Art gallery opening and performance night draws crowds from Fuller and beyond
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04/18/11
Over 150 people gathered at Judson Studios in Highland Park on Friday, April 8, for a gallery opening and performance night that capped off the annual weeklong Spring Festival of the Arts presented by the Fuller Arts Collective (FAC) student group. The theme of this year’s festival—“Deus Ex Machina”—expressed the FAC’s vision for the week: to let art raise questions about the interweaving of technology, faith, and society.
The gallery at
Judson Studios was curated especially for the festival by MAT student Michelle McCreary and filled with works by several Fuller students and alumni. “We wanted to bring visual artists of diverse mediums together to explore ideas about God, technology, and humanity,” explains McCreary. The gallery was open to the public throughout the week, including on Saturday evening for the “Northeast L.A. Second Saturday Gallery Night,” a monthly gallery-touring tradition organized by the local community. McCreary describes how a group of 80 bicyclists visited the gallery during this time, discussing the pieces and taking photos with their cell phones. “Seeing that group respond to the art made me so proud of the artists for producing such quality work,” she shares. “I love art’s ability to open conversations.”
The gallery grand opening on Friday also featured a performance hour, when over a dozen students shared songs, spoken word, and poetry. FAC president Michael Wright comments, “The poems, songs, and essays came from a deep place within the artists, which translated into a tangible sense of love and attention in the room.” The Friday event was designed as a celebration of Fuller artists’ creativity, he further explains, and to be a space for people to engage with their work. “I remember smiling as I watched people connect to different pieces,” says Wright. “If we can bring the artists and appreciators into the same space, then we as the FAC have done our job.”
Other events throughout the week of the festival included a Poetry On Demand booth, an open mic night, a tour of Judson Studios, and a panel discussion on the topic “The Tension Between Faith and Technology.”
Images: “City” by Joy Justus and Jeana Master (right) and “Intellectual Pro(s)perity” by Jonathan Fox (left).
Photo Credit: Christopher Min