore a range of ideas starting from a reformation of a dissipated memory, to the annihilation of a constructed notion of one’s self-awareness; from the abstracted re-proposition of a minimalistic movement to the satirical breakdown of societal intemperance. Other works explore a dispersion of sheltered confines for a radical immersion into nature or the transcendence of the plague of disease; even the stripping of the non essential in order to revel in the grain and simplicity in a natural medium. With the dynamism of color, angles, and abstracted compilations of broken barriers, these seven students have put forth a challenge for the active approach and responsibility of the viewer to absorb.
The visual production is only a piece of the research and creative development pursued in the four year Clemson B.F.A. program. Students explore concepts, purposes of intent, art historical discourse, personal histories, and new processes, creating a conceptual foundation for their visual work. For the artist, this is an ever evolving and essential process. Join the conversation and join the artist talk, scheduled for Friday, April 18th, 6:30 P.M. before the reception.
The exhibit runs April 14-24, 2014. Each artist will give a five-minute talk about their work followed by a reception for the artists on Friday, April 18, starting at 6:30 pm. The opening reception and artist talks are free, open public and hosted by the artists and their families. The Lee Gallery at Clemson University hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. For more information about the exhibit contact Lee Gallery Exhibits Preparator, Jac Kuntz, at jkuntz@g.clemson.edu.
About the Art Galleries and Exhibits at the Center for Visual Arts – Clemson University
There are several galleries on and off campus maintained by the Center for Visual Arts through the Lee Gallery and Center for Visual Arts – Greenville. Exhibitions on and off campus provide the University and surrounding community with access to regional, national and international visual arts and artists. The Lee Gallery and CVA-Greenville also provides programmatic offerings such as artist presentations, guest speakers, walking tours, and special events designed to introduce audiences to creative research, influences and ideas being explored by artists showcased in the galleries.
At the end of each semester the Lee Gallery showcases artwork of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Department of Art academic program. Students are required to present a final thesis of their creative research in a professional exhibition format as part of their degree fulfillment. Artists included in exhibitions are asked to deliver a public presentation about the content, inspiration and historical context of their work to the general public. Artists’ presentations serve to provide the community with an access point for understanding artistic research practice and individual motivations for creating visual art.
Galleries, special exhibits, artwork and/or showcases can be found on the main Clemson campus in our flagship Lee Gallery located in Lee Hall I as well as the Acorn Gallery in Lee Hall II. Throughout campus visitors can also enjoy exhibits showcased at the College of Architecture Arts and Humanities Dean’s Gallery in Strode Tower, Sikes Hall Exhibit Showcase in Sikes, and the Brooks Center for Performing Arts. Gallery showcases off-campus can be found at the Center for Visual Arts – Greenville in the Village of West Greenville, the International Center for Automotive Research (ICAR) in Greenville, the Charles K. Cheezem OLLI Education Center in Patrick Square, and The Madren Center at the Conference Center and Inn both in Clemson.
The Center for Visual Arts – Lee Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the “Restrain, Resensitize,” exhibition Monday, March 31 with an artist talk and closing reception planned for Friday, April 11, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. The exhibit showcases the M.F.A. creative research and final thesis of printmaking graduate student, Adrienne Lichliter.
Adrienne Lichliter uses a unique printing process, implementing techniques with wood and copper, allowing for the natural media, the grain, notches, and wearing of the wood as well as the patina finish of the metal, to surface in the work, creating a swarming dynamic of textural intricacies and depth of delicate mark making. She allows the visual effects of the reactive material to work with and against the sensitive marking of her hand to create a conversational push and pull of visual focus and to highlight the rich and quiet vibrancy of the medium. The artists writes, “The artwork hovers between paradoxes: dissolve and formation, density and void, focal point and dispersion, accident and intention.” By enhancing the viewer’s experience of the essence of the medium in a “modest and restrained aesthetic,” the emphasis shifts from a traditional object-subject matter to a relinquished revelry of the spontaneity and honesty in the mark of the artist’s hand. This is Lichliter’s sincere directive, “[that] there is potency in something that can be comfortably indecisive and unclear. With art that resists assertion and clarity, I hope to re-sensitize the viewer.”
The visual production is a small part of the research and creative development pursued in the two and a half year of a students graduate study in pursuit of an Master of Fine Arts Degree at Clemson University. Students explore concepts, purposes of intent, art historical discourse, personal histories, and new processes, creating a conceptual foundation for their visual work. For the artist, this is an ever evolving and essential process in their creative research. The public is invited to join the conversation by attending the artist talk, scheduled for Wednesday, April 9, 2:30 – 3 p.m. and again Friday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m. during the closing reception for the exhibit.
The exhibit runs March 31 – April 11 at the Lee Gallery with an artist reception scheduled for Friday, April 11, 6 pm – 8 pm. The Lee Gallery at Clemson University hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Student exhibits, artist receptions and talks are free to the public and hosted by students and their families.For more information about the exhibit contact Lee Gallery Exhibits Preparator, Jac Kuntz at jkuntz@g.clemson.edu.
About the Art Galleries and Exhibits at the Center for Visual Arts – Clemson University
There are several galleries on and off campus maintained by the Center for Visual Arts through the Lee Gallery and Center for Visual Arts – Greenville. Exhibitions on and off campus provide the University and surrounding community with access to regional, national and international visual arts and artists. The Lee Gallery and CVA-Greenville also provides programmatic offerings such as artist presentations, guest speakers, walking tours, and special events designed to introduce audiences to creative research, influences and ideas being explored by artists showcased in the galleries.
At the end of each semester the Lee Gallery showcases artwork of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Department of Art academic program. Students are required to present a final thesis of their creative research in a professional exhibition format as part of their degree fulfillment. Artists included in exhibitions are asked to deliver a public presentation about the content, inspiration and historical context of their work to the general public. Artists’ presentations serve to provide the community with an access point for understanding artistic research practice and individual motivations for creating visual art.
Galleries, special exhibits, artwork and/or showcases can be found on the main Clemson campus in our flagship Lee Gallery located in Lee Hall I as well as the Acorn Gallery in Lee Hall II. Throughout campus visitors can also enjoy exhibits showcased at the College of Architecture Arts and Humanities Dean’s Gallery in Strode Tower, Sikes Hall Exhibit Showcase in Sikes and the Brooks Center for Performing Arts. Gallery showcases off-campus can be found at the Center for Visual Arts – Greenville located in the Village of West Greenville, the International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville, the Charles K. Cheezem OLLI Education Center in Patrick Square and The Madren Center at the Conference Center and Inn both in Clemson.
Dean Rick Goodstein welcomes Will to Lead Executive Committee to CVA-Greenville
On Thursday, March 27 the Clemson’s Will to Lead Executive Committee Members made a special visit to CVA-Greenville. Dean Rick Goodstein welcomed the members to the satellite facility and shared with the group the connections the College of Architecture Arts and Humanities has with the Greenville ONE building. He introduced Art Department Chair, Greg Shelnutt and welcomed him to say a few words about the Center for Visual Arts and and the Art Department.
Thank you for joining us this afternoon. My name is Greg Shelnutt and I’m the Chair of the Art Department at Clemson University. Recently, I had a conversation with a very wise man at a Greenville Chamber of Commerce meeting. He told me how very important the arts were as an economic driver. Who made such a wise statement? You guessed it…our President, Jim Clements. I walked away from that encounter knowing that our University had hired a man who, like his predecessors, understood the importance of incorporating the arts. It was a great feeling.
Coincidentally, an article that just came out in this month’s Chronicle of Higher Education entitled, “Who knew? The arts education fuels the economy” also noted the important, but hard to measure, economic value of an arts education. This was published on the heels of the following study:
“In December, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released preliminary estimates from the nation’s first Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account. The account traces the relationship of arts and cultural industries, goods, and services to the GDP.
The findings were impressive:
– In 2011, arts education added $7.6-billion to the nation’s GDP.
– For every dollar consumers spend on arts education, an additional 56 cents is generated elsewhere in the U.S. economy.”
It’s not just arts enthusiasts like me who feel this way. The article goes onto to unveil that “The Partnership for 21st-Century Skills, a coalition of business and education leaders and policy makers, found, for example, that education in the arts helps instill the curiosity, creativity, imagination and capacity for evaluation that are perceived as vital to a productive U.S. work force.
Additionally, IBM, in a 2010 report based on face-to-face interviews with more than 1,500 CEOs worldwide, concluded that creativity trumps other leadership characteristics.”
I might be preaching to choir with all of you about the importance of the arts. Within this committee there is
Neill Cameron who helped lead a student branding research project for the Friends of the CVA,
Hack Trammell who is a donor to the CVA and his wife, Cheryl who sits on our board of directors,
Joe Turner who continues to be one of our lead donors to the CVA’s Celebration and whose wife, Cathy serves on the planning committee for this event, and
former President, Phil Prince, who is a CVA board member.
President James F. Barker, a founding member of the Center for Visual Arts
Then there’s of course, Jim and Marcia Barker who founded the Friends of the CVA. Marcia has sat on our board of directors since it began in 1999 and continues to help with the Celebration. We are grateful to the Barkers for their on-going support.
Even our setting demonstrates that Clemson University is embracing the arts through being in Greenville. The CVA-Greenville is already beginning to make positive changes in this city, but before I share with you about this space, let me bring you up to speed and share with you the journey we’ve taken to get us here today.
The importance for the arts at Clemson goes back to Thomas Green Clemson’s vision of having a “high seminary of learning” with his will clearly requiring that art remain, quite literally, at the center of the campus in Fort Hill. As an accomplished painter, an avid art collector, and an eloquent arts advocate, Clemson addressed the Washington Art Association in 1859, proclaiming “The beautiful arts [are] the magic bonds which unites all ages and nations.”
Fast forward to 1958 when Lee Hall was built to house design and architecture students. Shortly after, the first visual arts faculty was hired and the Lee Gallery was created. However, it wasn’t until 1973 when Clemson granted its first Master of Fine Arts degree in Art to Jeanet Dreskin. A long-time Greenville resident, Jeanet is significant to us not only because she was our first arts graduate, but because of her many accomplishments. Throughout her on-going, 70-year career as an artist, she has had work shown in The White House, and is represented in permanent collections throughout Europe and the US including the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum. We just celebrated the 40th anniversary of our MFA program on campus with a stunning exhibition of Jeanet’s work.
In the late 80’s our first BFA’s graduated, and a few years later President Deno Curris had the foresight to create the Art Partnership out of the Office of the President. This initiative laid the foundation for a public art program on campus.
In the late 90’s President Barker continued a vision to shape the arts at Clemson by creating the Friends of the Lee Gallery, which became Friends of the Center for Arts, funding the Lee Gallery out of the Office of the President with a matched gift. In early 2000, the CVA board was created and Trustee, Patti McAbee took a leadership position on the board.
In July 2006, Board of Trustees approved a proposal for a new Center for Visual Arts building, and, shortly afterwards, plans for a Center for Visual Arts building were on the list of Clemson University’s top five building priorities. In the following years, $180,000 was raised through the Celebration event. All of these dollars were spent on laying the groundwork for development of the CVA as a stand-alone world-class facility.
This facility was designed to surpass many top 20 institutional facilities in the country and was slated to be built between Lee and the Brooks Center for Performing Arts: a metaphorical and literal bridge to the arts. We embarked on a feasibility study, and architectural building plans were drawn up. Sadly, the Global Fiscal Crisis forced the institution to shift its priorities. In 2011, the design won the Unbuilt Award from the South Carolina Chapter of the AIA. Developing that physical facility, however, still remains our dream. With a vision this potent, we stand ready to put this world-class facility back on the priority list.
There are many other accomplishments that you may reference on the timeline board, but let me fast-forward to January 2013 when the Board of Trustees approved the space for the CVA-Greenville as one of the four Greenville hubs. With the help of Dean Rick Goodstein, Rob Porter and Dan Harding, we secured a $100,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Greenville that serves to pay the salary for one staff person, for programming within this space for the upcoming year, etc. The facility is a generous, albeit a temporary agreement with Richard and Gwen Heusel, with hopes that they will gift the building to Clemson University so we may continue this bold venture into economic redevelopment through the arts.
I believe it’s important to clarify that the CVA-Greenville is our satellite facility and not our actual center. The CVA serves as the umbrella for all visual art activities at Clemson University. Although there is not a physical building for this center as of yet, the majority of activities for the CVA are generated out of the Lee Hall building located on the main campus.
If you are wondering, “What makes up the CVA?” Well, it has many facets:
The Art Department that houses our nationally accredited BFA and MFA degree programs
Art Department Chair, Greg Shelnutt
Many galleries such as
Our flagship gallery, The Lee Gallery,
The Acorn Gallery,
The Dean’s Gallery in Strode Tower, and this space,
The CVA-Greenville satellite facility.
We also have collaborative special exhibits, showcases and on-going partnerships with
The James F. Martin Conference Center and Inn,
Sikes Hall,
The Brooks Center for Performing Arts and
CU-ICAR…just to name a few.
The Center for Visual Arts also houses the Clemson Architectural Foundation’s permanent collection of hundreds of Modern and Contemporary works of art.
We work closely with the Friends of the CVA, a group of donors, patrons and volunteers who support the visual arts by helping to create opportunities for art students and provide support for programs and events hosted for the broader University community throughout the year. We also offer a robust slate of guest lectures given by regional, national and internationally recognized leaders in the arts.
I’d also like to highlight our “for students, by students” Atelier InSite Creative Inquiry project that implements public artwork on the Clemson University Campus. It capitalizes on a cross-disciplinary and inclusive approach that is predominantly student driven. I invite you to attend the unveiling of its very first public art project in the Life Sciences building on April 25.
All of these efforts continue to support our mission “to engage and render visible the creative process.”
So you’ve heard me mention some of our campus collaborations, but what you really need to understand is that the CVA and Art Department is the leader, bar-none, for collaborations throughout campus. In fact, we are the only academic unit on campus that can say we’ve extensively collaborated or will collaborate with all of the colleges on campus as well as athletics.
Some exciting collaborations to highlight are: working with the College of Engineering and Science with the importance of STEAM at Artisphere this May, helping run Passport to the Arts, Clemson University’s and the City of Clemson’s premier “Town and Gown” event, hosting an international visiting artist with Women’s Studies, creating exhibits for the OLLI building at Patrick Square, creating student art pieces for the Spiro Institute’s “Innovation Spirit Award” and the president’s personal gifts as well as providing future public art in the Watt Family Innovation Center, CU-ICAR; Greenville ONE, the West End Zone, and the future basketball facility.
However, our collaborations are not limited to Clemson entities. In fact, we have formed partnerships with NYC galleries, Duke University, ETV, with the City of Greenville and this surrounding neighborhood as well as all throughout South Carolina.
If you happen to be in Greenville for Artisphere, I encourage you to stop by our tent as well as to visit us over in the Engineering and Science tent where we can show you how art and science support one another. And, if you happen to be walking by the Greenville ONE building leading up to Artisphere and the week of the event, be sure to look at the huge CertusBank digital media wall for our repeating 30-second video spotlights about the CVA and the Art Department.
CVA-Greenville Program Coordinator, Gene Ellenberg gives a tour of the facility
Before I finish I think it’s important to recognize the staff that I work with that help make your visit here possible today; Denise Woodward-Detrich, Director of the Lee Gallery, Meredith Mims McTigue, our Marketing and Public Relations Director, and Gene Ellenberg, Program Coordinator for the CVA-Greenville. Gene is going to take you on a tour of the space and as you walk around he’ll tell you the history of the building as well as some of the many activities that have taken place in the short seven months we’ve been tenants of this building.
Finally, two things. First, I’d like to invite all of you to attend our Celebration 2014, fundraiser on Saturday, April 5, at 6:30 pm in the Madren Center. Proceeds from the fundraiser support undergraduate internships, graduate and undergraduate research and residency programs, and student generated curatorial projects. It’s also a great way to get some exquisite art for gifts and the walls of your homes and offices. Second, I want to express my gratitude to you for being here today and sharing your time with us. I understand that all of you are volunteers and that your time is valuable to your coworkers and loved ones. I deeply appreciate that you choose to serve Clemson University in this way. You play a hugely important role in guiding our future and for that, I thank you.
CLEMSON – Tickets are on sale now for the Clemson University Center for Visual Arts (CVA) Celebration, a social event with fine art, food and music that supports art student research, internships, residency programs and student-generated curatorial projects.
This year’s Celebration will be at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5, with the theme “In the Garden” and celebrates the beginnings of warm weather and springtime. Alumna Jane Robelot will be emcee for the evening. More than 100 unique works of fine art will be available for purchase through a silent auction featuring paintings, sculptures, jewelry and more from regional and national artists.
The Celebration will be at the Madren Conference Center. Dress will be cocktail attire. This event is made possible by the Friends of the Center for Visual Arts.
The community is encouraged to purchase tickets now until March 27 to receive the discounted price of $75 each. Tickets will be available for $85 after this date leading up to the Celebration. The community is also encouraged to become Friends of the Center for Visual Arts and purchase tickets quickly, as there is a limited supply to ensure attendance at this popular event. All tickets will be held at the door.
To become a sponsor contact, Denise Woodward-Detrich (864) 656-3883, visualarts@clemson.edu.
Event sponsors
The following businesses and individual sponsors made this event possible: LeRoy and Gerrie Adams; Aesthetics; John and Jodie Allen; Allen’s Creations; Auction Services, LTD; President and Mrs. James F. Barker; Larry and Mary Bowman; Blue Ridge Security Solutions; Walter and Grace Cook; Kathy Edwards; Catherine Hayes; Ernie and Pat Briel; Carolina Ceramics; College of Architecture Arts and Humanities; Conference Center an Inn; Sydney Cross; Estates; Dean Rick Goodstein; The Journal; Martine LaBerge and Paul F. Joseph;The Lunney House Museum; Mountain View Medical Imaging; Oconee Federal; Philip H. Prince and Mrs. Martha Grigsby; Carla and Mitch Norville; Jane Robelot; Ernest “E” and Flora Riley; Greg Shelnutt, Ellen Gardiner and Emily Shelnutt; Elisa Kay Sparks; Anna Tollison; Hack and Cheryl Trammell; Jerry and Sally Trapnell; Mike Vatalaro and Roxanne Chase; Waldrop; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Whorton; Wendy’s; Charlie White; and Boo and John Wilson.
The Clemson University Center (CVA) for Visual Arts – Lee Gallery and The Arts Center of Clemson will host the popular and unique celebration of the arts with the signature “Town and Gown” event Passport to the Arts 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. Friday, March 7.
Tickets are available for $30 at www.clemsonpassport.org until Saturday. After that, the price goes to $40. The ticket price includes transportation, food, drink and entertainment.
This year marks the fourth collaboration between the Clemson University Center for Visual Arts–Lee Gallery and The Arts Center of Clemson to provide participants with a tour of fine art, entertainers, live music, drinks and food showcased at four different locations.
Clemson Area Transit (CAT) offers transportation for the Passport to the Arts tour. All buses feature entertainment, making the ride to each venue a destination in itself.
The event locations include the Center for Visual Arts–Lee Gallery on the Clemson campus, The Arts Center, CAT and the 2014 location The Charles K. Cheezem OLLI Education Center in Patrick Square.
Attendees will be viewing several art works being debuted for the first time in the four gallery venues, including an oil portrait of former Mayor Larry Abernathy on display at the CAT facility. Additional highlights from this year’s event will be catering provided by Rick Erwin of Clemson at the Patrick Square venue. The restaurant in Patrick Square’s Town Center is the first venture for Rick Erwin in the Clemson market. Restaurant construction completion is scheduled for fall 2014.
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Passport to the Arts sponsors
Passport to the Arts would like to thank this year’s sponsors: Blue Ridge Electric Coop, Carolina Real Estate, Merrill Lynch-Willis Candela Group, Morris Business Solutions, Oconee Medical Center, Signarama in Anderson, Wells Fargo, Wendy’s and Tom Winkopp for providing needed support for the arts in the Clemson community.
More information
For more information about Passport to the Arts, visit www.clemsonpassport.org or the Facebook fan page facebook.com/PassportToTheArtsInClemson. To learn more about the visual arts in the area, contact Clemson University Center for Visual Arts-Lee Gallery Director Denise Wooward-Detrich, go to visualarts@clemson.edu and www.clemson.edu/cva or contact Arts Center of Clemson Director Tommye Hurst, tommye.hurst@explorearts.org and visit www.explorearts.org.
Center for Visual Arts-Greenville Receives 2014 One Time Project (OTP) Grant. The project, “Under Construction,” has been funded for the full amount of the request: $5,000, the maximum amount for awards in this category. The project will bring Tom Rankin, Director of the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts at Duke University together with CVA-G Program Coordinator, Eugene Ellenberg to curate an exhibition, conduct workshops, and a lecture series.
The Clemson University Department of Art Faculty Biennial Exhibition opens with a reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Lee Gallery.
The exhibit showcases recent creative research by faculty examining the human condition through a range of media, including ceramics, drawing, digital media, painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture. Greg Shelnutt, art department chairman, describes their roles as “artist-educators” as “developing new ways of seeing, new ways of understanding and, ultimately, new ways of being.”
Art professor Todd McDonald’s painting titled “Prop Interval”
Many of the works are being debuted for the first time at the Lee Gallery.
Participating artists include Sydney A. Cross, printmaking; David Detrich, sculpture; Carly Drew, drawing; Christina Hung, digital media; Joey Manson, sculpture; Todd McDonald, painting; Greg Shelnutt, sculpture; Kathleen Thum, drawing; Denise Woodward-Detrich, functional ceramics; Anderson Wrangle, photography; and Valerie Zimany, ceramic sculpture.
One of the most important elements of a visual arts exhibition is hearing the artists discuss their intellectual pursuits and inspirations motivating their creative research. The first artist talk will be at noon Wednesday, Feb. 26, with Cross, McDonald and Wrangle. The second talk will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, with Dave Detrich, Shelnutt and Thum.
The exhibit runs until March 26. Lee Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
For more information about the exhibit contact Lee Gallery directorDenise Woodward-Detrich at visualarts@clemson.edu.
The opening reception and artists’ talks are free to the public because of donations given to the Center for Visual Arts.
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The art galleries and exhibits at Clemson University There are several galleries on and off campus maintained by the Center for Visual Arts that provide the university and surrounding community with access to regional, national and international artists through a wide range of exhibitions and special events that examine contemporary issues underscoring academic programs while serving the broader mission of the institution. The galleries are recognized as significant venues that feature regional and national artists throughout their programming.
The galleries also showcase artwork of undergraduate and graduate visual art students enrolled in the department of art academic program. Students are required to present a final thesis of their creative research in a professional exhibition format as part of their degree fulfillment. Students also deliver public presentations about the content, inspiration and historical context of their work during their exhibitions in the Lee Gallery.
Galleries, special exhibits, artwork and/or showcases can be found on the main campus in the flagship gallery, Lee Gallery in Lee Hall I, as well as the Acorn Gallery in Lee Hall II; College of Architecture Arts and Humanities Dean’s Gallery in Strode Tower; Sikes Hall; Emery A. Gunnin Library in Lee Hall II; the Brooks Center for Performing Arts; and off-campus at the Center for Visual Arts-Greenville in the Village of West Greenville; the Charles K. Cheezem OLLI Education Center in Patrick Square; and the Madren Center at the Conference Center and Inn.
Artist Reception & Gallery Talk: Thursday, March 13 @ 6:00 p.m.
Clemson University Center for Visual Arts-Greenville is pleased to present Red Balloons, an exhibition of multi-media works by Molly C. Morin and Stephen Wolochowicz. Morin uses digital methods, including computer coding, 3D modeling, and digital photo-editing to produce work that explores the difficult relationship between information and meaning. Morin’s projects visualize data sets generated from a wide range of sources, from poetry to text messages, and reflect on the impact of communication technology on daily life. Wolochowicz’s current work utilizes abstract industrial shapes with organic features. Through the use of vivid color and texture, he adds a playful aesthetic to his underlying concepts. They deal with the human invention, environment and progress through networks of industrial themes.This exhibit will also feature interactive collaborative works by Morin and Wolochowicz that are programmed to visually respond to human activity in a way that encourages users to engage their bodies and voices.
Both artists will present a gallery talk at the artist reception on Thursday, March 13th at 6:00 p.m..
Molly Morin is Assistant Professor at Weber State University in Ogden, UT. She received her MFA from Clemson University and her BFA from The University of Notre Dame. Her digital prints, animations, and sculptures have been exhibited in solo and small group shows at Art Centers, University Galleries and Regional Museums across the US. She has worked with the Notre Dame Digital Visualization Theater and the Center for Research Computing to produce code-based work, and is currently collaborating with contemporary poets for the digital project &/ (on twitter: @AndOrProject)
Stephen Wolochowicz is currently Assistant Professor of Art in Ceramics at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. He has also taught ceramics at The University of Notre Dame. The University of Central Missouri, and Central Michigan University. He holds a BFA from the University of Delaware and a MFA from Miami University in Ohio. Wolochowicz has exhibited his work extensively and has conducted numerous workshops and lectures around the country.
Featuring art by Clemson University’s Master of the Fine Arts students
Starting December 6 and ending January 25 at Clemson’s Center for the Visual Arts – Greenville, artists in the University’s MFA program in collaboration with honors students in an undergraduate English Accelerated Composition course will exhibit works that broadly interpret and examine the multi-faceted concept of “process.” Adam Glick, Associate Director of Galerie Lelong in Manhattan, juried the exhibit. Featured artists include Ayako Abe-Miller, David Armistead, Laken Bridges, Tanna Burchinal, Lindsey Elsey, David Gerhard, Alexandra Giannelle, Ali Hammond, Nina Kawar, Adrienne Lichliter, Joel Murray, Alyssa Reiser Prince, Brent Pafford, Aubree Ross and Hilary Siber. An audio component will accompany many of the works on exhibit which features each artist talking about how their processes and concepts.
The exhibit simultaneously examines the artists’ conception of their own process and the way in which art contributes to a broader sense of how we all go about shaping and responding to the world around us. Works in the exhibit interpret the artistic process in terms of materials and the passage of time as well as in relation to mechanical, biological, and environmental processes.
The Center for Visual Arts at Clemson University worked in collaboration with English honors composition class composed predominantly of engineering majors in the conception and execution of the exhibit. Contributing English honors students include: Matthew R. Adamson, Deepti M. Athavale, Luke V. Bauer, Kayla A. Brunelle, Holly C. Erickson, Brian C. Fitzgerald, Benjamin A. Jones, Dylan A. Pyle, William C. Tharpe, Mary K. Thorne, Peter D. Tomasic, and Kelsey S. Turner. These students collaborated with several Clemson University employees: Denise Woodward-Detrich, Lee Gallery Director; John Morgenstern, Visiting English Assistant Professor; Kathy Edwards, Research & Collection Development Librarian; Jan Lay, CCIT Technical Learning Instructor; Eugene Ellenberg, Center for Visual Arts-Greenville Coordinator; Meredith Mims McTigue, CVA/Art Department Marketing and Public Relations Director; and Nathan Newsome, CVA-Lee Gallery Intern.
Admission is free to the exhibition and reception. The exhibition can be viewed in the Center for Visual Arts-Greenville located in the Village of West Greenville 1 p.m to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and First Fridays 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. The reception is Friday, December 06, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.clemsonprocessthis.com or follow on Twitter @cuprocessthis.
About The Center for Visual Arts The Center for Visual Arts (CVA) in Lee Hall at Clemson University is where students, visitors and scholars explore contemporary perspectives in art and culture through research, outreach programming and studio practice. With a mission to engage and render visible the creative process, the CVA is a dynamic intellectual and physical environment where art is created, exhibited and interpreted. It educates through academic research and practice with art at its core, drawing upon varied disciplines to examine critically cultural issues and artistic concerns.
The Center for Visual Arts-Greenville is a satellite of the Center for Visual Arts at Clemson University, which serves as the umbrella for all visual art activities at the university.Though there is not a physical building for this center, the majority of the activities for the Center of Visual Arts are generated out of Lee Hall on the Clemson University campus.
The Annual Ceramic Bowl Sale held by the Clemson Ceramic Association student organization with the assistance of the Center for Visual Arts (CVA) saw one of the largest crowds to date. Assistant Professor of Art in Ceramics, Valerie Zimany reported 500 ceramic pieces were created and approximately 450 sold during the sale.
The Clemson University ceramic events continue to be one of the most popular academically based sales embraced by the Clemson community members as well as Clemson alumni, students, staff, and faculty from all disciplines. As a result, proceeds from the sale will allow the Clemson Art Department to bring visiting artists to campus as well as aid undergraduate and graduate art students with travel costs to the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference held March 19-22, 2014 in Milwaukee, WI. This conference typically attracts 6,000 attendees. Not only will Clemson art students be attending this conference, but they will be presenters during the topical discussion portion of the conference. The Clemson Art Department’s continued success in gaining recognition is reflected by Master of Fine Art candidate, Nina Kawar’s work being selected by a jury of nationally-renowned artists for inclusion in the NCECA National Juried Student Exhibition.
“Through the conference, students are exposed to contemporary ceramics exhibitions, lectures, and panels,” Zimany said referring to the importance of the conference launching and advancing art student careers, “They also make important contacts with peers from other institutions and network for post-graduation opportunities geared toward graduate programs, artist residencies, internships, and jobs.”
Zimany who is a recipient of The U.S. Department of Education’s Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad grant will be a featured presenter at the conference and will be giving a lecture on her research titled, “Porcelain Fever: Contemporary Artists and Kutani Now.”
The next ceramics sale will be held April 23, 2014 and will offer a broader selection of ceramics. The spring sale serves as a more accurate reflection of what students are creating and producing as a result of their studies.
