Anti-Gallery

The Anti-Gallery is a different kind of idea of what people think of art shows. Pacific had its first in September 25-26, 2009. The students had one side of the gallery and two professors had the other side of the gallery to fill. The idea behind this show was to break the boundaries of using pedestals and frames. It was interesting what everyone decided to do.

The professors used one form to present in the gallery. They used a simple cone to convey their idea. On on wall was a series of clay cones, looking more like icicles as they dried, with measured spaces between each series. The positive and negative shapes created a consistent pattern. The cones were on wires. When the wires moved, it gave the image greater depth. Another piece was of protruding cones from the wall in a shape of a box. When the light hit the cones, it gave an interesting cast shadow. There were also two cones placed on a platform. I think it was interesting because I passed it three times until I noticed the cones there. The last image was a live video of blue cones that were projected on the wall. It is a newer kind of video installation to art. The professors' side of the show was more uniform than the students.

The students created seven clay projects from the following themes: Movement, Repetition/Pattern, Form/Shape, Negative Space, Balance, Texture, and Line. The works were made in the same gallery where they were shown. That is probably one of the strangest concepts. The students worked on each project. Each would rotate clockwise every 24 minutes. The results are evident of seven different people ideas and concepts that formed into one work of art. It showed each person building off of the other's idea and to make something, even if it was unrecognizable. I witnessed four station changes. The gallery show was a bonding experience for the individual artists and the viewer, which is opposite to what I have seen in other galleries. Other galleries seem to keep people at a distance; it is rare anyone overlaps another for fear of breaking the art piece before them. I discovered if one takes a few hours out of their day to just watch the process of art, then they can gain a greater understanding of the work and the artist. I think this gallery was a success for the concept behind it. The only problem I saw was there were few people in attendance. It is a shame that people were unable to see the series of station changes I saw. I do not know if more publicity or mandatory appearances would benefit the show, but it would not hurt to try. One thing that might help is to be able to move around the gallery easier and possibly some chairs. Although, the experience sitting on the floor with the artists has been fun too.

I enjoyed talking to the artists during the reception. I was able to talk to a lot of them about their experience as an artist and student at Pacific. It seemed easier to talk to them because they are students like I am. It also helped that I was more involved in the pieces and was able to ask more questions. One student said that she could notice which parts of the projects belonged to which student. She continued by saying that she could tell by people tool strokes and techniques. The students sounded like they enjoyed the process. I am looking forward to the next gallery event like this and I hope I will be able to participate in something like this as an artist too.

I'll be seeing you,