CSC faculty artists showcase artwork at ‘Art Infinity’

Artist features from the CSC faculty art show:

Daniel Binkard:

Binkard has worked at Chadron State College since 2008 as the college relations graphic designer. His love is the camera, which he first picked up at age 15. His mother, a big influence on the budding artist, encouraged his artistic pursuits.

“My mother was an artist herself, of many mediums” Binkard said.

Four of Binkard’s photographic pieces hang in the faculty show. He can’t pick a favorite, because they are a complete series, but he enjoyed the conceptual muskrat photo.

“I like the image, it’s abstract while still remaining identifiable,” Binkard said.

Binkard advised that young artists, who want to make a living, should constantly practice their craft.

“Give it the time it deserves,” Binkard said. “Always look for new opportunities to practice, whether it’s a job or travel.”

Sarah Polak:

Polak, the director of the Sandoz Center, will have worked as CSC for 11 years next month. She identifies her favorite medium as charcoal, which she loves for the flexibility of the medium. She finds the variation of the shades, from black to white, very versatile.

However, she isn’t showing any charcoal in this faculty show. Rather, her display is composed of fabric arts, including an interactive piece, composed of leaf-shaped swatches.

The fabric leaves are arranged in a circle on a lazysusan and a small, hand-held fan lies nearby. Gallery guests can spin the circle and watch the leaves flutter in the wind, imitating the dance of fall. This piece is Polak’s favorite.

The fabric, with colors running from a bright green to a fiery orange, inspired Polak. When she started arranging the leaves, the interactive process evolved organically.

Polak’s advice to young artists comes from a museum/gallery perspective.

“If you want to show in a gallery space, be prepared to answer their questions and have pictures of your work available. If you want your work to be seen, be willing to show it. Be confident,” Polak said. Artists often want to show in the school’s space, but they aren’t prepared to show samples of their work. In order  to show in a gallery, you first have to show to a committee.

Mary Donahue:

After switching to CSC from Utah Agricultural Experiment Station at Utah State University, Donahue has worked here for 10 years.

She enjoys being a teacher, since she’s always learning herself.

In regards to her favorite piece in the faculty show, Donahue said,  “I am interested in the direction that the watercolor/collage pieces are heading, ‘Intrusions, Faults, and Anxiety in the Grand Canyon: Water Woes’ and ‘Intrusions, Faults, and Anxiety in the Grand Canyon: Wary.’”

Donahue hadn’t worked with watercolor for decades, but the materials were the easiest thing to take on her rafting trip down the Grand Canyon last summer. The pieces are collage watercolors, which combine local experiences and regional information.

“I am interested in sense of place, human connection to land, time, memory, writing and environmental issues, there are news article in the collage, so I tried to combine those ideas into the pieces as well,” Donahue said. Her favorite medium is paint.

“I enjoy working with color and broad strokes. I like the emotion and tactile quality to paint,” she explained.

Donahue described great art  as “a record of the human condition.” This idea of struggle and overcoming difficulties was what first drew Donahue to art, as she learned as a child about the great artists and their struggles. This connected to Donahue’s advice for young artists: “Don’t ever give up. Because life will throw everything it can at you to make you stop. Keep doing art. It is what really matters. We need that truth.”

Laura Bentz:

Bentz started at Chadron in the fall of 2005, after moving from Gallup, New Mexico. Since then, she has taught art and acted as Chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. Of her featured pieces, Bentz favors her two photos – “Twelve Miles from Nellie’s”, which she took of burned trees in the Metcalf area. Bentz feels at home in printmaking and painting, but her current works are in-progress, so she showed no paintings in this show.

For young artists, Bentz’s advice is passionate but simple:

“ Make images, make lots of images. It takes practice to understand the processes and master the skills, and find your own unique voice. Take chances. Make mistakes. Try something new. Read everything. Observe the world. Be  a part of the world.”

The faculty show is open until Friday in Memorial Hall’s main gallery.