Art exhibit displays multi-media work by SU students
Industrial and interaction design majors in Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts will host their annual ID+ show beginning Wednesday and running through Sunday, April 3.
The exhibit will feature an array of fine arts pieces, including sculptures, films, paintings and performance art. Open to the public, the show is ultimately an extra opportunity for students to display more of their work. Completely student-run, the show aims to display industrial and interaction design students’ nonindustrial work.
‘Students can submit anything they like, but it’s usually fine arts work,’ said Julia Byron, a fourth-year industrial design major and curator for the event. ‘We usually never end up seeing anything other than about the same stuff from everyone. So it really lets you learn a little more about everyone else in your major.’
Steph Lewis, a fifth-year student, is also looking forward to the chance to see the work of her peers. ‘It’s always neat to see what everyone else in ID is up to, since everyone always had different passions outside of design.’
A second-time partaker in the show, Lewis submitted two original oil paintings. ‘Both of them I’d done for a painting elective last fall. They’re really small, but it was just kind of me experimenting with the medium,’ she said. ‘I paint on the side for fun, it’s something I’ve always enjoyed.’
Best described by third-year student Jaimie Gerst, the industrial and interaction design major can be defined as ‘designing anything from products to systems, from designing a sneaker to redesigning ways for people to interact with each other.’ But students are encouraged to take electives to explore other areas of the arts.
Most students like to add the exhibit to their resume to say they’ve been in a show, said Byron. As the event curator, she has worked on putting the event together since the beginning of the semester.
The show has allowed Byron not only to explore her own creativity, but also look further into her own major. ‘It’s been good,’ she said. ‘I’ve met more people in the major than I wouldn’t have normally.’
About 15 to 20 students have submitted their works of art.
Selecting a piece from her freshman introduction to pottery ‘wheel-throwing’ class and her intermediate wheel-throwing class last semester, Gerst chose to submit two different pieces for the show.
One of Gerst’s pieces was created using salt firing, a technique in which salt is added to the kiln when the temperature is highest. The salt reacts with the clay, creating a natural glaze.
Her second piece, a vase, was created using a technique called raku firing. The fired and glazed piece is put into a metal garbage can and covered with newspapers, which eventually catches fire. The smoke created through the fire, combined with the glaze, creates cracked marks on the finished product.
‘Freshman year I probably made 50 to 80 pieces, but these are the ones I’m most proud of,’ Gerst said. ‘I’m super picky with my work.’
Gerst, who said she’s been passionate about ceramics since her freshman year, is submitting her pieces for the first time.
‘I’ve heard in the past that it’s been a pretty good show,’ she said. ‘I’m excited to see everyone’s work from studio because I usually only see work that’s related to the major.’
Published on March 29, 2011 at 12:00 pm
