Clemson Visual Arts

An artist returns to his roots: Clemson’s Center for Visual Arts hosts “Stories on My Back”

Media Release

“Stories on My Back,” an installation by Clemson Master of Fine Arts (MFA) alumnus Richard Alexander Lou, ’86 will open the 2016-17 season in the Center for Visual Arts – Lee Gallery on Aug. 22 and run until Oct. 13.  On Friday, Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m., the artist will give an artist talk about his work with a reception to follow in the gallery.

Lou was born and grew up in San Diego, CA with a biracial family, which was spiritually and intellectually guided by an anti-colonialist Chinese father and a culturally affirming Mexicana mother. After earning his bachelor’s degree in San Diego, CA, Lou continued his education at Clemson University, citing a handwritten note from the Chair of the Department of Art, a tradition that is still practiced today, as the decisive factor that led him to choose Clemson out of almost one hundred potential graduate schools. Lou has exhibited internationally and has over 30 years’ experience teaching in higher education, 20 years as an arts administrator most recently serving as Chair of the Department of Art at University of Memphis in Memphis, TN.

He has been invited back to campus to showcase his traveling multimedia installation that combines photography, found objects and sound walls of tamale husks. The artist writes, “As a contemporary image-maker I am interested in collecting dissonant ideas and narratives, allowing them to bump into each other, to coax new meanings and possibilities that dismantle the hierarchy of images. The work serves as an ideological, social, political and cultural matrix from which I understand my place in this world and to make a simple marking of the cultural shifts of my community.”

“Stories on My Back” art installation was featured in the recently released book, The Routledge Companion to Latina/o Popular Culture by Guisela Latorre, PhD, as a reference to the increasing proliferation of Lantina/o culture in modern American popular culture.

This innovative art collaboration with Richard A. Lou, ’86 is part of the Center for Visual Art’s commitment to support the 2020 ClemsonForward strategic plan to provide educational activities to attract and retain outstanding students by “providing an exceptional educational experience grounded in engagement.” In addition, Richard collaborated with four other artists, three of whom are Clemson University alumni: Chere Labbe Doiron, Jo Carol Mitchell-Rogers ’87, Robert Spencer ’86 and Chris Wallace ’86.

The Center for Visual Arts-Lee Gallery at Clemson University will be open for this exhibit 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays. It is located in 1-101 Lee Hall, 323 Fernow St. The exhibition, artist talks and reception are free to the public because of the generous support given to the Center for Visual Arts. For more information about exhibitions in the Lee Gallery, as well as other Center for Visual Arts galleries and venues, visit www.clemson.edu/cva.

Art exhibition showcases Clemson alumna at Brooks Center

By Thomas Hudgins, Brooks Center for the Performing Arts

Hilary Siber Headshot

CLEMSON — A Clemson alumna’s artworks will be presented by the Clemson University Center for Visual Arts in the lobby of the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts this fall, from Tuesday, Sept. 8, through Dec. 4.

The seeds of Hilary Siber’s love for art and landscape were planted early. As a child in Ohio, Siber remembers drawing trees and solving jigsaw puzzles. Flash-forward several years, and she found herself exercising those same artistic muscles pursuing a degree in architectural design at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

“I was fortunate enough to work in the design field for several years after graduation, but visual problem-solving soon became a puzzle that pulled me toward creating fine art,” she said. “I am forever challenged by the visual mode of communication. It seems to elude language while simultaneously creating a new one.”

She enrolled in Clemson’s Master of Fine Arts program in the art department. There, she “began to understand that creating paintings is two-fold: I am putting a puzzle together while presenting one to my viewers.”

Those artistic puzzles will be on display with her new exhibition, “Shifting Ground.”

Shifting Ground opens on the heels of Siber’s thesis exhibition, which, she said, “reflected on the grief and emotion of the death of my father.”

In contrast, this oil-on-canvas collection focuses on “universal landscapes that suggest unknown outcomes, unstable grounds and shifting panoramas.” Her landscapes are not literal, but rather subjective interpretations that she believes “model accurate representations of the rational and irrational landscapes of our emotions, experiences and intellect.”

Siber’s work has been exhibited both regionally and internationally: at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston; the Nelson Gallery in in Lexington, Virginia; and the Art Museum of Nanjing University in China, along with several other places in South Carolina and North Carolina.

Susan Kaplar, business manager at the Brooks Center and current Bachelor of Fine Arts student has admired Siber’s work for awhile.

When A Body Breaks - Oil on Canvas by Hilary Siber

She and Denise Woodward-Detrich, director of the Lee Gallery at Clemson, approached Siber several months ago with the idea of a solo exhibition in the Brooks Center lobby.

“We’ve seen her style and we thought anything she does will be a good fit for our audience,” Kaplar said. The exhibition includes works created since January, including two pieces originally from her master’s thesis exhibition and now on loan from private collections.

When patrons attend the exhibition, Kaplar hopes it will be a time for deep self-reflection.

“I hope it will encourage people to look within themselves, to engage in inner contemplation.”

Siber’s wish is that people see an opportunity to consider both the here-and-now and the everlasting.

“I hope that viewing these paintings conjures up a consideration for the temporal,” she said. “Perhaps by contemplating our finitude and flux, we are more apt to consider what is infinite and never-changing.”

Shifting Ground is open from 1 to 5 p.m. on weekdays and before all Brooks Center performances. An artist talk will be held before the 7:30 p.m. performance of the National Dance Company of Siberia at 6 p.m. Oct. 29, followed by a reception at 6:30 p.m.

US Digital Art & Journalism Teacher, Owen Riley (Clemson MFA in Art 2010), Receives Inaugural Jones Endowment Faculty Award

Owen Riley (center), Clemson University MFA in Art (photography) 2010
Students are quick to recognize—and respect—excellence in their teachers, and although Owen Riley has been teaching only three years at Christ Church Episcopal School (CCES), members of the Honor and Student Councils chose him as the inaugural recipient of the Jones Endowment Faculty Award.

This singular recognition was presented at the Underclassmen Awards Chapel on Wednesday, May 20, by Honor Council Chair Jiten Parbhoo ’15 and Student Council Secretary/Treasurer Caroline Vermillion ’15.

The award was established in memory of two outstanding CCES teachers, Catherine Wing Jones and her daughter, Ellen Jones Donkle (CCES Class of 1974). One or both were part of the faculty continuously for 35 years, from 1966 through 2001, with Cathy Jones teaching history for 27 years, and Ellen Donkle teaching PE and coaching for 20 years. The award will be given each year by members of the CCES Student Council and Honor Council to recognize “an individual who demonstrates genuine commitment to his or her subject or area of responsibility. The recipient must also be someone known for personal devotion to students, defined as ‘going the extra mile’ for them.” Recipients receive a monetary award.

Jiten and Caroline called Owen to the lectern to receive his award (and enthusiastic applause) with these words:

Upon joining the CCES community in 2012, this teacher immediately began to establish meaningful relationships and work diligently to share his wealth of knowledge with students of all grade levels. His personal interest in each student with whom he works distinguishes him and defines him as an exceptional teacher. Passionate about his work, as well as his students, he continually inspires students to produce their best work. Teaching a variety of classes, his critiques are always positive and helpful, pushing students to reach the full potential that he recognizes in them, even when they do not see that potential in themselves. It’s no wonder that students continue to take his classes, year after year. One of his students says, “he gives us his best, inspiring us to give the same back to him.” Another mentioned his encouragement of students through critique in a positive way. “Even if I took a terrible picture, he still managed to find something good to say about it and teach me to how to make it better.”

Outside of the classroom, this teacher continues to show dedication to helping students with projects, regardless of whether or not they have taken one of his classes. He is incredibly experienced in his field, and constantly inspires students to cultivate their talents in both photography and journalism. With his guidance, students have earned numerous awards for their photographs. Under his careful leadership, the journalism program has flourished and grown since his arrival. Perhaps most admirably, in addition to teaching, encouraging, editing and helping students with an array of tasks, he is a full time father. The same love and passion that we see in him for his career, we are lucky enough to see every day in his relationship with his family.

Congratulations, Mr. Riley! If you wish to send him a personal note of congratulations, please email Mr. Riley at rileyo@cces.org.

http://cavaliernews.edublogs.org/2015/05/26/us-digital-art-journalism-teacher-owen-riley-receives-inaugural-jones-endowment-faculty-award/

Clemson Art Students in the Military

By Paige Glenn

Many people consider an artist to be one who is spontaneous and lives by personal expression, their goal being to produce unique representations of their individuality. So what happens when you place an artist in a context where such expression is discouraged? How does one express their personality and creativity while acting as part of a cohesive whole, such as a military unit? BFA senior and Air Force cadet Angela Newman and fellow senior and Navy reservist David Goerk have managed to be successful in both of these seemingly separate, yet connected aspects of their lives.

David Goerk, a BFA senior concentrating in sculpture, recently exhibited his senior work in the MFA gallery of Lee Hall before having to return to active duty in the Navy Reserves later this month. He says, “I haven’t even thought about leaving yet because I’m so busy with the show. I really think it will be a nice break once the show is over. The only thing I’m thinking about right now is art deadlines and art. My focus is really just to take care of this side right now”. This seems to be the attitude of both Angela and David.  Both art and their involvement in the military are very important aspects of their lives, but it seems they prefer to separate the two.

Angela Newman, a BFA senior in printmaking, has grown up in a military family her entire life and will be stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy this summer for 1-3 years (coincidentally, Italy is a hub for making, viewing and studying art). Angela says that while she tries to find a balance between art making and the military, there are a few aspects that remain constant no matter what, such as attention to detail, work ethic, and ambition. She uses her art, which is very intuitive in nature, to express the importance of personality and identity, things generally suppressed in a military environment.

Both Angela and David have found ways in which having an interest in art and art making has aided them in their military endeavors. David feels that he is more aware of worldly events and specifically more aware of his place in the world and his role as an artist, a navy reservist, and a member of society. Angela states, “When I’m in my ROTC mindset, I don’t think about art, but my creativity is always there. I’m good at approaching a problem from a different angle and generating a lot of ideas on how to resolve it.”

Many artists, past and present, have created politically charged artwork. In art history courses, we constantly debate and analyze controversial artwork that is often a reaction to some sort of political unrest. Everyone comes to a piece of art with a different viewpoint and different background. It is rare for the art department to have two artists involved in the military and to get their viewpoint on such pieces. When asked how the military/ROTC has influenced the way she approaches a political artwork, Angela responds, “I try to approach political art with an open mind that recognizes both sides of the argument. When negative statements are made about the military specifically, I remember that there are issues worth fighting (and dying) for, but also the huge responsibility that our military leaders have in wielding such awesome power and the consequences of those decisions. There’s no clear right and wrong. Sometimes I agree with statements that are made and sometimes I have to bite my tongue.”

While it may appear that it is impossible to be both an artist and a cadet or navy reservist, it seems Angela and David have found a reasonable balance and try to use the two unique experiences to their fullest. “There are a lot of stereotypes of artists as drug-loving hippies and military members as killer robots, but I don’t fit into either of those categories,” says Angela. David says that had he not gone through the military he would be a completely different person and the artwork would be completely different, although he may never understand how. The Navy has pushed him to enter grad school and further pursue his work. He says, “ I started Clemson to get a degree and put it in an officer packet, but it made me realize that I want to go the art side. I’m 28 now, and I’ve switched directions. After grad school, I want to teach. I think that’s what I want to do.“