By snoadmin
The design faculty showcased an array of artwork this week in a family-like atmosphere to learn from the past, celebrate the present and discuss their expectations of the future at the on-campus Design Department Gallery.
A hidden treasure in the large design department, the gallery appears like a big white cube in the right corner of the building.
The opening reception titled “Past and Present Exhibition” welcomed visitors Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Students, guests and design faculty members gathered in front of a big screen, where a slide show about past faculty took place.
“Didn’t he look handsome?” said Dorothy Ottolia, design department, regarding one of her colleagues.
All the faces lit up as they peered at the memories the pictures evocated.
The present was displayed with the faculty’s most recent work, including furniture and architecture models. The 16 faculty members presented their design pieces on wooden cubes and tables in the middle of the room.
Visitors and students ambled around the samples and read the explanations written beside the models, posters and profiles of each faculty member on the walls.
The written explanations were useful since some work was so abstract and some of the pieces were unrecognizable as architecture.
Many students took advantage of this unique opportunity to not only learn about design but to watch and experience samples designed by their faculty. They got an idea of what the real world of design asks for.
“It’s cool. It shows us how our teachers work. They have been out in the field and have real world experiences,” explained Josue Gonzalez, a junior industrial design major. “They started as students like we are and this exhibition shows what they’ve reached and what we could reach.”
There was no official speech by the curators Wesley Woelfel and Jeffrey Adair. There was also no impression of competition between the faculty members. It was just like a class reunion, where people talked about the good old days, what kind of career they have had and future plans.
Even non-members of the design community didn’t feel out of place. A warm family-like atmosphere, some delicious shrimp and a glass of wine made the gallery very comfortable for everyone — like a big living room.
“The goal was not only for the students to gain insight into how their instructors work professionally, but for each of the faculty members to get to know each other better,” faculty exhibit founder Ottolia explained.
This is the first ever faculty exhibit. Eduardo Perez, program coordinator and assistant professor in the interior design program and member of the design faculty, hopes to continue to have an exhibition every two years. He also regarded the exhibition as an opportunity to learn from each other instead of competing.
“Viewing all of the collective work makes me quite proud to be part of this extraordinary design family,” Perez said. “The only competition, from my point of view, is the inspiration and passion to want to achieve more.
“We cannot rest on any of our laurels, but [we will] continue to strive and evolve as design professionals and educators so we may continue to pass on our knowledge and skills to our students.”
His collegiality is commendable, but his sample titled “Anasazi Live Work Laboratory” was one of the most outstanding pieces in the exhibit. It showed a part of the New Mexico desert made of colored cement.
Embedded in the organic-formed layers of rock appears a man-made, wooden geometrical house. Two narrow ways lead to two separated underground work laboratories, only visible through some lightwells located on the surface — a real masterpiece of architecture.
“The actual process is a marriage between writing, drawing and building — not necessarily in that order,” Perez said. “It does change as the creative process is a non-linear one and one that we must embrace and accept to manifest a product.”
To see more of the exhibition and make your own impression of the different design styles and work made by the faculty, you can visit the gallery daily. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This free exhibition will run until Friday.
