By Sandra C. Roa, University Communications and Marketing
Master of Fine Art students worked closely with USF鈥檚 Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) staff to reimagine their thesis exhibition, 鈥淏attin鈥� a Hundred,鈥� into an online experience of their final projects. Opening night was held virtually through a video conferencing call, with about 170 alumni, students, family and faculty attendees. The video conference centered on a looped slide, where artists answered questions about their work.
鈥淭his is the next phase of the students鈥� career,鈥� said Leslie Elsasser, CAM curator of education. 鈥淭hey worked really hard and it鈥檚 an extraordinary exhibition.鈥�
The exhibition is the result of two years of preparation. Students first developed their ideas, submitted written proposals and then collaborated with museum staff individually to safely install their artwork over spring break. It's a crucial process and valuable experience for professional artists. The exhibition, which runs through May, includes paintings, photography, multimedia and sculpture.
In addition to the virtual opening, artists and CAM staff have created other ways to help spread the word about their work. CAM will produce a series called , which introduces each artist and invites them to elaborate on the ideas involved in their work. CAM will share these on its , and .
鈥淐AM saved the day and all of us in the school are absolutely blown away with appreciation and gratitude,鈥� said Wallace Wilson, director of the School of Art and Art history and professor of photography.
, one of the first artists featured, engages stereotypes about rural life to examine lived experience. Her work focuses on her hometown, Plattsburg, N.Y. She uses various materials and related paraphernalia to transform her space into a typical garage workshop scene complete with an entryway, concrete-like flooring and lined bottles painted in neon green.
鈥淭here is so much ingenuity in rural life that contrasts greatly with what I see here in Florida,鈥� Lester said.
The of the exhibition will ultimately have greater longevity than the physical exhibit, as with anything on the Internet. But it鈥檚 a mixed bag. Even before the installation began, students were aware that the work needed extra documentation because physical visits would not be possible.
鈥淲ith the documentation you gain a perspective from what I see,鈥� said MFA graduate student . 鈥淚 really wanted to show my work as if it was caring for itself, almost like a display of affection.鈥�
Gonzalez鈥檚 multimedia installation is a symbolic recreation of her home in Puerto Rico. She focuses on plant life to center on ideas about family relationships, labor and ties to the land. Gonzalez worked with her family to learn how to care for the transplanted plantain and passion fruit plants. Her work also showcases video recordings of her grandparents' living room synced to an audio advertisement selling land on the island.
Gonzalez鈥檚 installation, as with the others, examines personal observations while also inviting viewers to consider broader issues.
used a dense soap foam mixed with cement to create reliefs that mimic river delta formations. Campbell鈥檚 sculpture pieces, which stand about one foot off the floor, are semi-geometric isolations of patterns determined by many forces of nature. The installation reshapes the gallery space where visitors can walk around, but the online exhibit reveals an important aspect of Campbell鈥檚 work, which isn鈥檛 easily seen without lying on the floor.
鈥淚t reflects the waterline in a river which becomes this data line from which everything else is marked,鈥� Campbell said.
CAM leaders and the artists hope that the greater Tampa Bay community and other artists access the work online and learn about how they are using art to engage.
鈥淭hese are emerging artists involved in the world, and therefore their concepts and ideas are relevant to the contemporary world,鈥� Elsasser said.
