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Show 14 MONDAY DECEMBER 5, 2016 The Visual Voice: ‘Art isn’t just for art’s sake’ EMILY CROOKS | The Signpost Above : Four of Weber State University’s non-art students in the CA Honors Class 1530 “Silkscreen: Art as Change Agent” show their semester projects in the show “The Visual Voice: The Artist as Engaged Citizen” on opening night at Kimball Visual Arts Center on Dec. 2. Below: “Am I a Lion or a Lamb?” by Austin Happenny. By JESSICA BISCHOFF A&E Reporter A new course emerged this semester from Weber State University’s Department of Visual Art and Design. The honors class brought together an unlikely group of students, all coming from different majors, bringing their knowledge and interest in each field with them. Kathleen Stevenson instructed “Silkscreen: The Artist as Change Agent.” Stevenson recalled that, of all the students, only one has participated in any previous art classes since middle school. “Art isn’t just for art’s sake,” Stevenson said. You don’t need to be an artist to create meaningful art. Stevenson’s goal for the class was to expose the students to art as a form of speech. They learned about pressing social is- sues and specifically focused on privilege and power, as well as food insecurity. Other issues tackled by students involved climate change and politics. Their art is meant to give viewers an emotional context to help them understand and resonate with the idea. Along with their own work, they performed service for the Ogden Food Bank using the issue of food insecurity as their motivation. After examining and reflecting on these issues, the students were taught the method of silkscreen to give them tools to represent their thoughts. Silkscreen is a printing process that requires the picture to be transferred to a fabric screen and then transfers ink onto the final surface. This medium could be paper or other materials like T-shirts and wood. This process is much more complicated than it sounds. One piece could require multiple steps and layers of printing. Throughout the semester, students learned this process and began to incorporate their own interests in relation to the social issues of the class. Pre-med, chemistry, psychology and education majors took the role of the artist to share their ideas. “I wanted to remind the students art is less about making a pretty thing and more about creating awareness,” said Stevenson. She referred to art as a visual language that everyone can understand. The images are meant to evoke thought and bring an issue into view that otherwise wouldn’t be heard. Hence the name of the class, “Artist as Change Agent.” Stevenson wanted students to see the role art has played in our culture, which is a visual mirror back to us, and that anyone is capable of using it no matter what their major is. It is more about content and ideas, rather than creating something pretty to look at. The student exhibition will be displayed in The Student Project Gallery in the Kimball Visual Arts Center until Dec. 16. The exhibition is a cumulative display of the work done throughout the semester. The BFA Exhibition will be on display, which shows graduation candidates’ capstone artwork before they receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts from WSU next door in the Shaw Gallery. Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia. com EMILY CROOKS | The Signpost Grad school panel guides postgrad hopefuls By SARAH EARNSHAW Davis News Reporter ABBY VAN ESS | The Signpost Panelist Allyn Bernkopf talked about different strategies when appyling for graduate school in EH 219 on Dec 2. Sixteen people gathered together in a small, cozy room to hear from a group of eight panelists in Elizabeth Hall the afternoon of Dec. 2. The Grad School Panel, comprised of a mixture of professors, adjuncts and grad students, was held to answer the questions that students had about preparing for grad school and what to expect from it. “(This event) is really good for students who want to get a degree beyond their bachelor’s to have the information for grad school,” said the current president of Sigma Tau Delta, Shawn Atkinson. “It’s nice for us to be able to give people the information they need.” The event covered topics about the importance of graduate school, whether or not to get a Ph.D., a Master of Arts or a Master of Fine Arts, what should go into a portfolio and the decision of whether or not students should take a break between graduating from their bachelor’s and pursuing their graduate degree. John Schwebert, a professor at Weber State University, said, “I think that if it’s in your blood that you want and need to teach at the college level, you should go for it. Succeed or fail. So many people told me to do something practical.” “Wherever you end up, the one thing I’d really encourage, whether your school is famous or obscure, large or small, wellknown or unknown, one of the best things you can do is just to become involved in some kind of leadership position for which you are qualified as a graduate student,” Schwebert said during the event. For employment advice, panelists recommended meeting with Amelia Williams, who specializes in assisting gradu- ates in the College of Arts and Humanities with finding employment after graduation. “I’d recommend going over there because she has great tests that you can take that identify your interests and talents,” said Schwebert. These tests are meant to help graduates find a career that suits their interests as well as their specialized fields. “You want to pursue your passions,” Professor Michael Wutz suggested. “If you feel passionate about something, I’d at least recommend that. It’s okay to keep it practical and sort of keep the questions in line. You have to make a living eventually. There are ways to combine your convictions, your passion, with earning a reasonable paycheck. The right things will open up at the right moment.” Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com |
