Artist Spotlight Diana Farfan

[Excerpted from the artist's website]

Diana is a full time artist and cultural agent. She was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. Her fondness for ceramic sculpture goes back to her childhood, when the pre-Columbian figures and colonial architecture were her focus of interest. In 1999 she received a BFA in Ceramics and Printmaking at Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia; and in 2010 she obtained a MFA in Ceramics and Sculpture at University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA. She also studied at the University of Anchorage, Alaska, and at the Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan as exchange student. She currently lives, works, and teaches in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. Besides offering, “Play with Clay” classes at her own studio and workshops at diverse art centers; Diana is an art coach for Hispano-Latino Artists. She serves as member of the board of directors of Palmetto Luna Arts, a non-profit that promotes Hispano artists and Latin Culture in South Carolina, USA.

Sample images of artist work [copyright of the artist. Used here for educational purposes]

Artist spotlight: Thaddeus Erdhal

Artist website:  http://www.thaddeuserdahl.com/

Bio [excerpted from artist website here]

Thaddeus Erdahl was born and raised in La Porte City, Iowa. He has exhibited his sculpture and presented workshops regionally and nationally throughout the United States.

His art and background in education started at the University of Northern Iowa where he received his BA in Art Education and a BFA in Ceramics. Upon graduation, he substitute taught in the public school system, instructed ceramics courses at a local art center and served as an interim art educator. Thaddeus actively practiced and taught a variety of art media including ceramics, drawing, assemblage, sculpture, painting, and graphic design.

Thaddeus received his MFA in Ceramics from the University of Florida where he was a University of Florida Alumni Fellowship recipient during his three years of graduate study, from 2006-2009.

Statement

“When considering the murky reservoir of human history, it is difficult to separate legend from reality. Through my work, I examine human myth in the modern age, specifically on characters that emerge from our society's underbelly; the less popular folk. Using their "legends", I feel compelled to tell stories that illustrate analogies in life; blending together archetypes, shared experiences, and my own personal mythology. Who we are in the world is a kaleidoscope of interpretations, biased memories, and personal connections” (Erdhal).

Work [all images are copyright of the artist and may not be reproduced without permission].

Drepung Loseling Monks visit the Jupiter Campus

As part of their Mystical arts tour, the monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery [and here] came to the Jupiter Campus of Florida Atlantic University to produce a sand mandala. The mandala they produced for us was a medicine mandala.

The Mystical Arts of Tibet is a world tour endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to promote world peace and healing by sharing Tibet’s rich and authentic sacred performing and visual arts with modern audiences.  The tours offer a rare opportunity to witness one of the world’s most ancient sacred traditions presented by a group of monk artists for whom these traditions are a way of life [Drepung, 2017].

The event was organized by Jupiter Campus Life Staff and hosted by the Jupiter campus library. After they finished their ceremony, they gave each of us a small bag of the sand used to create the mandala, as a way to pass along the healing energy and beauty. The rest of the sand was placed into a body of water to spread the healing energy and beauty to the rest of the world.

This was an extremely calming and inspirational event to witness. We are lucky.

Here are images of the event.

Honors College students display 3d printed work

Algorithmic Shapes

Honors College Professor Annina Ruest is a Swiss artist-technologist. She is known for her work in new media art including software art and electronics-based art. This semester, her class ART 4934C Programming for Visual Art is displaying some of their projects in the library.

Artists: Victoria Blount, Ivan Corredera, Jessica Flynn, Halle Jonassaint, Angie Joseph, Aaron Kent, Carlene Kwartler, Casey Politano, Vrishan Seepersad, Renee Sodeen, Christopher Tepetitlan, Amanda Viller (in alphabetical order)

Algorithmic Shapes are physical manifestations of computer programs. These computer programs were written by students in ART 4934C Programming for Visual Art and then 3d-printed on a Formlabs 3d printer.

Each shape is a modification of a basic 3d solid such as a platonic shape, a cone, or a cylinder. The results are abstract forms that may remind viewers of buildings, video game characters, organic growth, or crystalline structures etc. As abstract shapes, they are designed to trigger the imagination without telling the viewer exactly what to think. 

Here are some examples of their projects.

Cornell Art Museum grand opening celebration

Wednesday, November 8th,

7-9 pm; $10 admission (free for Old School Square members).

LOCATION

Cornell Art Museum

51 N. Swinton Ave. Delray Beach, Florida 33444

EVENT DETAILS

The Cornell Art Museum has been undergoing exciting interior renovations all summer, and will re-open with a huge celebration! They will celebrate the million dollar renovation with a special exhibition, “Looking Glass,” reflecting our dedication to the best and brightest in contemporary art!

Looking Glass

November 9, 2017-February 25, 2018   

This group exhibition features artwork that incorporates reflection in the work, be it the reflection of the viewer or the space around the art piece.  This exhibition was chosen as the first show in our new space to showcase the museum like never before and reflect back to the community the museum’s mission.  The exhibition welcomes viewers to experience a sense of belonging and see themselves in the museum.  Art Selfies are encouraged!

For more information please visit the Museum’s Website here.

skill vs concept in visual art

Abramović performing The Artist Is Present, Museum of Modern Art, March 2010

By Shelby Lessig - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12134088

An old and continuous debate about skill vs. concept in visual art came up on Facebook recently. I thought this post by Eric Wayne, THE DEBATE OVER SKILL IN VISUAL ART AND CONCEPTUAL ART delivers a great overview on the topic. The article is from 2015, but still relevant.

This is an excerpt from the article “Both the positions of the conceptualists and their opposites miss the point. The more conservative artists mistake facility at strict representation for the only or most relevant skill, and the conceptualists conveniently forget that visual art requires an underlying ability with visual language that must be cultivated”.

Click on the link above to read the entire article. Comment and let us know which side of the debate you are on. 

Upcoming at Univeristy Galleries

Quick Links Artist Isabel Berglund's Website University Galleries' Exhibition  Webpage on Home Mask Relations  University Galleries' Workshop Webpage