Contemporary Art Blog

Recently, I visited the Offering Our Gifts to the World:Curatorial Legacy of Frank LaPena exhibit at the Donald and Beverly Gerth Special Collections and University Archives.  The exhibit is a tribute to artist, art writer, dance, musician, Sacramento State professor of art, former Director of Native American Studies, and poet Frank LaPena (1937-2019).  It also showcases his curatorial legacy. Frank LaPena Exterior to the Donald and Beverly Gerth Special Collections and University Archives Offering Our Gifts to the World exhibit The exhibit focuses on five exhibitions that LaPena played a large curatorial role in. The exhibitions include This Path We Travel: Celebrations of Contemporary Native American Creativity (1994), The Extension of Tradition: Contemporary Northern California Native American Art in Cultural Perspective (1985-86), Images of Identity (2004), The Real People (El Autentico Pueblo) (1979), and Ceremonial: Contemporary Native American Art ...

This week, I visited Deep Purple , an art show exhibiting recent works by Sac State student, Juliana Yorba. The art show was held at the R.W. and Joyce Witt Gallery in Kadema Hall from February 17 to February 21. Juliana Yorba, Exhausted , 2018, acrylic on wood, 4'x5' Artist Statement "Florescent sunburns fill the posed figure's skin as they exist in their normal habitats. Purple fills the dark corners of the picture plane. These colorful worlds are how I produce art, inspired by everyday occurrences. Walking down the street, goin to work or studying in the library; individuals are not safe from observation. Are these paintings about you? Maybe." Exhausted attains Yorba's statement with its obvious purple theme and depiction of a student who is experiencing the effects of schoolwork. Not only is this a relatable artwork, but it captures Yorba's idea that no one is safe from observation. Aside from the content, she uses different values of ...

On February 11, 2020, our Contemporary art class visited the hand-built ceramics lab at Sacramento State.  Visiting artist Scott Ross was in the process of creating his newest sculpture which is inspired by Abstract Expressionist artwork. Ross explained his process in sculpture making, specifically for his work in progress. I thought the experience was very interesting. Visiting artist Scott Ross explaining his new sculpture at the Sacramento State hand-built ceramics lab About the Artist Scott Ross earned BA degrees (1997) in Ceramics and Creative Writing from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. In 2012, Ross received his MFA in Sculpture from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He has built and fired wood-kilns in his home studio since 1997. Process Ross stated that he makes preliminary sketches for his sculptures.  These sketches are designed to show a form, not any details. They are done to figure out the right form for the final sculpture. This is...