2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty puts up compelling visual arts display
Corrigan, Dan
Issue date: 10/4/05 Section: Arts & Society
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Upon entering the gallery one finds a well-lit and neatly arranged series of works all across the walls. The pieces were executed using an assortment of mostly two-dimensional media, ranging from photography to clay constructions. While all the works in the show are worth seeing, among the highlights of the exhibition are Dan Schlapbach's seven large and engaging photographs.
Each one features a single person, most of them holding an object of some kind and standing against a white background. The decidedly posed nature of the photos gives the feel of a series of charmingly personal interviews, and the variety of the subjects seems to represent a distinctly American sampling.
John Viles' works on display will also be of interest to many people. On eight small canvases he surveys textures and patterns with an attention to minute detail that will leave few in doubt of his technical ability. His extremely close views of his subjects give the viewer an intimate sense of the colors and variations present. A standout among the eight canvases is one entitled "Chang," which appears to depict a section of animal hide upon close inspection. Further along in the exhibition, a set of photographs by Virginia Brown also featuring people as subjects explores both emotions and light in a striking fashion. Each of the five works presents a number of photos juxtaposed in such a way that they express subtle and sometimes drastic changes in the subject. Janet Maher's collage-style pieces provide an encapsulating view of students' life in the schools of decades past and seem to be a personal memoir to some extent.