This is a significant year, not only because it's an election
year, but because it's the first year an African American
and a woman have run for president. With the increased
focus on politics, it seems practical that the University
art galleries would highlight political issues this fall.
"We open the season with a controversial, but exciting
exhibition," said Larry Newhouse, gallery program director.
 |
POLITICAL EXPRESSION: Posters that speak
out about
current social and political issues during
an election
year make up "The Posters of Discontent",
scheduled
through Oct. 9 in University Art Gallery. |
The season begins by recognizing the election year with
posters that speak out about current social and political
issues. "The Posters of Discontent" will
feature artists from the U.S. and abroad who will attempt
to enact change. Most of the pieces were produced using
hard rendered printing techniques, but posters printed
using offset lithography also will be included. The exhibit
is scheduled Aug. 27-Oct. 9, with a reception Wednesday,
Sept. 10, 4-7 p.m., University Art Gallery. Andrew Maniotes,
exhibition curator, will present the gallery talk at 6
p.m. and a local DJ will play music.
According to Newhouse, when choosing exhibitions, the
first priority is the students, then faculty and the surrounding
environment. He said the galleries want to be open to families
and be "user-friendly."
Guest artists will display posters in an attempt to enact
change, look at the history of violence from a feminist
viewpoint and feature an evolving array of images transmitted
from all over the world by participants using cell phones.
"If you are interested in a cutting-edge contemporary
art experience, the galleries are the place to visit this
fall," said Newhouse.
The remainder of EMU's fall art exhibit schedule includes:
 |
FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE: This
sandbag arrangement,
which
includes the face of Osama Bin
Laden, is
part of "(un)Civil
Defense", an exhibit from
Zachary
Orcutt and Claire Rau
that examines the human
penchant
for resolving issues
with violence. |
Exhibiting the work of Zachary Orcutt (dubbed "Zorcutt")
and Claire Rau, "(un)Civil Defense" will
examine the human penchant for resolving issues with violence.
After six years of the war in Iraq, this topic has strong
relevance. Orcutt's mocking sculptures of futuristic, personal
and military devices reveal the American obsession with
individualism and the fear mongering endemic to contemporary
American society. Rau looks at the history of violence
from a feminist viewpoint. She interprets ancient weapons
and wars through the medium of textiles. Scenes of biblical
violence are depicted in the style of medieval manuscripts.
The exhibit is scheduled Sept. 8-Oct. 17, with a reception
Monday, Sept. 8, 4-6 p.m., Ford Gallery.
Photographer Paul Shambroom will present a lecture, Tuesday,
Sept. 23, 6 p.m., Halle Library Auditorium. Best known
for his projects examining power structures within the
U.S., his work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum
of American Art and the Julie Saul Gallery in New York;
at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; and at the Museum
of Contemporary Photography in Chicago. His recent project, "Meetings",
is a collection of photographs of municipal and community
meetings across the country. His "Security" collection
documents anti-terrorist training camps in the post-9/11
era.
The seven members of Telegraph, an artist collection that
originated in Detroit, will bring parts, pieces, sketches
and notes to descend on campus and spend three days creating
site-specific work. "EMU as Muse: A Project of
the Telegraph Art Collective" will make the people
and resources of EMU the subject of art, Oct. 14-Nov. 24,
University Art Gallery. The reception is scheduled, Tuesday,
Oct. 14, 5-7 p.m., with a gallery talk by the artists at
5 p.m.
 |
CELL IMAGES: This vast array of
images,
all snapped using cell
phones, form one larger
image.
The work is part of "George
Legrady: Cell
Tango", an exhibit
scheduled Oct. 21-Nov. 24 in
Ford Gallery. |
"George Legrady: Cell Tango" will feature
a dynamically evolving array of images transmitted from
all over the world by participants using cell phones. The
organization of the images/texts is based on data from
the point of origin: area code, zip code, carrier, time,
date and categories/descriptions created by contributors.
Visitors will be able to add photos and interact with others.
This work will examine the most recent products of popular
culture and raise questions about technology's impact on
identity and society. This exhibit is scheduled Oct. 21-Nov.
24, Ford Gallery.
Open to the art department's undergraduates, the annual "Juried
Student Art Show" will provide
an opportunity to present the students' work to the public.
Work in painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, printmaking,
ceramics, textiles and graphic design will be shown
at the University Art Gallery, Dec. 1-19. Graduate thesis
exhibitions are scheduled at Ford Gallery, Dec. 1-5, 8-12
and 15-19. Both galleries are open Monday and Thursday,
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7
p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more
information about any of the events, contact the program
director Larry Newhouse at 487-0465, 487-1077 or e-mail larry.newhouse@emich.edu.
Visit the Web site at www.emich.edu/fordgallery.
