TPAAK Young Curators Install the Exhibition

Today was a blast with the entire 4th grade class installing the 7 artworks they created, researched, and curated. The groups all worked together wonderfully, and the show looks great!

Be sure to stop on in on Friday, Dec. 3, from 6-9 pm, at Valhall Arts, 201 S. College Ave, Plaza Level 2, Fort Collins, CO, and meet the students at the opening reception. The exhibition continues through Dec. 17. Visit www.valhallarts.com to learn more.

TPAAK Young Curators at Valhall Arts

Young Curators Group: A project of Front Range Community College and T.R. Paul Academy of Arts and Knowledge, Exhibition opens at Valhall Arts, Friday December 3, 2010, 6-9:00 pm

With help from Front Range Community College's Museum/Gallery Studies, Ms. Mockerman's 4th graders at T.R. Paul Academy of Arts and Knowledge have been working hard at becoming young curators. The Young Curators Group meets every Monday afternoon, with students, faculty and community artists that are part of the the Museum/Gallery Studies collaborative from Front Range Community College. All visit and attend field trips with TPAAK students to explain and engage in the process of a museum curator’s job.

Ms. Sarah Mockerman’s 4th grade class is learning about the art history of cultures around the world and more specifically, the symbols that are represented in each religion. In the spirit of the holiday season, TPAAK students have recreated pieces of art from each culture and will, as the Young Curators Group be curating and installing an exhibition of the work at Valhall Arts that will open Friday, December 3, 2010. The Exhibtion will run through Saturday, December 18, 2010.


Exhibition Theme ~ Religions From Around the World

Names of the artworks ~ Hindu Color Splash, Buddhist Prayers, Judaism Night Sky, Knots of Christianity, Islamic Crescent, The Short Days and Long Nights of Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa

Learn more about the T.R. Paul Academy of Arts and Knowledge, click here.

The American Dream: A Juxtaposition

Just entered my video into an exhibit in Chicago.
Below is my statement:

How does one define the American Dream? Is it the attainment of a collection of priceless objects, living the lavish lifestyle of wealth and fame? Or is it attained through our accomplishments? The often touted goal of "having it all", is this possible? How does one maintain the delicate balance of family, career, and personal accomplishments, without losing the personal sense of themselves? True happiness comes from the intra-personal relationship with one’s self, and the inter-personal relationships with others, through the interactions of a small community of close contacts. Ultimately, we are defined by our dreams. The American Dream is a personal institution, one that suffers in our disconnected, wired world, with its fast paced modernity. We offer only passing glances to others as we go about in our media focused consumerist culture, missing the greater things of value, a true awareness of the moments, and real connections. Only through living a valid life, doing what one loves, contributing to civilization in a lasting way, and engaging with others, can the American Dream be realized.

New Exhibit in the Works

The new exhibition planned for November is called "Moving Pictures". It is an installation with two video works by Laura Brent, that look more like photographs. It is an experimental piece, and the videos, in which very little happens, will make the viewer wonder about what they are seeing.
The title, used before in a 2002 exhibit at the Guggenheim (NYC), included works by Marina Abramovic, Vito Acconci, Kara Walker and Shirin Neshat, among others. The exhibit explored the affects of this new reproducible media in art making, it ability to render visible conceptual concepts and questioned the supposed objectivity of representation in itself .
This small solo presentation could never attain the drama of the museum's show, but I want the viewer to gain a sense of themselves, their youth, and their mortality. This piece follows my ongoing study of how we see things, how our media saturated culture has affected our way of looking, and visually experiencing and interacting with our environment. It is similar in feel to Brent's previous exhibits, Public Practice, and "pinching the light fantastic".

Surprises

The surprise mentioned on my website, is that I've included the piece, "Heads for Sale" by Kerry Brooks, in the exhibition at the gallery this month. (2.25" x 2.75", Graphite on Bristol Board). This is a new addition to my personal art collection, and a favorite at that! Brooks is a very talented and gifted artist.


See more of her work here, www.arcadiafinearts.com

"In the Attic"

Promotions

So, I must do a bit of self promotion, wearing the gallery director 'hat', and promote the artist. Seems I do a better job with promotions of other people's shows vs. my own shows, so I have kicked myself in the rear and am doing a bit of marketing before the exhibit closes. Here is the new postcard; I have created it in the theme of the Polaroid, a few of which appear in the gallery.