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BFA FINE ARTEXHIBITION 2011

MAY 13–JUNE 11, 2011

Columbia College Chicago is an incubator of a heightened discussion centered around the relationships between craft/concept, historical/new media, order/subversion and perhaps most importantly, a harmony found between the per-sonal and the universal. It is in this field of competing and/or complementary voices that these young artists have expanded their unique vision of what it means to be an artist in the 21st century and what it takes to achieve this vision. It is through the commitment of their instructors, passionate in their ambitions in and out of the institution of learning, to inform young artists about the options required to support a sustainable practice necessary for a complex and nuanced life of art-making. Currently, contemporary artists embrace a wide range of practices from an expansive and diverse set of disciplines, far beyond the traditional mediums of fine art and design. Though the art object is often subject to commodifica-tion by the universalizing logic of the art market, artists of all stripes challenge this condition by conceiving of practices that are intentionally ephemeral, conceptual and relational. The artists in this exhibition are operating in the peripheral space of (modern, post-modern, post-9/11, post-collapse) history and have secured many of the tools to navigate the difficult road ahead. Continuously building and dismantling the world they learn, these artists are eager to emerge as creative professionals that recognize themselves as the primary medium of their craft in order to participate fully in the critical discourse around the issues of our time. The dedicated faculty and staff work hard to provide a safe haven in which these young artists can fully engage their own nascent ideas as well as promote the courage to take risks in their education as well as professional lives outside the institution. As such, this is a group proactively participating in the professional world with an impressive amount of residencies, awards, write-ups and stellar exhibitions revealing a comfort with their status as responsible and learned public intellectuals. There is also a strong personal commitment to the skills related to the research and production of advanced healthy culture, but also the vital skill of the willingness to forge ahead, banding together to create a culture of protracted discussion and studio experimentation. The draw for a young artist to take a risk in the study of art stems from a gut feeling that creativity yields some abstract sort of freedom. Freedom from the prospects of the “zombie rat-race”. Freedom to say and do pretty much whatever. Yet, the most important freedom requires attention, aware-ness, discipline and being able to truly care for others, build community and sacrifice for it, day in and out, in a million little un-sexy ways. That is true freedom. Yet, thinking critically also means learning how to take back control over one’s mind in the face of others’ ideas. It means being sensitive and strong enough to choose what is worth paying attention to and choosing how to construct meaning from experience and research, laying the foundation for new thoughts and ways of fully being in the world.

Brandon Alvendia is an artist and founder of a variety of experimental curatorial initiatives. He is the director of The Storefront Neighborhood Cultural Center, Silver Galleon Press inde-pendent publishing project and co-director of alternative art spaces artLedge (2004-2007) and BEN RUSSELL (2009-2011). A graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA ‘03) and University of Illinois at Chicago (MFA ‘07), he has recently exhibited in North America, Europe and most recently in Sharjah, UAE. He was also the recipient of a 2010 Propellor Fund Grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation administered by Gallery 400 and threewalls, Chicago. www.alvendia.net

It has been a pleasure to work with the graduating senior Fine Art students as the Faculty Advisor for the BFA Exhibit of class 2011. The wide range of concept and media that is explored by these Fine Art students continues to be impressive. The student’s enthusiasm for making new discoveries moves at a rapid and highly creative pace. We would like to thank our gallery direc-tor Justin Witte for directing this exhibition process and providing such knowledge to the students. Our Chair Jay Wolke and our Associate Chair Tao Huang for providing support for the Fine Arts students. And es-pecially the Fine Art faculty: McArthur Binion, Adam Brooks, Mario Castillo, Joan Giroux, Friedhard Kiekeben, Duncan MacKenzie, Sabina Ott, and Corey Postiglione. for their encouragement.

Carol Haliday-McQueenFaculty Advisor

INTRO DUCTION

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(All image credits are top to bottom, left to right)

LINDSAY FABER Untitled. Mixed Media, 44"x60" ANNIE RAINEY Chaos/

Control in Red Orange and Green, 2010. Watercolor on Paper,

22"x16" ENGLISH PREVO Untitled (Bindings), 2010/2011. Decon-

structed found books EJ HILL Blow, 2010. video, 7:07

(All image credits are top to bottom, left to right)

JOCELYN HUFF Red Room, 2010. Fabric, thread, yarn HELEN OH-CONKLIN Blue

Shark Jaws, 2011. Oil on Canvas 23"x29" LAUREN LAVALLIE Traces, 2011.

Plywood, tempera paint, acrylic paint, acrylic matte medium, marker

36"x24" MICHAEL MOEN Trophy, 2010. Victor Mouse Traps, Plywood, and

Nails, 7.5"x16"x7.5"

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(All image credits are top to bottom, left to right)

ERIA LUCAS Untitled, 2011. Photography ANDI CRIST Untitled, 2011. Pressed board, house paint, oil stick,

marker, paper AMBER MASSEY Fine Dining, 2011. Ceramic NINA MAYER How Everything Ends, 2011. 30"

rubber balloon, helium, white ribbon RENEE KLYCZEK NORDSTROM Threshold Liminal, 2011. Fabric, pedestal,

2 vessels, pencils, white tags, pin grid, oak plank, light fixture, sound 6'x6'x7' RANDY BROWN Untitled,

2011. Digital Print 36"x24"

The graduating class of Fine Art BFA students would like to thank our School of Fine and Performing Arts Dean, Eliza Nichols, our Department Chair Jay Wolke and Associate Chair Tao Huang for their support. We are grateful for Justin Witte’s guidance and expertise, the Fine Art Faculty, Carol Haliday, Friedhard Kiekeban, Sabina Ott, Adam Brooks, Mario Castillo, Duncan Macken-zie, McArthur Binion and Joan Giroux for their continual dedication throughout our time at Columbia, especially the important months of preparation for the BFA Thesis exhibition. Special thanks to Brandon Alvendia for taking the time to write the BFA Thesis exhibition essay and the Art History Faculty, who serve as an influential source in our learning process. We appreciate professionalism and kindness of the C33 and A+D Gallery Staff, who always creating a welcoming and pristine environment for our artwork. Last but not least we would like to thank the following artists who made individual studio visits: Derek Chan, Kirsten Leenaars, Kendrick Shackleford, Julie Rudder, and Trevor Gainer. Your direction and encouragement fortified our growing minds and attitudes.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

(All image credits are top to bottom, left to right)

COLLEEN C. CONSTANT One Hundred and Fifty Brown Pelican’s, 2011. Ink and Pencil on Paper 22"x30" HANNAH HARRIS Eastern Canyons, 2010. Acrylic and Organic Materials 21"x27"

DAVIDA FRAYA NEWMAN Crossword Digs: People Magazine-date unknown (detail), 2010. Paper, letter decals, pushpins, cut-outs, highlighter, marker, stickers, white-out, ink, graphite

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