Mapping Galleries and Cafes

As a college student trying to find new entertainments and places to explore, it becomes easier finding places which don’t put a hole in your already broke pockets. Throughout my stay in Rowan and my many visits trekking through Philadelphia, alone or with friends, I’ve almost become an expert as to what places seem reasonable or unique to visit and how I can view and photograph art there without spending a great deal of money. That extra pocket change should go towards coffee on a cold winter day or just lunch/dinner with friends. Life should be enjoyed, not calculated.

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Sick, again.

It’s definitely not H1N1 but since Wednesday and even now, I have been feeling increasingly ill with horrible abdominal pain. Because of this, I almost missed the opening of the “Hurts so Good” exhibition at the Westby Art Gallery on Thursday and in all my time at The Whit, this has never happened before. The next day I missed the visiting artist, Jessica Calderwood because again, I was sick in bed.

But Saturday, feeling slightly better in the morning, I went to a bunch of cafes and bakeries with my friend, Lauren Wainwright. We discovered a variety of nice cafes in the Pitman area. One especially, The Ground House, harbors a great deal of local artists’ work arranged throughout the walls of the cafe. Their work is superb, unhinged and some of the work literally gives an “awakening aura” effect on the viewer.

Lauren and I decided we will be back here with friends after the Thanksgiving break, especially when I am feeling better and have more time to explore the cafe.

Interview with Jessica Padilla

Jessica Padilla is a sophomore, dual arts education major at Rowan University. Her work has been displayed in Westby’s student art gallery and I’ve photographed it in a previous post. Padilla is wonderful at her craft, her work is exquisite and her creativity is brilliant. I decided I wanted to meet her in person to further understand her work and get to know the artist behind the work. I asked Padilla about each of the four pieces that were displayed in Westby and she explained what class it was for, what the assignment was and the dissection of the art from its initial stage to its completion.

“The Button Jacket”

The Button Jacket

Assignment: “1,000 Things Project”

Comments: “This project was stressful! Seriously, I thought out teacher had gone insane and so when I decided to use buttons I didn’t know what I was going to do so I closed myself in my room and prayed like crazy. I needed serious help and God helped me by having me think of what a button is used for. So I decided to do a jacket. Since I did not have a pattern to go by, I just looked at a jacket and began to wing it.”

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“The Silkie Chickens (Henry and Henrietta)”

 

The Silkie Chickens (Henry and Henrietta)

Class: Drawing three (Expressive)

Assignment: “The Calligraphic Line”

Comment: “This project was complete fun. The calligraphic line is one of the best lines ever and you begin to feel like a two-year-old again. I love scribbling. Doc [Prof. Appelson] had us find a subject or some sort of set up that is interesting. I thought about this project and I began to want to do something I love. In case you did not notice, it was my beautiful chickens. They make me happy every morning and they give me so much love back. They were the perfect subject.”
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“Self-Portrait Collage”

 

Self-Portrait Collage

Class: Two-dimensional

Assignment: “Self-portrait Collage”

Comment: “I completed this project in about one whole day, and it was due the next day. It was seriously intense! I had to pray over this assignment to be able to complete it in time and that it would turn out beautiful. I give all the glory to God always, and this was definitely one of those moments.”

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“Paper Lotus Kimono”

Class: Color Theory

Assignment: A three-dimensional piece dealing with music, and color

 

Paper Lotus Kimono

Comment: “This was [for] Color Theory and the professor wanted us to do something relating to music. It was a Japanese song. I like Japanese music. I couldn’t get it off the computer easily so people could hear it and it was this whole thing with music and I decided to do this song by Ayumi Hamasaki. She’s a pretty famous artist in Japan but it was like “Piece of Me”.

My first idea was to take pieces of paper and actually sew them together to make the kimono, the form of the kimono, having it emerging from the wall. We were short on time so I was like, “Oh man, I don’t think I’ll be able to do this. Why didn’t I think of something more simple and more fun?”

Paper Lotus Kimono, close up

I used origami as the idea behind this project since it relates to the oriental culture. Each lotus was hand folded individually with care. Then placed by color onto of the pattern of the kimono. You know, it’s a very big word in her song, so I was like, “Hmm, lotuses and pieces. I can piece that together in color, so you know, it happens like that. Pretty, pretty random. This was really a cool assignment to be able to use music as a source.”

For more on Jessica Padilla, read the Nov. 19 issue of The Whit.

Westby Student Art!

The most recent student exhibition in Westby’s student gallery, located on the second floor includes a wide array of mediums from charcoal nudes, ceramics, landscapes, still lifes, abstract paintings, abstract material, video and more!

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“Mr. Pig”:

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“Primal”:

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~Ismaa Viqar

Next week’s agenda!

This week was slower than most–I was sick. Next week promises to be much more productive. Here’s my agenda for next week:

• An interview with sophomore arts education major, Jessica Padilla.
• Event: Rowan University’s Visiting Artist Series presents Mika Rottenberg on Thurs. November 19th at 4:00 p.m. in Westby, room 219.
• Westby’s Art Gallery is having a new exhibit next week called “Hurts So Good: Confronting Traditions in American Culture.” It will be displayed from November 19th, 2009 until January 8, 2010. The opening reception will be held at the Westby art gallery on Thursday, November 19th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Event: Artist, Jessica Calderwood is visiting Westby on Friday November 20th. There will be a lecture on her work at 1:00 p.m. and an enameling demonstration from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Westby, room 102 (in the Metals/Jewelry studio).

~Ismaa Viqar