EUGENE, Ore. – (April 27, 2012) – An exhibition featuring work by six University of Oregon master of fine arts students will be on view May 5 through June 3 at Disjecta Interdisciplinary Art Center, 8371 N. Interstate Ave. in Portland. The exhibition opens with a free public reception Friday, May 4, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“‘Self-Calibration’ presents the culmination of three years of exceptional work by these six emerging artists,” says Laura Vandenburgh, Swindells chair and Department of Art head. “Each has developed a distinct material and conceptual approach.”
Artists in the show include Brooks Dierdorff, Courtney Kemp, Lily Martina Lee, Robert Mertens, Lyle Murphy and Lyndsay Rice. Their media include photography, sculpture, fiber art and jewelry and metalsmithing.
Their approaches vary widely. For example, Lee, a sculpture major, “explore(s) the paradox of identity” through five portraits made from automobile hoods matching the year, make, model and color of vehicles belonging to actual fugitives from the law, along with tattoos each fugitive wears.
Mertens used fiber art processes to create two monolithic hanging columns from beadwork, crochet and twisted rope made from VHS tape that represent “traces of histories … left behind on old hard drives, lost broadcast waves and miles of magnetic tape.”
“Self-Calibration” will be at Disjecta through June 3. Disjecta is a nonprofit organization dedicated to contemporary art. Gallery hours are Friday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Sponsors of the MFA exhibit include the Ballinger family in memory of Court Ballinger; Geraldine Leiman; the UO Duck Store; Gamblin Artist Colors; and the UO Alumni Association.
About the UO Department of Art
The UO Department of Art offers an innovative curriculum in both studio and digital media – ceramics, drawing, fibers, metalsmithing and jewelry, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography and digital arts. The sixth most popular major at the University of Oregon, the department encourages breadth and interdisciplinary investigation, as well as depth and discipline within media. The art department has more than 450 majors and 20 regular faculty members.
Contact: Karen Johnson, karenjj@uoregon.edu, 541-346-3603
Source: Laura Vandenburgh, lkvanden@uoregon.edu, 541-346-3609.
Links: http://aaa.uoregon.edu/; http://www.disjecta.org/main.php
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