-While visual arts activities tend to taper off this time of year at colleges and universities, this is not the case at Utah State University. Two new shows have just opened. Last week, three visiting artists presented workshops; a prominent photographer will be on campus this week to provide a workshop and seminars; and a well-known American sculptress will receive an honorary degree at USU's commencement ceremonies.
-Throughout this school year, at least 10 internationally known draftsmen, painters, printmakers, ceramists, photographers and sculptors have visited USU. While there, they presented student seminars, workshops, lectures and exhibitions of their works.At the present time, three of them are displaying their works in the foyer and upper gallery of the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art. Touted as a "strong exhibit that is visually, mentally and emotionally stimulating," it consists of drawings and sculptures by Jay Schmidt, metal sculptures of horses by Deborah Butterfield and wood sculptures by John Buck.
Steven Rosen, director of NEH Museum, said, "Jay Schmidt's work as a draftsman and sculptor is well-known for its craftsmanship, its mysticism and its cerebral impact. Deborah Butterfield's long visual affair with horses has gained the attention of critics and scholars worldwide. And John Buck, whose early sculpture achieved a presence of its own, has matured; it provides the viewer with visual comments on contemporary events."
Gracing the walls of the upper gallery are Schmidt's pencil drawings. They reflect an autobiographical, surrealistic quality. And, according to Rosen, they also reveal some of our deepest and perhaps darkest moments.
The first horses created by Butterfield in the mid-1970s were constructed with sticks, mud and other materials. Every horse she sculpts has a personality of its own.
Rosen points out in this show that "the surety of Butterfield's hand and mind produces a great sense of naturalism, in spite of the fact that the horses are composed of metal parts."
Buck's carved pieces combine a sense of foreboding and a hopeful outlook for the future. "They act as sentinels to remind us of our past and present directions," Rosen explained.
-Also hanging in the museum's upper gallery is the second Mountain West Biennial Works of Paper Exhibition. This juried show was open to artists residing in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.
Jurying this year's show was Jane Abrams of New Mexico. After reviewing 450 slides submitted by 165 artists, she chose 41 works to be included in this show. Abrams was one of the invited artists who participated in the Visiting Artist Series.
The show's curator, graduate student Linda L. Packard, said that works range from traditionally two-dimensional drawings and prints to three-dimensional handmade paper vessels. She added that the show is colorful, exciting and energetic.
The exhibit by the three visiting artists remains at the museum through June 10. The Second Biennial Mountain West Paperworks exhibit continues through July 3. Museum hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, and 2-5 p.m. Saturday. The museum is closed on Sundays, Mondays and holidays.
-As mentioned earlier, noted photographer Ruth Bernhard will visit USU this week to present seminars for students and a workshop. The workshop, for graduate photography students, will be held from 1-4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, in Fine Arts Visual 113. A reception is planned for that evening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the NEH Museum of Art. The public is invited.
Undergraduate photography students will meet with Bernhard from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, May 25.
Bernhard will give a slide presentation and discussion Friday evening from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Laval S. Morris Auditorium, Fine Arts Visual 150. Students, members of the community, and others are invited.
Also, 19 of her works will be on exhibit in the museum's Caine Gallery.
Although in her 80s, Bernhard continues to be active. Recently she traveled to Japan to give workshops and seminars.
Her photographic career spanned more than 50 years. Her photographs have graced innumerable photography and fashion magazines.
Born in Berlin in 1906, Bernhard began taking photographs in 1929. But it wasn't until after meeting photographer Edward Weston in 1934 that she began to take her work seriously.
Bernhard's work became recognized late in her life. In an interview in American Photographer magazine, she said, "I never expected to be recognized. I just went along for the ride because I thought it was fun. It wasn't something that I thought was my due. Recognition sort of sneaked up on me."
A dedicated teacher, Berhnard has said that her teaching has been more important to her than her photographs. "I feel that I've been a gardener for my students. I've been giving them `fertilizer' to make them the best they can be."
-Claire Falkenstein, prominent sculptress from Venice, Calif., will be one of five individuals awarded honorary doctorates during USU commencement ceremonies.
During the past 60 years, Falkenstein has produced works that have been a perfect blend of instinct and intellect, exploration and penetration. She has exhibited in galleries throughout the United States and in Europe and Japan. She has had major commissions and received awards from the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and National Women's Caucus for Art. In 1969, she was named woman of the year for art by the Los Angeles Times in 1969; in 1985, she was given the Vesta award in Los Angeles in 1985.
Falkenstein's work was the subject of a retrospective at USU in 1972.
Over the years, the USU's Visiting Artist Program has proved to be highly inspired and valuable endeavor. Because of it, students, faculty members and the community have been kept up to date on trends, techniques and philosophies by artists who have successfully competed in the highly fickle, unpredictable art world.