Clemson Visual Arts

Clemson faculty art sets the mood in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ movie

Clemson faculty art sets the mood in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ movie

The artwork of Todd Anderson, Associate Professor of Art at Clemson University, will make an appearance on the sets of the new Universal Pictures film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, “Dear Evan Hansen.”

“His work was so beautiful, I loved every single thing about it,” said Lauren Adams Jones, who purchased set decoration for the film. “The somber nature of the pieces was good for the movie, because it does have sort of a somber nature.”

The artwork in the film is from a set of prints Anderson created for the The Last Glacier project, which chronicles the retreat of glaciers in U.S. national parks due to climate change. Along with Old Main Gallery in Bozeman, Montana and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Mezzanine Gallery Store in New York City, Anderson’s work is currently on display at Kai Lin Art in Atlanta, which is where the connection to the movie was made.

“Because Georgia has become the Hollywood—‘Ya’llywood’—of the South, we have been fortunate to work with set decorators and art/prop departments to source, place and clear artworks for film and television,” said Yu-Kai Lin, owner of Kai Lin Art.

Lin said a total of five of Anderson’ pieces were selected for inclusion in the film: one woodcut, two jigsaw reductive woodcuts and two photopolymer gravure works on Japanese washi (paper).

Where to look

When asked about the connection between his art’s subject and the film, Anderson downplayed the connection (“most likely it’s just nice texture and nice colors,” he said). But according to Adams Jones, Anderson’s art was chosen because has a direct connection to the title character.

Left: Anderson’s photopolymer gravure of Moomaw Glacier at Rocky Mountain National Park on display at Kai Lin Gallery. Center: Set photo courtesy of Lauren Adams Jones. Right: Screenshot of a scene from the movie included in the “Only Us” music video. Anderson’s art is visible in the top right corner.

“Evan Hansen is very much into parks and conservation, that’s one of this biggest character points,” she said. “A bunch of the pieces are in Evan’s bedroom, which is really exciting because that’s a major set.” Anderson’s art also appears on the set for the house of the Murphy family, which includes several major characters.

“Because of the actual content of the pieces, it really was just the perfect fit,” Adams Jones said.

Big picture

For Anderson, every opportunity for the art’s exposure serves the purpose of his project, which was motivated by his ongoing research on glacial retreat and the global climate crisis, which began in 2009 at Glacier National Park in Montana.

“Taylor Glacier,” a framed woodcut print on Okawara Washi paper, is one of five pieces of Anderson’s art included in the sets of “Dear Evan Hansen.” Photo courtesy of Kai Lin Art.

When asked about Glacier National Park’s last glaciers, “I learned that indeed these glaciers are going to cease to exist in that park by around 2030, well within my lifetime,” Anderson explained. “I felt not only affected by this, but self-indicted. So that’s when I decided this is what I need to do. I decided to make climate crisis the centerpiece of my work.”

Raising awareness of climate change is the reason behind The Last Glacier project, and that purpose informs and aligns with Anderson’s choice of medium.

“The reason I’m a printmaker is that it’s an egalitarian form of making art,” Anderson said. “It’s more affordable, and then my art goes more quickly out into the world. It’s really a great way of getting your artwork shown in front of a lot of people.”

“Dear Evan Hansen” premieres in theaters September 24. To learn more about the movie, visit https://www.dehmovie.com/.

A century of creativity: Greenville artist Jeanet Dreskin nears 100th birthday

Jeanet Dreskin artist
Jeanet S. Dreskin working on painting. Photos provided
When Greenville artist Jeanet Dreskin was born in New Orleans on September 29, 1921, Warren Harding was president, women’s suffrage was little more than a year old and aviation was a cutting-edge novelty.The world has changed dramatically in the century since, but the one constant in her life has been a soul-deep need to create art.

Jeanet Dreskin art

“I came into this world loving to draw and paint,” Dreskin says. “I’ve never had a time when I wasn’t involved in my art.”

Speaking from the mid-century modern home she and her late husband, Dr. Art Dreskin, built in 1960 in the Stone Lake community off Chick Springs Road, she says she was encouraged from childhood to pursue her artistic passion by her grandparents who raised her from infancy.

In particular, her grandmother, Rena — who was one of the rare women who drove a car in 1921 New Orleans — enrolled Jeanet in art classes in the French Quarter and did everything she could over the years to ensure Dreskin had the skills and opportunity to make art.

“This is part of my soul,” Dreskin says. “This is something I’ve done all my life.”

She says anyone with a passion for creating should keep working at their craft and never give up.

“Keep working,” Dreskin says. “Keep working and do as much as you can.”

Fascinated with science and the natural world, she would eventually train to become a medical illustrator. She illustrated several medical textbooks and children’s books while living in Chicago as her husband completed his medical residency.

Jeanet Dreskin artist

Sandy Russ, owner of Hampton III Gallery in Taylors where Dreskin’s work will be on exhibit from July 8-August 21, says Dreskin’s scientific training is evident in her art.

She adds that Dreskin’s eye for detail and fascination with the natural world come through in her paintings and offer a glimpse of  her character.

“She’s not painting for the market,” Russ says. “She’s not painting art to sell … she just kind of forged a path. Her influence is just huge in this area.”

That influence began when Dreskin moved to Greenville in 1950. With a growing family, Dreskin pursued her art during the day while her husband worked and her children were at school.

She became involved in the founding days of the Greenville County Art Museum and started an art school when the museum was located in the historic Gassaway Mansion.

Dreskin says her priorities were first to her husband and children and then to her art and is grateful her husband always supported her artistic pursuits.

Jeanet Dreskin art

Jan Dreskin-Haig, one of Dreskin’s four children and herself an artist in Dallas, says her mother’s art and positive attitude are likely reasons she’s had such a long life and made her and her siblings’ upbringing so nurturing.

Dreskin herself is amazed she’ll turn 100 this year.

“I’m still enjoying life,” she says. “I’m still making art. If I’m still breathing, I’m still working.”

For details about Dreskin’s exhibition and to see some of her art, visit hamptoniiigallery.com.

Art chair shares lessons learned from President’s Leadership Institute

Art chair shares lessons learned from President’s Leadership Institute

The President’s Leadership Institute is a nine-month leadership development program at that invests, supports and develops personal leadership in a diverse community of faculty and staff. Each year, 25 Clemson University employees are selected to participate in the program.

Valerie Zimany, Art Department Chair, represented the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities in the 2020-2021 leadership cohort. Clemson News caught up with Zimany to learn how her experience in PLI made an impact.

Clemson News: How were you selected for participation in PLI?

Valerie Zimany: I was nominated last year by CAAH Interim Dean Tim Boosinger, and the final cohort is determined by President Clements and his selection committee. I am grateful for the support and encouragement to join the 5th cohort!

CN: What do you think was the No. 1 lesson in leadership you learned from participating in PLI?

VZ: Leadership takes effort and development. It may be perceived as more “natural” to some, but we all can grow our professional capacities with the desire to learn and the opportunity to do so mindfully and with guidance over time. I learned confidence to be a leader, and acceptance that sometimes I may be wrong, but if I surround myself with positive people who care about our organization, we will find the right path to succeed.

One key element that resonated was maintaining a positive outlook – the Chair’s office can sometimes feel like a constant state of “triage” – particularly this past year! That can crowd out the bigger picture – the PLI meetings kept us all focused on the big picture for Clemson and ourselves as individuals. Despite the great challenges of the past academic year, President Clements’ positive outlook in every meeting was refreshing and energizing.

I also learned much from our alumni speakers. I especially I enjoyed our visit with restaurateur and entrepreneur Edmund Woo, ‘80, and his outlook on hard work and loving “the grind” – that it’s a leadership quality to not walk away until the job is done.

It was extremely rewarding to feel President Clements and his leadership team were personally invested in this program.”

Valerie Zimany, Clemson Art Department Chair

CN: How did PLI change your perspective on your department?

VZ: I understood more holistically that those things that affect my department affect the University, and that I have the ability to contribute and shape those discussions.

I view my Chair leadership role as fundamentally one of service – to each Clemson student in our Art programs, to our faculty and staff in providing academic and professional support, and to the University in program development and fiscal management. I believe Art is a critical component of a comprehensive university, and a lens through which critical and contemporary discourse can be promoted. Through my PLI experience, I hope to establish further cross-disciplinary relationships with colleagues and programs and by advocacy and outreach to the community.

CN: Can you share any examples of people who you met through PLI that you might not have connected with otherwise?

VZ: Each session had a paired “Leaders of the Day” to present a topic, and my co-leader was Jon Clayton, Executive Customer Success Manager for CCIT.  We soon discovered our topical connection through my role in the Art Department and Jon’s responsibility to Clemson’s innovative Adobe Partnership, and developed our presentation on “creativity”.

We thought of creativity from the position that any students with educational experience in art and design are elegantly positioned for complexity and innovation — reasoning by analogy, making non-routine connections, and identifying patterns are all related to the same area of the brain that is activated when people are engaged in the visual and performing arts. The new B.A. Art degree launched this year is intended to facilitate those opportunities for a broad spectrum of Clemson students who wish to combine art studies with complementary disciplines. Based on our joint research we find that creativity is not a luxury; it is an essential element of success for our students’ future.

CN: What would you say to another faculty or staff member considering participating?                    

The time commitment is absolute – never miss a meeting! The PLI is an exceptional experience. You commit your time, energy, ideas and enthusiasm to the program and come away with leadership skills, expanded University contacts and memories that last a lifetime.

Teamwork and bonding take place during the case studies, site visits and discussions, but it isn’t all work; the current cohort joins with PLI alumni for networking, design challenges and volunteer projects.

CN: Is there anything else about PLI that you would like to share?          

It was extremely rewarding to feel President Clements and his leadership team were personally invested in this program.  I have adopted some elements in our own department meetings to continue building a positive community, such as the standing invitation to “share the good news.”

I also have great gratitude that we could meet and learn in person together. That was a critical element and I appreciate the effort to make it happen safely.

“The Self Outside” A MFA Thesis Exhibit

March 1 – 11, 2021

Lee Gallery, Clemson University

Virtual Artist Presentations – Monday, March 8, 5:30 p.m. Contact visualarts@clemson.edu to reserve your spot for this virtual presentation.

The Rudolph E. Lee Gallery at Clemson University, Clemson, SC presents The Self Outside, an MFA Thesis Exhibition showcasing drawings by Lori Brook Johnson and sculptures by Ashley Felder. The exhibit runs from March 1 through March 11. When shown together, these two artists’ work presents an existential lens through which the space within and without the self may be observed.

MFA Candidate, Lori Brook Johnson ’21

Lori Brook Johnson, was born in West Virginia and received her Bachelor’s of Arts from the University of North Carolina, Asheville. Her drawings place together moving parts of the past through layers of watercolor, graphite, charcoal, and pastel mediums. Often beginning with an archaeological type dig through digital collections, the references for Johnson’s work – anything from a painting to a novel or a stranger’s home movie from the 1960s – emerge the figures desire to share their stories. She spends time with the individuals in the archives she finds, pausing to ponder and look with a desire to resurrect, celebrate, and introduce audiences to the experiences of people who we otherwise would never meet.

Johnson’s drawings ask you to spend time with the figures. Coming from a research-oriented artist’s perspective, these drawings ponder our commitments to the past and stories that make us human. In one of her larger drawings, The Breaker Boys, the viewer must pause and spend a moment looking at the many faces of the young coal-mining workers who match your gaze. She pays close attention to fabric and clothing, as well as subtle tone changes in the faces of her figures. The artist states, “the goal for the drawings is to question in all the lives that had to be lived if the drawings can resurrect a touch and continue one that may never have existed.”

MFA Candidate, Ashley Felder ’21

Sculptor Ashley Felder received her BFA from Winthrop University. Her work is an immediate response to the beauty of nature, the draw to be immersed in it, and her desire to understand something about it.

Felder invites the viewer to join her in meditating on the effects of time and the subtle metamorphosis of our landscape and natural environment. She investigates identity by utilizing the traditionally feminine craft of quilting, stitching, and crocheting using fibers treated with alternative photography methods. Felder states that she “searches for the self with subtle imagery through a use of natural dyes made from harvested materials, stitching together leaves and other natural materials, using photography to capture ephemeral earthworks.”

Both Johnson and Felder are process oriented artists with a desire to better understand their place within our cyclical surroundings. The artists both depict interest in elevating quiet moments with individuals and nature to capture traditionally ephemeral moments. We invite the viewers to join in stepping in to ponder these transitory experiences. By Kat Eaves, BFA Printmaking Senior.

Lee Gallery remains committed to providing quality exhibitions while addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Clemson University guidelines, the Lee Gallery is currently closed to the general public. However, the Gallery is open for visits by students, faculty, and staff of Clemson University. Images from the exhibition can be viewed by accessing the Clemson Visual Arts Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Article by BFA student, Kat Eaves ’21

About the Art Galleries at Clemson University

Campus galleries and showcase spaces include Lee Gallery in Lee Hall, the Acorn Gallery in Lee Hall II, College of Architecture Arts and Humanities Dean’s Gallery in Strode Tower, the lobby showcase at Brooks Center for Performing Arts, and in Sikes Hall on the ground floor.

The Rudolph E. Lee Gallery showcases regional, national, and international artists exploring a broad range of ideas, materials, and creative processes. In partnership with academic programs and university initiatives, the Lee Gallery develops exhibitions that examine contemporary issues and prompt discourse.

 

Internationally renowned artist Chakaia Booker and Master Printmaker Justin Sanz to present a virtual talk at Clemson University

Internationally renowned artist Chakaia Booker and Master Printmaker Justin Sanz to present a virtual talk at Clemson University

Internationally recognized sculptor, Chakaia Booker and Master Printmaker, Justin Sanz of the EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop will virtually present an artist talk at Clemson University on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 5:30 p.m.

The presentation is being held in conjunction with the exhibition “Chakaia Booker: Auspicious Behavior” in the Lee Gallery at Clemson University. “We are honored to have the renowned artist Chakaia Booker’s work in the Lee Gallery and are grateful Chakaia and Justin have agreed to give the virtual artist talk about their creative processes, the printshop history and how it operates today,” said Lee Gallery Director, Denise Woodward-Detrich. The upcoming artist talk will also address the collaborative process used to create the prints on view in the Lee Gallery.

Artist's work hanging in art gallery - two sculptures and four prints shown.
Renowned artist Chakaia Booker’s work in the Lee Gallery

“Auspicious Behavior” is an exhibition of prints and sculptures by NYC based sculptor Chakaia Booker. The exhibition features 19 one-of-a-kind prints and four sculptures utilizing rubber from recycled tires. Linking her creative pathways of sculpture and printmaking is a physically engaged process involving a dynamic activation of materials. Booker slices, twists, cuts, presses, weaves, drills, layers, rivets and grinds through her process to create expressive, textured and layered works. The exhibition is witness to a creative process bridging the boundaries between sculpture and printmaking where a striking dialogue takes place.

The Lee Gallery remains committed to providing quality exhibitions while addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following Clemson University guidelines, the Lee Gallery is currently closed to the general public. However, the Gallery is open for visits by students, faculty and staff of Clemson University. Images from the exhibition can be viewed by accessing the Clemson Visual Arts FacebookInstagram and Twitter. Contact the Clemson Visual Arts visualarts@clemson.edu to register for the upcoming artist talk.

*Feature image courtesy of Daniel Wong.

About Chakaia Booker

Chakaia Booker is an internationally renowned and widely collected American sculptor known for creating monumental, abstract works from recycled tires and stainless steel for both the gallery and outdoor public spaces. Booker’s works are contained in more than 40 public collections and have been exhibited across the US, in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Booker was included in the 2000 Whitney Biennial and received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005. Recent public installation highlights include Millennium Park, Chicago (2016-2018), Garment District Alliance Broadway Plazas, New York, NY (2014), and National Museum of Women in the Arts New York Avenue Sculpture Project, Washington DC (2012).

About Justin Sanz

Justin Sanz is a Brooklyn-based artist who exhibits locally and internationally. His work is in the collections of the Library of Congress, The New York Public Library, The Spencer Museum, Davis Museum, and various private collections. He currently works as an educator, Master Printer, and Workshop Manager at the EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in NYC.

Lee Gallery at Clemson University Location

The Lee Gallery is located at 323 Fernow St., in 1-101 Lee Hall. The Gallery is open for this exhibition Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m.

New B.A. program provides flexibility for Clemson art students

Karen Land, College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities

CLEMSON – Clemson University students studying art have a new degree option. Starting with the current 2020-21 academic year, undergraduates can elect to complete a Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in digital art and design media, studio art or art history.

Jiawei Deng

Jiawei Deng is a senior who has combined her studies in art with a major in Psychology. She hopes to graduate in December as Clemson’s first student to earn a B.A. in art.

The B.A. program balances courses in studio art and art history with a broad liberal arts education. Students select a minor or second major to customize their educational experience and pursue their desired career path.

“The runaway enthusiasm for the art minor, with participation from more than 70 Clemson students, shows growing interest in creative career pathways, as diverse as each incoming or existing student,” said Valerie Zimany, chair of the art department.

“Creativity can’t be automated,” she said. “The arts cultivate critical thinking and resilience, two of the top indicators of future success. In this time especially, graduates who can imagine new possibilities and create whole new worlds of innovation will lead not only the arts but tackle our most pressing contemporary problems.”

Immediate opportunities

Until recently, Clemson students who wished to study art had to choose between a minor and the intensive BFA program.

The new B.A. offers adaptability. And the program will have an immediate impact on students like Jiawei Deng, a senior combining art studies with a major in Psychology.

Deng hopes to complete a dual degree in December, which would make her Clemson University’s first student to earn a B.A. in art.

Before she came to Clemson, Deng was already considering a career in art therapy. As a student at the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, Deng discovered film photography.

“I just love it,” she said.

At Clemson, Deng was able to try her hand at large format photography. Because each 4-inch sheet of film must be loaded into the camera individually, “you are spending more time thinking about the composition, and why you are taking the photo,” she said.

Deng complemented her studies with work-study positions, contributing graphic design to departmental social media and interning in the Makerspace.

She is now considering several art therapy graduate programs in the Northeast. But first, Deng hopes to visit Guangzhou, China to see her grandparents and re-experience the country of her birth, which she hasn’t seen for more than a decade.

Deng said she has loved her studio art experience at Clemson, and appreciates that the new B.A. program requirements also allow more time for other studies.

“It’s more flexible,” she said.

Different paths

Both the B.A. in art and the BFA in visual arts at Clemson are degrees accredited through the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Clemson also offers an accredited Master of Fine Arts.

Both undergraduate programs are built upon four foundations studio classes covering drawing, 2D and 3D design, and 4D art (digital art and time-based media like video). B.A. students are encouraged to combine their art concentrations with studies in other disciplines, while BFA students create a cohesive body of work that culminates in a thesis exhibition.

Art students at Clemson have rich opportunities for professional experience through internships and Creative Inquiry classes such as Atelier InSite and CSArt.

The new B.A. degree program was approved by the Clemson University Board of Trustees in April 2019 and cleared the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education in the summer of 2020.

New CAAH Dean Nicholas Vazsonyi visits the Department of Art

It’s October already, and so far, so good, it seems. As I walk around campus, my sense is that students have for the most part respected the safety guidelines. They are even wearing masks when walking alone. I also sense that many are choosing to stay home and study online rather than go in person to class, even though they are living right here in Clemson. It is not the outcome we were expecting as we pondered how best to manage the Fall semester, but it is interesting to consider what this means, both for now and for the long term.

Jordan Fowler's sculptures are spotlighted in Lee Gallery.

Jordan Fowler’s “New Ruins” is the current exhibition at Lee Gallery. Image Credit: Courtesy of Jordan Fowler

The last two weeks have been very intense as I began my “get acquainted” tour of the College. The concept is to spend a week with each department in turn, starting alphabetically with the School of Architecture. During the visit weeks, I meet with leadership, faculty groups, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, and drop in on two to three classes. To the extent possible, I also tour the physical spaces and facilities as well.

My week with Architecture was an eye-opening and quite overwhelming experience. It is breathtaking to take in the wealth and diversity of the activities, and to understand the number and range of interdisciplinary and cooperative projects, both with units across campus as well as the community and the entire region. One week was surely not enough.

I visited three classes: a design course taught by Joseph Choma, a landscape architecture class taught by Lara Browning, and a graduate studio team-taught by Ulrike HeineDavid FrancoGeorge Schafer and Dan Harding. I really can’t go into the thrill of each of these classes, save to say that they were all 100% online. My sense was that each of them was completely successful in the online format and that, for instance in Dr. Choma’s design class, it allowed students to have a close-up view of the designs and the ability to critique with pinpoint accuracy in ways that would have been more cumbersome in person.

My week with the Department of Art was equally intense. I toured the facilities at the Lee complex and in Freeman Hall, and got to understand exactly the challenges faculty and students of Art face, given the restrictions of access. I also finally had my first visit to the Lee GalleryDenise Woodward-Detrich showed me around the current exhibition, recent MFA graduate Jordan Fowler’s “New Ruins.” Since access is limited to Clemson University students and staff at this point, I am attaching a link to Jordan’s short video about his work.

Art is meant to be experienced. When there is no audience, it is like starving art of oxygen. There is also no way around the three-dimensional physicality of art in its various formats. So art is in crisis right now, and we cannot get through this moment soon enough.

I again was able to visit three classes, a contemporary art history class taught by Andrea Feeser, a digital art class taught by David Donar, and a studio taught by Valerie Zimany. Again, what I saw was exceptionally effective ways of teaching in the online format. These were rich and meaningful learning experiences, no question about it.

There is really nothing more to say, except: “Go Tigers!”

Nicholas Vazsonyi, Dean
College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities

2020 Spring BFA Exhibit

We’d like to congratulate our 14 BFA seniors for successfully completing the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts. Their artwork will be on display in Fall 2020 season at the Lee Gallery. Exhibition dates, artist talks and receptions for the Gallery will be announced when the University reopens. Please stay tuned for future announcements regarding this exhibit.

2020 SPRING BFA EXHIBIT CATALOG

bfa catalog front cover image

A full description of the BFA senior artwork and student biographies can be viewed by clicking on the catalog image above.

Artwork can be viewed below. Right click to make the image larger or access the flickr album where you can view all artwork images and increase the size of them.

2020 Spring BFA Exhibit

The Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Exhibit showcases work by seniors in the studio disciplines of Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Photography and Sculpture. Artists in the first show include Hannah Deel, Dani Espinoza, Cassidy Mulligan, Tiffany Oliver, Walter Patrick, Aislinn Rosier, and Nicole Stoudemire. Artists in the second show include Joseph Alewine, Marilyn Baughan, Carrie Bull, Samuel Crain, David Gordon, Hannah Rivers, and Holly Rizer.

2020 MFA New Ruins Exhibit and Artist Talk by Jordan Fowler

Jordan Fowler Artist Talk YouTube Blog Image
Click to view Artist Talk by Jordan Fowler
2020 MFA Exhibit New Ruins Artist Talk by Jordan Fowler

We’d like to congratulate MFA Thesis candidate, Jordan Fowler for successfully defending his MFA thesis. His exhibition New Ruins will be our opener for the Fall 2020 exhibition season at the Lee Gallery. Exhibition dates, an artist talk and reception will be announced when the University reopens. Please stay tuned for future announcements regarding this exhibit.

New Ruins by Jordan Fowler Image
Click to view Jordan Fowler’s works in the Lee Gallery
MFA Exhibit New Ruins Photos by Jordan Fowler

“New Ruins” MFA Thesis Exhibit by Jordan Fowler is an experiment in the collision of agencies and aesthetics in physical and digital growth and decay. This body of work emphasizes a post-humanities perspective of a failed future, taking the form of interconnected physical and digital artifacts. This research is explored from a combination of both analytical research-based investigations and science fictionesque narratives. The ambition of this experiment is to stumble upon novel interactions across the threshold that separates physical and digital spaces, an in-between space that is of growing importance as the agency of digital systems advance.

Clemson students’ spring 2020 Community Supported Art shares on sale now

CLEMSON – The Clemson Community Supported Art (CSArt) program is launching its eighth season. CSArt is a popular initiative that connects the public with Clemson art students while engaging in a unique art-shopping experience. The program is a new spin on the grassroots “Community Supported Agriculture” farm share concept, which provides fresh produce for investors who buy a “share” of a local farmer’s crop each season.

Clemson’s CSArt program aims to create the same market for fresh, handcrafted artwork. With the purchase of one share, the “shareholder” will receive five different limited edition artworks made by a selection of Clemson student artists, in a specially packaged crate. This season includes one ceramic bowl, two ceramic wall hangings – one sculptural form and one tile- as well as two photographs. Each season’s share is juried by a respected professional in the arts, with this Spring 2020 share selected by Elizabeth Goddard, Executive Director of the Spartanburg Art Museum. Ms. Goddard holds an MFA in Art Education with a concentration in contemporary museum practices. She has over 20 years of experience working in the arts education sector of multiple nonprofit organizations, including serving as Director of Education and later as Curator for the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

CSArt plans to sell a total of 15 shares this year, costing $200 per share. The CSArt program was begun through a Creative Inquiry team led by Clemson University’s Valerie Zimany, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Art, who researched with her students the strategies and successes of CSArt programs in galleries, art studios and art centers around the country.

“This initiative provides students with an entrepreneurial learning opportunity –many of our graduates go on to work for institutions, non-profits, galleries and more, and the real-world marketing and administration skills they acquire through participating in CSArt program gives a tangible experience to enhance their studio-based portfolio upon graduation,” Zimany said. “For those students who create the limited edition works for the share, the commission is a vote of confidence in the developing quality of their artwork, and a challenge to meet our enthusiastic shareholder’s expectations at our seasonal pickup event.”

Proceeds from the shares supports student scholarship, and allows students to present Clemson’s CSArt program at national conferences. On Wednesday, April 22, 2020 between 10 a.m.–5 p.m. shareholders can meet the artists and pick up shares during the Spring Ceramics Studio Sale at the CSArt Pick-up in the Lee Gallery hallway, located on the first floor of Lee Hall, 323 Fernow Street. To learn more about Clemson CSArt or become a shareholder-member, please visit www.clemson-csa.org and follow the directions under the heading “Purchase a Share.” To get to know this season’s selected student artists, visit the website for highlights and features of the team, “behind the scenes,” and sneak peeks of the artists’ “works in progress.”

With only 15 shares available for purchase, the community is encouraged to sign up now as shares will go quickly.