(click on image to see 7 of the 21 photo-works on display)
Obscura Illuminati
March 9 – April 1
Artist reception: Arts! Arcata, March 12, 6-8:30 p.m.
Juan Carrillo, Laura Cedergreen, Christine Clonts, Dorian Daneau,
Eden Golub, Joey Hiller, Zig Lawsha, Sean Leydon, Antonio Lopez, Mary Luong,
James Mena, Christina Pedroza, Nicholas Seckington,
Crystal Stroud and Zachary Wills.
Our March show features the work of 15 Humboldt State University photography students. These students are currently enrolled in a course taught by Professor of Art, Don Anton. With Don’s support, each student is allowed the freedom to implement various photographic processes while exploring photography as a medium for self-expression.
Statement from the Artists
The photographer Diane Arbus once said, “The thing that’s important to know is that you never know. You’re always sort of feeling your way.” This intimate statement considers the complexities of creative expression. It speaks of how an artist might seize a moment, interpret its form and deliver a version of their own experience. This personal act of inspired meaning can be seen in this exhibition of photographs by Humboldt State University photography students.
The images displayed reflect a rich diversity of photographic process revealing a unique perspective of personal depth and exploration. These thought provoking images share an intimate description of life and the complexities of the human experience.
Of these students, HSU Professor of Art, Don Anton adds, “The images on display are as diverse and meaningful as the photographers who’ve created them. They give us a significant perspective on the issues confronting our next generation of artists.”
This exhibition holds firm to the truth that creative expression is an act of will and that those who practice it often feel their way in a process of discovery.
The Upstairs Art Gallery is located at 1063 G street, Arcata (across the street from the Arcata Theatre and inside Umpqua Bank).
statement from the gallery curator
Collectively, art speaks of our culture and about the individuals that contribute to it. It is all for good and we need everyone’s participation. The value found in viewing student work is the chance to see or feel an edge and to have an opportunity to admire one’s courage in self-exploration and self-revelation.
Generally speaking, the vast majority of art that sells is considered beautiful or invokes comfortable feelings. But there is more to art and photography than the depiction of outer beauty and comfort. There is nothing inherently wrong with beautiful art that makes us feel good. But what about art that has no market, is not in a commercial form that is easily owned or is so challenging that one doesn’t want to live with it? Does this kind of art have no value because it doesn’t sell? Of course not. Perhaps it has more value because it makes us feel or remember or see from a perspective other than our own.
These few lines of written words are not to suggest this show is lacking in beauty. Quite the opposite, however, it is acknowledged that the average viewer might be more challenged than our previous show of wildflowers. If this is the case, feel what you feel and think about it for awhile, be slow to make conclusions – sit and savor, then move on.
“When you’re in a forest there’s a feeling of almost walking inside a living organism,” Harris said. “That life force that is the woods is the feeling I get when I’m there. It’s not a particular tree or river scene, but a sense of place.” It is that sense that Harris strives to convey through photography, an expression of what being in a place feels like. However, black and white images of forests never met his personal standards. Harris didn’t photograph them.
