Photograpy Invitational Students were chosen from the photography department at Wichita State University by Linda Robinson. The work shown in the Clayton Staples was a collection of what is going on in the contemporay photo world. Karrie Maxwell a graduate painter had several photo in the show. The format for the pieces ranged from 2"x2" to 24"x36". Her work is a very interesting collection based around  how an individual feels on a daily basis. Her work is presented in traditional balck and white, but the excitement  for it comes from the content within the photo. When the viewer looks at the work of Aaron Vaugh, they are taken back to their own experiences of feeling lost or alone. He works in painting, video insatallation, and photography. His video piece in the show  is based on the viewer witnessing a figure isolated and blurred in a way the allow the viewer to place themself in to the video. The figure is surounded by other figures but you do not know it they are a couple or a shadow. I have chosen to compare these two bodies of work based on the similarities rather than their difference. They both have a very sad and emotional motivation that allows the viewer to bring very little to the work from their own background, but are left with a blurred emotion of the artists background. 

Over all photo of piece titled "If Walls Could Talk."

Close up of hammer and saws in 2×4's.

Photograph of installation from main floor.

Close up of the ultra-sonic sensor used to detect viewer coming out of the toolbox, used to activate the hammering and sawing sounds. 

The inside of the toolbox. The CD player is connected to the 4 speakers used to built the sound needed. The CD player is controlled by a programmed Logo chip and runs on AA batteries.

What you see here is one of the two speakers covered up with saw dust from the saws. You may see a few nails here and there dropped from the work area above.

Close up of the arrangement of the actual hammers, saws, 2×4's, and nails used.

The final project idea was based on how one feels when they approach a job site. The work is eager to present the viewer with a lot of information about with tools may be on a job site. The tools consist of 50 hammers placed randomly around, two-four's arrangedwith nails on saw horses. Saw dust covers the floor below the structure hiding the speakers. The saws are positioned in the oards in a way that one may leave in a board in a hurry. The viewer is needed to activate the tone of the saw and hammer sounds coming from the top and bottom of the work. When a viewer notices the wound they are taken back to their own experiences with a saw on a hammer as a child. The piece is a clear reflection of my experiences with a hammer and a saw for the first time. When the viewer challenges their memory to mine they are force to share my intent as a artist.

Debbie Kaufman

The current MFA thesis exhibition titled “Transposition,” located at the Ulrich Art Museum on the campus of Wichita State University. The show is a must see. The work is outstanding to the caliper need in the art world today. The collection is a combination of paintings along with hand made paper, and printmaking. Many of the ideas Debbie uses are based around the figure and the environment around the figure are of least concern to how the viewer confronts the work. I was surprised to see an artist present work using a vast amount of different media. She mentioned to me that when she approaches the canvas she allows an intuitive work ethic to take over and when the feeling she is experiencing develops within the composition she calls the work finished. Debbie plans to spend the summer exploring her option is the teaching field in the state of Kansas.

Robert Motherwell’s Les Caves #2

            Les Caves #2 is a very large work and extremely interesting, it responses to the viewers interpretation. A large black mass engulfs most of the brown-orange areas around the borders of the canvas. The black mass, at first glance, seems to reference a black cave. With further examining, the bottom right corner of the canvas reveals an animal-like head and face. You are able to distinguish eyes, teeth, and a nose. This observation may confuse the viewer because the previous idea of a cave now appears to be a massive animal. Also, while standing in front of the work the viewer feels very small, insignificant, and uncomfortable in relation to the size of the piece. The work is on display at the Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University.

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Terry Allen’s Rage

            Rage is a mixed media work of etching and collage combined. The word rage is displayed in a box form closely related to the popular LOVE image. Rage often stimulates images of anger, harsh lines or shape, and colors such as red. But, this image does not indicate signs of rage. The word RAGE is overlaid with black and gold lace. Viewers usually do not connect lace and rage together, but the work demonstrates an interesting point of view. A person experiencing rage might cover or mask their rage with false feelings of happiness and joy. This is similar to the way in which the artist displayed the word rage by masking it with pretty lace. The work is on display at the Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University.

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Jacob Lawrence’s Black Cowboys

            Black Cowboys, is a fairly simple image on board. The work contains, colorful images of two cowboys on horses herding cows. The forms are exaggerated and cartoon-like. Although they are “black” cowboys, the painting includes Mexican designs and patterns. The painting does not show realistic use of space. One cowboy o his horse also appears to be positioned on a cow, through the space within the work. The work seems to be cropped in a way that the two cowboys, two horses, and three cows do not fit the format need for the work.

            Although each work is very different, they each seem to share similarities in their choice of confronting and confusing the viewer.  The work is on display at the Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University.

12 Hour Shift

            Friday night in a small town of Nevada, Missouri was very exciting for the up and coming young artists Scott Murray. The artist is working on his final year at Wichita State University working on his master’s degree. The work he presented in the P.E.O. gallery on the campus of Cottey College was a spectacular event. He managed to create a stunning show based around his own interpretation of objects. The objects we take for granted were presented in a new and to show the advantage of their different uses. The show was filled with people from around the four states. The viewers found the work to be a reflection to their tools of the trade or their own tools used on a daily basis. The show is certainly an experience and a segment in the life of Scott Murray.