Exhibit:  Photography of Kathryn Mohrman

Location:  Vault Gallery, Downtown Phoenix campus Library. (Located in UCENT Lower Level)

Available: Through end of February 2013, during normal library hours

Artist’s Statement:  About five years ago I began to explore photography more seriously than simply taking snapshots. I was intrigued by the possibility of capturing emotions as well as recording my travels. Through photo classes I found I was seeing shapes, colors, textures in new ways. I began to be more sensitive to the world around me, from large (the majesty of the Grand Canyon, the colors of the sky at sunset) to small (the stamens of a flower, the shadows cast by a lace curtain).

Great photographers say that what they exclude from their pictures is as important as what they include.
I will be curious to know what you see in these photographs. What do you think I should have included that I didn’t? What in these pictures could have been excluded?

In deciding which photos to exhibit, I discovered that I gravitate toward a series of broad themes, among them color, reflections, windows, and faces. Do you see other themes in this selection of photographs?

While color is not essential for a great photograph, color is often what catches my eye first. The riot of color in our world makes “looking” an inspiring and exciting activity.

Reflections appeal to me because the viewer gets multiple images, not just one version of reality. In this exhibit, reflections take several forms including mirrors, water, and windows, even green glass balls.

I think of windows as a way to gain a glimpse of another world. Some of these photos frame a slice of nature through a window frame, while others give a glimpse from the outside of a shady interior.

And of course we humans are instinctively drawn to faces, to images of the wide variety of people who inhabit our world. For a long time I was afraid to take pictures of people, not wanting to be an intruder, but I discovered that many people are flattered to be photographed. Children often ask to have their pictures taken so they can see themselves in the back of the camera. Convulsive giggles often follow.

Of course these four themes overlap in the photos in this exhibit. There are windows with reflections, faces in windows, colorful reflections, and colorful faces. The combinations make it fun!

About the Artist:  Kathryn Mohrman is Professor of Practice in the School of Public Affairs; she also directs ASU projects in China and Vietnam.

Artist: Max Chandler

Exhibit: Form Follows Software: Robot Painting Exhibit at The Vault Gallery

Artist: Max Chandler, Ben Grosser, Jack Tait, Pindar Van Arman

Location: Downtown Phoenix campus Library

Available: October 5 – December 15, 2012 during normal library hours

Description: It is often said there are two cultures: one artistic and one scientific. In many ages there are artists whose imagination, creativity and skills function in both cultures.

The artists in this exhibit, have all made and programmed machines that make paintings. Many painting machines do not really produce interesting art. That is not the case here. Each of these artists produce art work with their machines and processes that stand alone as individual works.

Knowledge of the artists processes and machines enriches one experience of the art work, but this knowledge is not required to experience and enjoy the paintings as works of art.

Phoenix based independent curator, Annie Waters says, “The ideas and practices introduced in this exhibition can be a stimulating way to consider content, contexts, and approaches that may not fit within traditional definitions of art or display venues.” “This is a terrific show – beautifully complex and immensely satisfying,” remarks artist Jon Haddock.

Events:

Friday October 5, 2012 Opening Reception 6 – 8:30 pm

Friday October 12, 2012: Artist Talk: Exhibit Overview; 7 – 8:30 pm

This includes a walk through the exhibition with stops at highlights for each artists to discuss process, technology and content with some “back story” on some of the paintings. Questions welcome.

Friday October 19, 2012: Artist Talk: One hour, one painting; 7 – 8:30 pm

The average visitor viewing time of a painting in a museum in the USA has fallen below six seconds. This talk will discuss a methodology for seeing a painting more deeply. A lively discussion will follow, but be limited to a single painting.

 
Saturday October 20, 2012: Artist Talk: Building Art Robots; 2 – 3:30 pm

After a review of the technology of the robots of each artist, we will discuss in depth building and programming Lego robots for drawing and painting.

 
Artist Information:

Max Chandler from Scottsdale, AZ make smal autonomous mobile robots that walk or roll across the canvas carrying brushes loaded with acrylic paint. The end result is an acrylic painting. The robots are made from popular robot kits and programmed in Java. He limits his machines to cost less than a kolinsky watercolor brush because he hopes this will lead people to believe his process is accessible to any artist.

Ben Grosser uses a CNC machine tool like painting table that has been engineered to respond to sound and produce oil paintings. The sound sources from paintings shown here are as varied as human voices or jazz instrumentals.

Jack Tait makes machines that are digital cameras or work with digital sensors and cameras to produce works that greatly expand the possibilities of photography.

Pindar Van Arman also uses CNC machine tool like painting table. His images are created from a package of very sophisticated software he has written to examine photographs, text of vector drawings and combine some or all of these sources into an acrylic painting. His robot is capable of operating on line where visitors can watch a painting develop in real time or even have input into the painting process.