The Art History Student Union is proud to announce the 8^th annual Undergraduate Spring Symposium taking place Friday April 12^th, 2013. The symposium offers students the unique opportunity to present their research with the local university community. In the past, all of our speakers have generally focused on topics relating to the fields of art and art history. Our goal for the 2013 Symposium is to organize and present our undergraduate students with a well-rounded and substantial Art and Art History Conference byincluding all fields of Liberal Art and Humanities, current undergraduate and graduate students.

If you are aware of any students who would be interested in presenting their research, please forward them this information and ask them to contact the president of the Art History Student Union, Colbie Ellis at colbie.ellis@mavs.uta.edu. 

Assistant Professor, Ya’Ke Smith, had his film “WOLF” featured in the 2013 Western New York Black Film Festival. But the accolades didn’t stop there; February 23^rd was officially declared Ya’Ke Smith day In Buffalo New York.

An Excerpt from the Buffalo news on the Festival:

The Western New York Black Film Festival began in April 2002 as the Delta Film Series, a partnership between the Buffalo chapter of Delta Sigma Theta and then-Erie County Legislator Demone Smith. From the start, their movies were thought provoking and challenging.

The Western New York Black Film Festival is screening only one movie this year. But it is intense. The sisters of Delta Sigma Theta hope the movie will promote healing and dialogue.

“Wolf” merges with Delta Sigma Theta’s national mental health initiative, “My Cry in the Dark.” The goal of this program is to raise awareness about societal ills stemming from mental illness, domestic violence, child abuse, personality disorders, anger management issues and substance abuse.

Jennifer Parker, spokeswoman for the festival, said that the movie is a call to action. It promotes awareness of the abuse problem, and also mental health issues. “The African-American community, we don’t deal with mental illness well,” she says. “We don’t get help.”

Parker says the choice of the movie was not easy for Jayme Smith and the rest of the festival’s organizers. She encouraged them to prescreen the film for a focus group, including area clergy. The clergy approved it, she said.

No one argues with how relevant the topic is.

“Look what’s going on with the gun conversation. Mental illness is a big part of it,” Parker says. Sexual predators, too, have infiltrated many institutions. “Look how it’s in the news. You’ve got Penn State, the Catholic Church, the military.”

Organizers stress that the film festival is open to everyone.

“Our audience has been diverse,” Parker says proudly. “I think that’s good. It gives a great opportunity for the community to have a conversation about these topics.”

Congratulations go to Assistant Professor Ya’Ke Smith, he was awarded "Special Jury Recognition- Best Director, First Feature" at the 2013 Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival. This is the Films Sixth award, Smith States, “ We were in great company, competing with films from all across the globe. It's truly an honor!”

About the Festival:

Established in 1992, The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of cultural and racial tolerance and understanding through the exhibition of film, art and creative expression.

It is PAFF’s goal to present and showcase the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes. We believe film and art can lead to better understanding and foster communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serve as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.

Each year PAFF screens over One Hundred Fifty (150) quality films from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada! These films showcase the diversity and complexity of people of African descent and draw in over 35,000 people from across the U.S. and around the world!

About the Film:

A family is shaken to its core when they discover that a trusted pastor has molested their son. As they struggle to deal with the betrayal, their son heads towards a total mental collapse because of his love for his abuser. In the meantime, the pastor tries to exorcise his demons. An intimate and heart-wrenching look into the lives of the individuals behind the headlines.

Finding The Sweet Spot: Adventures in Computer Animation and Visualization

Lecture By Dane Webster

Associate Professor of Creative Technologies

Virginia Tech

Wednesday Feb 27^th, 2013

12pm-1pm

FA room #148

Dane Webster

Associate Professor -­‐School of Visual Arts

Associate Director -­‐Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology

Virginia Tech

webster@vt.edu

Artist Statement:

As an artist, I’m passionate about creating worlds, building experiments that unfold within the virtual space.  My experimental short films and installations like “With Delicate Risk” and “Always Uncoupled”* investigate creation myths, evolution, and the simple reactive qualities of a virtual biological form. My “Organica” still images are abstract designs influenced by my interpretations of the microscopic realm. And elements of this investigation are even found in my purely escapist short films such as “Idea Development” and “Sixty Second Tragedy.” While on the surface, the stories are about simple characters confronting a problem; under the hood, as an artist I get to be an amateur scientist, building worlds within the computer, exploring the use of virtual physics, anatomy, light and sound. As a scholar, I investigate my own ideas about the intersection of arts and sciences.

As a practitioner, I’m often partnering with researchers and scholars from outside of the arts. Entering into these collaborative, cross-­‐disciplinary projects allows me to learn something about a range of topics that I wouldn’t normally encounter. Using my skills in computer animation, I develop visualizations aimed at furthering the scholarship of my collaborators from disciplines such as history, science, architecture, and education. These projects help students learn about the history of Native Americans; help administrators visualize proposals for building projects; help engineers investigate new bio-­‐inspired forms.

*examples of the work mentioned in my statement can be found at

danewebster.com

The Brookhaven College Art Department is pleased to present an installation by Bryan Florentin in the Forum Gallery, February 11-March 6, 2013.

Bryan Florentin presents a video and lens-based installation in the Forum Gallery. Engaging the physicality and psychology of the embodied observer, the phenomenology of looking and memory,  and the equivocal status of lens-based imaging, Florentin interrogates the relation of photographic imaging and objectification. Florentin is Senior Lecturer in the photography area of the University of Texas at Arlington Department of Studio, Media Arts and Art History. He received the Master of Fine Arts from the University of North Texas.

A reception for the artist is February 14, 6:00—8:00 p.m.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. Brookhaven College is located at 3939 Valley View Lane, between Midway Road and Marsh Lane in Farmers Branch. The Forum Gallery is located in Building F, Room F101, open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the exhibitions, contact David Newman, gallery director, at 972-860-4101 or at dNewman@dcccd.edu.

AIGA UTA and the Studio, Media Arts + Art History Department would like to welcom Aaron Draplin as he joins us Thursday, February 21st at UT Arlington. This event will begin at 7pm in the Lone Star Auditorium located inside the Maverick Activities Center.

Born, raised, and educated in the Midwest, Aaron Draplin is the sole proprietor of Draplin Design Company. At 19 he moved west to Oregon where his career started. After a few years, he headed back to Minneapolis to finish his degree at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

In 2000, he would head west again where he accepted an art director position with Snowboarder magazine and win "Art Director of the Year" for Primedia 2000.

In April 2002, he accepted an offer for a Senior Designer position from the Cinco Design Office in Portland, Oregon.

Eventually, he would start Draplin Design Company in the fall of 2004. Located in the Pacific Northwest, they proudly roll up their sleeves on several projects related to Print, Identity, Web Development, Illustration and Gocco Muscle categories. Draplin Design Company has produced a number of award-winning projects and products. They have worked for Coal Headwear, Union Binding Co., Field Notes, Esquire, Nike, Wired Magazine, Timberline, Incase, Cobra Dogs, Burton Snowboards, Chunklet Magazine, Ford Motor Company, Woolrich, and the Obama Administration. He would also create Field Notes journals with Coudal Partners in Chicago and an array of DDC merchandise.

DDC motto: "Work hard. Do good work. For good people."

This event is FREE for everyone and we look forward to seeing you all there.

• For more information: http://draplin.com/
• Find AIGA UTA on Twitter and Facebook.
• Facebook Event Page.

Time: 7pm - Thursday, February 21st

Location: UT Arlington in the Lone Star Auditorium located inside the Maverick Activities Center.

Address:  500 W. Nedderman Dr., Arlington, TX

February 10, 2013, Dallas, TX - A Deep Ellum Real Estate Company has offered its vacant spaces to artists to exhibit their work. The first two exhibitions titled, My My Misfire, and Sprawl will host a reception on Saturday, February 16, 2013, 12 p.m.-9 p.m.

This area of Deep Ellum is now a mix of eclectic small businesses, and empty buildings. The empty spaces between the still thriving attractions of Deep Ellum leave the area feeling half finished, or in transition. But those empty spaces are beginning to be filled with works of art, including tiny white houses surrounding a skyline of light, and peep holes looking into unknown places.

 My My Misfire is a group exhibition curated by Stephen Lapthisophon. The show will involve works installed for only a single day, made in reaction to the space’s surroundings, by artists Hannah Hudson, Hayley Fowler, Lana Paninchul, Michael Mazurek, Michael Wynne, Pierre Krause, Sharon Turner, and artist collaborative Apophenia Underground.

Sprawl, curated by Jeff Gibbons and Justin Ginsbergis a solo installation by local artist Joshua Hargrave. The piece becomes a city within a city. It’s a reflection on the beauty of mankind’s impact and design, yet infers to the static uniformity and repetition inherent to our current social structure.

The spaces, owned by Deep Ellum 42, are located at 2701 Main St. and 2650B Main St. (across the street from one another). Sprawl is on view from now until February 22. My My Misfire and Sprawl will share their receptions on Saturday February 16, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information about these exhibitions, participating artists, and future events in more Deep Ellum spaces to be hosted by the collaborative Deep Ellum Windows, visit http://deepellumwindows.tumblr.com.

What:              My My Misfire and Sprawl

Who:              Organized by Stephen Lapthisophon and Deep Ellum Windows

When:            Reception--Saturday, February 16, 12pm-9pm. My My Misfire is a one-day                         exhibition. Sprawl is on view now until February 22 (best viewed at night).

Where:           My My Misfire, 2701 Main St. Dallas, TX (Deep Ellum)

                        Sprawl, 2650B Main St. Dallas, TX (Deep Ellum)

FREE: Open to the public

Contact:          apopheniaunderground@gmail.com

Blog:               http://deepellumwindows.tumblr.com

Facebook:      Deep Ellum Windows (group)

UTA Art Students Accepted to 500X Expo 2013

The annual 500X Expo Exhibition will be opening at 500X Gallery in Dallas, TX this Saturday, February 16th from 7-10pm. Several UTA Art students will be represented in the exhibition including MFA Candidate Jackson Echols as well as photo students Bryce Bennett and Kerry Butcher.

The 2013 Expo will run from February 16 - March 3, 2013 at 500X Gallery, Texas' oldest artist-run space, located at 500 Exposition Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75226. Weekend hours are from 12-5pm and weekdays are only by appointment. Please come to the opening Saturday, February 16th from 7-10pm to show some support.

Artists 

Kalee Appleton, Justin Atkinson, Luke Ball, Lane Banks, Benjamin Bascombe, Bryce Bennett, Preston Bradley, Joseph Browning, Kerry Butcher, Bailey Chapman, Rusty Chapman, Bee Chehayeb, Ben Davis, Jose Dominguez, Jackson Echols, Morgan Everhart, Ari Ferdman, Jessica Fuentes, Laura Garcia, Danielle Georgiou, Lori Giesler, Trish Igo, Shawn Jackson, Allison Jarek, Cosmo Jones, Norman Kary, Mandy Keathley, Ingrid Laubach, Antonia Lechuga, Alisa Levy, Nan Martin, Gary McCoy, Thomas Menikos, Ashley Milow, Katie Murray, Jeanne Neal, Ricardo Paniagua, Jess Peri, Cassie Phan, Sean Phetsarath, Jon Revett, Alex Revier, Angelita Rodriguez, Joel Sampson, Orlando Sanchez, Kristina Smith, Julia Trinh, Kathy Windrow, and Kathryn Young.  

About EXPO  2013

500X Gallery, Texas' oldest artist-run space, hosts one of North Texas' most anticipated annual juried competitions. 500XPO 2013 is open to all artists over the age of 18 living in Texas. All visual media are eligible, including drawing, painting, sculpture, installation and video (artist must supply all required electronic equipment). 

About the juror

Iris Bechtol is an artist, curator, and professor of art.  She was a member of 500X Gallery from 2001 - 2005.  Iris earned a BFA from the University of North Texas School of Visual Arts in 2001 and an MFA in Intermedia from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2010.  Ideologically, her work is a phenomenologically induced practice of how we (I and the other) encounter and perceive the ordinary.  Her work has been featured in national and international spaces such as Lumenhouse Project in Brooklyn, NY and BLOK Gallery in Belgrade, Serbia.  Iris is currently the Gallery Director of the Eastfield College Art Galleries and Coordinator of the Permanent Art Collection.

Kate Colin: Multicentric Vista

North Lake College

5001 N. MacArthur Blvd.

Irving, TX 75038-3899

Reception: Tuesday, February 19th, 7:30 - 9:00 

This solo exhibition of Kate Colin’s large paintings on canvas along with smaller works on paper uses scale, mark making, and process to allude to hypothetical terrains and amorphous spaces. All of the works, whether on paper or canvas, suggest a bold figure ground relationship between an organic shape created by an unpredictable painting process and the negative space, which may consist of raw canvas. Geometry and the system of perspective consistently play a role throughout each work, which contrasts to the bleeding transparent colors. Overall fragmented shapes of opaque color shift between revealing structure while allowing expansive space to dominate, which narrows the gap between fluid unpredictable marks and hard-edged preconceived shapes.

Exhibition on view through March 16

The Art + Art History department at the University of Texas at Arlington is pleased to announce the exhibition for the 2012 Ideas in Art Award recipients. Morgan Chivers, Celia Cortez, Matt Heller, and Alison Starr will be displaying work they were able to realize from the financial support of this award.

Ideas in Art was established by the James S Barnett Jr. Foundation to encourage students to:

·      Formulate and present project proposals to a panel of jurors

·      Simulate the competitive environment of grant proposition

·      Offer strong participants financial support for their creative endeavors.

These four recipients will be present for the reception of Thursday, February 7 from 4:30-6:30. The Ideas in Art exhibition runs from February 4-15 at Gallery West located in the Studio Art Center (SAC) 810 S. Davis St., Arlington, TX.

Please contact Matt Clark at 817.272.2891 or matthewclark@uta.edu for more details.