Pushing past art norms
What is art?
Since art cannot be pinned down to one form or purpose, this esthetic quandary has plagued critics for generations.
It is fascinating, then, that students devote their lives to the study and practice of something so undefinable. Four such rebels are Macee Kellner of Bucklin, Kan., Christina Ferrero of Bayard, Robert Lee Heckman of Crawford, and Julya Briseno of Kenosha, Wisc. This quartet of graduating seniors complied a selection of their works, and they are on display in Memorial Hall’s main gallery until Friday.
Title “Art by Independents,” the artists’ show is set in salon style, which means only one wall of the gallery is illuminated, and on this “salon” the various works are placed from floor to ceiling, often hung with wire in vertical rows. This set up emphasizes the variety amongst the four artists, as well as compiles their works into one visually-stimulating piece. This larger piece, made from the “independent” art works united, paints a beautiful picture of CSC’s artistic spectrum. Kellner’s graphic designs, including many posters she has created for the art and music departments, hang next to Ferrero’s kaleidoscope oils. Heckman’s startling black-and-white paintings sit beside Briseno’s series of delicate watercolors. Each member of the diverse group offers their definition of art to the sundry wall. Each piece represents a style and artistic approach, which proposes a definition of art.
Is art about impact? Sculpturally, Heckman delivers strong statement pieces which range from a skull suspended in an industrial cage to a fantastic minimalist piece called “metal on mirror.”
Is art about craft? Ferrero’s forte, beyond her brush, lies in ceramics and blown-glass pieces. Like Kellner’s pottery, Ferrero provides the show with more tactile examples of her skills, which extend beyond the canvas.
Is art about audience? Kellner’s graphic design focus, in addition to her various other projects, speaks of her commitment to a working relationship with art. Kellner’s professional development grounds her art not only in the camp of beauty, but also functionality.
Or is art about art? A museum studies major, Briseno’s contributions to show are more about the fixtures than the features. Although she shows some of her class pieces, Briseno’s work focuses around composing exhibits, rather than showing in them. In the exhibit’s corner, a computer screen slides through pictures of exhibits Briseno has organized. She also includes a constructed mini-exhibit, dedicated to Claude Barr, a High Plains horticulturalist. Briseno’s composition includes her notes, color swatches, photos of the exhibit in its original case, and the live plants she incorporated.
In addition to a variety of artistic definitions, the cross-medium show displays the broad spectrum of styles the artists practiced during their schooling. Ferrero displays a large batik-dyed wall-hanging, while Heckman’s re-imagined native-pattern paintings shimmer under the spot lights.
Although the show demonstrates the seniors’ diversity, their art communes in common themes. Each artist’s projects are self-portraits, some literally showing the artist’s face, and others showing the artist’s soul. Perhaps this is the common definition of art at which all four arrive. Art is the expression of the individual within the whole, and it places the artist’s personality within a safe frame of expression.
So, although the definition of art remains a mystery, some fine examples of it can be seen on the wall of Memorial Hall’s main gallery.