Chaffey College and the Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art proudly present Student Invitational 2016, the 39th annual juried exhibition featuring Chaffey College student artists. In this rigorous program, the selected artists work closely with faculty, the museum curators, and other art professionals to create a new body of work, culminating in a professional quality group exhibition at the Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art.
This was printed on the occasion of the exhibition, Student Invitational 2016, April 11 – May 12, 2016 Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art, Chaffey College 5885 Haven Avenue Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737 www.chaffey.edu/wignall
Christopher Bertolino Pamela Budinger Jacqueline Cuellar Frederik De Vilder Dylan Fleury Thalia Pacheco Adam Weiser Jamie Wyman
Christopher Bertolino
Christopher Bertolino, r1212 (in progress), 2016, Ceramic Sculpture, 36 x 36 x 30 inches
I am fascinated by the discrepancy between the way individuals see themselves and the way in which they are perceived by others. I find that both perspectives are often incomplete and sometimes even incompatible. r1212 is an exploration into this phenomenon, as well as a loose self portrait of my personal experiences reworked through the filter of science fiction. In this piece, we see r1212 sitting in introspection surrounded by origami cranes, symbols of the others in his world. r1212 sees himself as broken and incomplete, as something not quite human, but rather relegated to the realm of mimicry–an android. At the same time, he sees only normalcy and perfection in the others within his sight. However he is unable to see either the flaws in those outside of his gaze or the humanity others perceive within him.
PAMELA BUDINGER
Pamela Budinger, Untitled, 2016, Stitched Photography, 60 x 60 inches
I have been exploring, studying and making quilts for the last five years. I have also been studying Photography as an Art form for the last year or two. My current work involves both mediums by altering fabric in front of a digital camera by using long exposures. Quilts are conventionally created by sewing pieces of fabric together. The quilt maker can then embellish the quilt with fabric printed photos, beads, paint, thread, or even odd objects like feathers. For this quilt I have used fabric and other antique quilts that I have placed in front of a camera and then altered by using mirrors, window screening, and plexiglass. My techniques are a combination of double exposures, altering positions and fold of the fabric, changing perspective with mirrors, obscuring the fabric with window screening or plexiglass, and then layering some of these together. Once I have printed the photographs, I cut them up into smaller pieces that I stitch those together with my Singer sewing machine. Quilt making is both contemporary and traditional. There is a long history of quilt making that hasn’t altered much since its inception. This tradition is so much a part of its beauty and charm that people now think of it as an Art. Quilts are still made to be functional but most of them are now made for decorative and artistic purposes only. My quilt pushes this argument a little further by developing a quilt that no longer has a functional use. It is purely Art.
JACQUELINE CUELLAR
Jacqueline Cuellar, Ansiedad, 2016, Glazed and Stained Ceramic, 8 x 11 x 11 inches
I want to create raw and primal emotion in the form of a physical body. Our emotions, if left unchecked, have the ability to destroy us both physically and psychologically. Sifting through the wreckage of emotional damage and piecing back together a sense of self is perhaps the deepest motivation of my work. My sculptures are objects that seek, yet fall short, to reunify a sense of ideal self. Perfection blinds us from seeing the beauty of our flaws. My work expresses the struggle and intensity of being on a journey to find oneself.
Frederik De Vilder
Frederik De Vilder, still from Lifeless/Motionless, 2016, HD Video
My work is about the eradication of goal and purpose, the loss of beginning and end, the significance of a final product. It is about the reduction to only motion, to being in a constant state of flux. It is part of the moments in our lives where we get lost in motions that lack meaning. It is crashing waves. It is some slowly passing clouds. It is being there. Nothing will come out of this. This process won't result in anything. In this moment there is no goal. No purpose or end. Only motion.
Dylan Fleury
Dylan Fleury, Peripheral of the City, 2016, Spray Paint on Ceramic, 24 x 12 inches
In my work I depict images of landscapes and the sky on ceramic forms. I’m interested in the moments of dusk and dawn that show natural forms as silhouettes as well as calm mountain scenes after a day of heavy snow. Experiencing these things is truly living in the moment. It is a time where nature’s beauty interacts with my mind, strips away all of the noise of our daily lives, and pulls me into an oblivion of beauty and serenity. For me, this is the Sublime. In its most elemental form, clay is dirt and water. You form it into something and use fire to solidify that into an object. The intimate proximity of clay and nature are why I capture these sublime scenes onto ceramic objects. I used a combination of wheel throwing, soft slab, and hard slab for my ceramic work. I chose to use clay because it allows me to create both organic and geometric forms to my preference. With various tools I’m able add texture to the smooth surface and give the work more dimensions. The forms are high fired with a white glaze for the preferred surface of painting, along with glazes and oxides. I use spray paint to create landscapes and sky scenes using simple stencil based street art techniques. These torn and harsh stenciled images work well with the natural texture of the clay. I enjoy this process because the scene comes to life very quickly, making me feel like an observer rather than the composer.
Thalia Pacheco
Thalia Pacheco, Prick, 2016, Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas, 36 x 48 inches
In my work I make use of childhood symbols such as balloons, nightlights, birthday cake and candles, placing them into potentially destructive situations in order to impart a sense of vulnerability and innocence to the viewer. I like to engage the viewer with visual metaphors that appeal to their intellectual curiosity yet open up their sense of empathy in regards to the physical and sexual abuse of children. I paint because I find the process of painting, that is, the problem solving and shear physically of working paint upon a canvas, to be very enlightening, therapeutic, and cathartic. Being able to translate my thoughts into color, texture, form and composition gives me a sense of control and empowerment over my sense of self. Much of the subject matter of my work deals with thinking that can be very destructive if left unexpressed. The abuse of children is a very secretive and forbidden subject that is often skirted around and left unspoken amongst family members. My work lets me untangle some of the complicated issues around abuse and examine some of the long-term consequences on mental health. Painting is a fight. For artists, art is a struggle to represent something of themselves that they, and perhaps others, don’t fully understand. It is a lifelong effort to represent something from the inner self that, on another level, expresses something about all of us. I relish the artistic struggle and believe that it, more than any other part of my life, will define who I am.
Adam Weiser
Adam Weiser, Three Men, 2016, Gelatin Silver Print, 15 x 15 inches
The Races is a black and white documentary series on California racetrack culture. I have been researching, traveling, and shooting images for this body of work for just over a year. I was initially attracted to the poise and brawn of the thoroughbreds, the vibrant colors of the jockeys’ uniforms, and the flash and glamour of horse racing as an event. Although I was drawn in by the spectacle, I found myself gravitating towards the people who attend the races. Anonymous and transient, their faces hold a deeper and more poignant story than the activity they had gathered to witness. There is an immense amount of social diversity in the crowds of people who attend horse racing events. Friends, families, gamblers, racing professionals, and other people who are further spread out by differing socio-economic groups are all in attendance. Their collective presence at any given event represents a microcosm of American Society. I have embedded myself within this diverse body of people to perform a photographic study of their activities and interactions. These photographs document a people caught in the traditions and rituals of a dying American pastime.
Jamie Wyman
Jamie Wyman, Movie Theater, 2016, Digital Print, 20 x 30 inches
Depression is generally a private topic, but many teenagers find the courage to vent about it on the Internet because many adults are dismissive of their thoughts and feelings. This perhaps comes about as a product of miscommunication between adults and teenagers but inevitably leaves an aftermath of misunderstanding, embarrassment, and more frustration. Many parents and adults simply think of this as one more dramatic episode of teenage life that the teen will eventually outgrow. Because depression can be obscured by the shame of discussing it, adults often fail to see the cry for help that it really is. I have interviewed teenagers on Instagram who suffer from depression, excerpted and displayed quotes from the interviews, and then photographed the quotes in public places. The quotes, written or printed, are placed so that they slightly blend into their surroundings, yet still stand out because they seem out of place. In doing so, the quotes disrupt the flow of our ordinary daily routines because they express such deep emotions and do so at unexpected times and places. Finding someone’s private thoughts in public place is not a regular part of daily life. This awkward public interaction with private thinking could be considered a reflection of how we as a society deal with depression in general. My work is not necessarily trying to re-engineer the treatment of depression but I am interested in opening a more public dialog about the subject.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CHAFFEY COLLEGE GOVERNING BOARD Lee C. McDougal, President Katie Roberts, Vice President Kathleen Brugger, Clerk Gloria Negrete McLeod, Member Gary C. Ovitt, Member SUPERTINTENDENT/PRESIDENT Henry Shannon, Ph.D. ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT INSTRUCTION & STUDENT SERVICES Sherrie Guerrero, Ed.D. DEAN VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS Jason Chevalier, Ph.D. DIRECTOR/CURATOR WIGNALL MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART Rebecca Trawick ASSISTANT CURATOR WIGNALL MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART Roman Stollenwerk PRINTING Chaffey College Print Shop
WIGNALL MUSEUM MISSION STATEMENT The Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art is a teaching museum that cultivates direct engagement with works of art in an interdisciplinary space through the presentation of exhibitions, education, and community programming to visitors of all ages. We strive to foster critical thinking and to encourage innovation and investigation through contemporary art. The Museum advances the mission of Chaffey College by contributing to the intellectual and cultural life of the college community and offering equal access to quality programming for the diverse communities of the Inland Empire.
ABOUT US The Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art serves as a learning lab featuring temporary exhibitions of innovative contemporary art throughout the year. Exhibitions and programming are organized with our students in mind in order to augment their academic experience by complementing the college’s curricula and broadening the understanding of contemporary art. Our exhibitions allow visitors to see and experience a variety of contemporary artistic practices that examine timely and relevant topics.
A NOTE ABOUT OUR EXHIBITIONS & PROGRAMMING The Wignall Museum is an important part of the educational programs and mission of Chaffey College. Some of the artwork in our exhibitions and publications may contain mature content. The views and opinions expressed in the publication and exhibition are those of the authors and artists and do not reflect the opinions or policy of Chaffey College.
CHAFFEY COLLEGE VISION Chaffey College: Improving lives through education.
MISSION STATEMENT Chaffey College inspires hope and success by improving lives and our community in a dynamic, supportive, and engaging environment of educational excellence where our diverse students learn and benefit from foundation, career, and transfer programs.
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