Digital Space 5 Exhibition
Previously known as Cyberspace, the University Art Gallery and the SVSU Art Department are hosting the Digital Space Exhibition. This is the fifth year for this show, which is a juried digital fine arts competition open to artists working in a digital format within the state of Michigan.
JUROR
Clark Most is a multi-media artist and Professor in the Department of Art and Design at Central Michigan University, Clark Most Bio (12KB)
His photography website can be visited by clicking the following link:
https://www.clarkmost.com
Juror statement
I want to thank Saginaw Valley State University and the Department of Art for the privilege and opportunity of being the Juror for this year’s Digital Space 5 exhibit. I appreciated and enjoyed the variety of strong digitally-based works, processes, styles and content that were submitted for inclusion.
My approach to reviewing art in general, and for this exhibit was to purposefully restrain subjective responses based on personal preferences and to celebrate the selection of diverse, merit-worthy work. This process is not an easy task when pieces vary in context, vision and media, but having a set of guiding principles can help to promote better objectivity. There are a variety of factors that can distinguish the effectiveness of one submission from another which include benchmarks such as original thinking, experimentation, exploration of materials, compositional execution, creative ambition and craft. Content and the intended purpose of the piece are also important to consider. When work is displayed publicly it becomes a form of visual communication by intention or default, so I also ask myself what the purpose might be, and whether the art promotes a sense of curiosity, suggests an implied story or perhaps makes social statement. What tools are used to engage the viewers curiosity and what makes it memorable?
There were several entries that stood out to me and were awarded as follows: (You can click on the link to see the artists statement and image for each winning artist or enjoy the video presentation): Recorded Awards Presentation
DS 5 Award Presentation
HONORABLE MENTION
Honorable Mention, Logan LaBrake - Serene Sundays Aboard an Apple
I found these whimsical 3-D software characters that blow bubbles and float around on an apple boat to be creative, engaging and left me curious to know more.
Honorable Mention, Devin Butler - Bleeding Gold Series (#1)
I thought that Devin’s minimalistic and technically skilled captures (which included the one selected), successfully used contrasting elements of value with color, and form with negative space.
Honorable Mention, Stephen Grewe - Choking
I found the ambiguity of the subject matter in this close-up photograph to be interesting, and the cropping of the image also helped to isolate the abstractions.
AWARD WINNERS
3rd Place, Charles Bonham - American Gothic Church
This photograph captures a large-scale sculpture installation parody based on the famous painting American Gothic by Grant Wood. The photograph is more than a documentation and impeccably executed infrared image however. It also becomes a variant of a sculptural work, which is a variant of the original painting, making it an interesting twice-removed and contextually reinterpreted iteration. The low camera angle also did a great job of emphasizing the vertical structure of the figures as they correspond to the gothic church in the background.
2nd Place, David Littell - Northern Trees
At first glance, this piece appears to be a painting, but is actually a digital collage.
David’s skillful use of software as a tool for deconstruction and reassembly of imagery has resulted in an effective painterly, abstract and expressionistic composition. His use of texture, rhythm and linear elements are somewhat open to interpretation but suggest a reflective but active experience with nature and deep space.
1st Place, Phillip Hanson - Forest Bathing
This large print very successfully provides a complex synthesis of human-designed geometry with organic, painterly aesthetics and pure abstractions that pull you in from a distance and hold your attention with beautiful details under close inspection. As someone who has spent the last 25 years working with digital media, I still found myself asking questions and thinking – “I wish I knew how he did that”.--Clark Most
EXHIBITION ARTISTS:
The University Art Gallery is pleased to announce the artists accepted in to the Digital Space 5 Exhibition.
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Lynnette Thomas |
Mandy Brown |
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Mike Mosher |
Alyssa Proctor |
Devin Butler |
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Caroline Nijs |
Drew W. Eastwood |
Karlee Gourd |
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Charles Bonham |
Jessica Henry |
David J. Littell |
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Stephen Grewe |
Phillip Hanson |
Logan LaBrake |
Juror Clark Most
clockwise left: "Riverbelt Penthouse", "Agri-plastic Crop Fields, Louisiana", "Train Mosiac, Memphis"
From outside the gallery
L-r images by Henry, Bonham, Eastwood, Henry, Gourd
L-r images by Terry, LaBrake, Littell, Eastwood, Bonham, Grewe
L-r images by Thomas, Grewe Nijs, Bonham, Mosher
L-r images by Littell, LaBrake, Eastwood, Bonham
L-r images by Littell, LaBrake, Eastwood, Hanson, Littell
L-r images by Littell, Most, Butler
L-r images by Nijs, Brown, Proctor, LaBrake
All gallery exhibitions, lectures and receptions are free and open to the public. Click the following link for open gallery hours or call (989) 964-2291. The University Art Gallery is located in the Arbury Fine Arts Center on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University, svsu.edu/go/visit/maps/.
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