Department of Art History and Visual Arts
The mission of the Department of Art History and Visual Arts is to educate students in the richness and complexity of the visual arts. Visual literacy is essential for informed participation and innovation within local and global cultures. Combining the disciplines of film / media theory and production, studio art, and art history, AHVA equips students to critically explore the interplay of culture, history, theory, analysis, and practice.
Occidental Film & Media Studies Named One of the Best Programs Among Small Colleges and Universities
Occidental College has been named one of the country's best colleges
in the latest editions of several major college guides. Fiske listed
Occidental among "Small Colleges and Universities Strong in
Film/Television," "Small Colleges and Universities Strong in Drama,"
and "Strong in International Studies." http://www.oxy.edu/x10443.xml
Science Fiction Research Association 2010 Award Winners Announced:
The SFRA has announced Dr. Allison de Fren, incoming Assistant Professor of Film & Media Studies, as the winner of the 2010 Pioneer Award for the most outstanding science fiction studies essay of the year.
Dr. de Fren's essay "The Anatomical Gaze in Tomorrow's Eve," was published in the July 2009 issue of SCIENCE FICTION STUDIES and resonates with her forthcoming feature-length documentary THE MECHANICAL BRIDE, which explores the cultural desire to create the perfect woman in science fiction fantasy and the current-day reality of gendered robotics and sexual animatronics.
Dr. de Fren joined the Art History and Visual Arts faculty, teaching new media theory and practice in fall, 2010.
Professor Mary Beth Heffernan's Work on Display at Idyllwild Academy of Arts
A fifteen year survey of Associate Professor Mary Beth Heffernan's art is
currently on display at the Parks Exhibition Center at Idyllwild Academy of
the Arts. The photographs, sculpture, installation, video and prints on
display explore themes of corporeality, language and the exigencies of being
an embodied subject. The Parks Exhibition Center is open M-F 10am-5pm, and
weekends by appointment. February 4 - March 4, 2011.
Http://artin3d.org
Current Exhibit in Weingart Galleries:
“LAND MARK”
A Group Exhibition including works by James Griffith, Mike Pace, Aili Schmeltz, and Christian Tedeschi
February 17,- March 17, 2011
at Occidental College Weingart Gallery
1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Opening Reception on Thursday, February 17, from 6-8pm
LAND MARK presents artworks by four artists all residing in the Northeast Los Angeles area whose work engages the intersection of nature and the built environment. The human mark on the earth is called into question in works that address environmental concerns. In various ways, the artists negotiate the line between what is deemed natural versus artificial. This relationship is seen in both conflict and harmony, as both natural and synthetic phenomena appear interwoven, blurring the boundaries of where nature begins and ends.
James Griffith’s paintings and Mike Pace’s digital photography share a portrayal of serene landscapes interrupted by synthetic forms and relics of industry. Griffith’s realist paintings of nature scenes and plant life are seen draped and veiled in sheets of plastic, producing the visual effect of nature viewed through a synthetic lens. Pace’s gaze is drawn to the sky and L.A. skylines where he captures fluid compositions of atmospheric light, clouds and fog. Here otherwise immense spaces are haphazardly disrupted by cropped light poles and palm trees, grounding the viewer back to the human realm.
Aili Shmeltz’s and Christian Tedeschi’s sculptures reinterpret materials to draw on the tension between organic and man-made environments. Tedeschi’s 400 years, a wall-mounted piece that resembles a cross-sectioned tree trunk is actually a mass of toilet paper rolled into one giant ring and sealed in polyurethane resin. Aili Schmeltz’s work combines multiple industrial materials to portray architectural constructions balancing on organic forms.
The Weingart Gallery is located at Occidental College, on the 2nd floor of the Weingart Art Building, at the southeast corner of Bird and Gillman campus roads. Regular gallery hours will be held from 12pm - 5pm, Monday - Friday. For questions regarding the show contact Jason Manley, 323-259-1409, or jmanley@oxy.edu. For maps and directions visit http://www.oxy.edu/x119.xml
AHVA Presents Expanding the Matrix 9/9-10/15
Opening Reception Thursday September 9, 6-9pm
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