Peter Calaboyias: Stacks

Stacks, Peter Calaboyias. 2000. Bronze sculpture.

From a distance, the four bronze sections appear as simple monoliths. An initial reading of "Stacks" would likely suggest that the forms are a tribute to the stature of the library's reputation. After paying some attention to the work, the details of its meaning are revealed in the texture itself. On the inner flanks of these monoliths are bits of various languages-including Greek and Armenian-inscribed into the metal like contemporary hieroglyphics. These are not readable, but are merely symbolic references to the system of language and communication that relate to the library. The withered color of the bronze -the greens, browns, and yellows- also imply the aged, withered, stoic nature that can be seen in the oldest forms of inscription such as the Rosetta Stone. Communication between multiple cultures, as the sculpture suggests, is as old as writing itself, and is a tradition upheld by the library it is installed in front of.

For more information on the piece: http://www.collegian.psu.edu:8080/archive/2000/09/09-08-00tdc/09-08-00darts-5.asp

Ignacio Onsta: Hub Plaza Fountain

Hub Plaza Fountain. 2002. Ignacio Onsta, Wallace Roberts and Todd Architects. Granite sculpture.

The fountain's function is defined entirely by its surface. The grooves, breaks, lines, and textures act as a guide for the water it recycles. The design was also intended, according to Judith Larkin, as an artist's impression of central Pennsylvania's geomorphology. The visual breaks in the design between carved and jagged granite reference the series of mountains and valleys that make up central Pennsylvania's landscape.

The water feature was installed as a cooling agent in the newly re-constructed Pollock road street scape, a project that won the Merit Award for Excellence in Landscape Architecture. The function of the plaza, according to Paul Ruskin of OPP was to create "places anew from what were previously ill-defined outdoor areas." Though the project had been primarily devised as a way to minimize traffic by making a more narrow road, numerous granite seating areas were added. The fountain was intended merely as a visual focal point for the plaza, and as a backdrop for one of the most heavily populated areas of campus.

John Stovall: "Table based on Julia Child & Simone Beck's Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

Table based on Julia Child & Simone Beck's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, John Stovall. 2012. Mixed media sculpture.

In describing the artwork, the artist states "The original project idea/concept was to make a piece of furniture (tables) completely out of reused materials. Our two major materials were recycled wood and recycled/repurposed books. One design constraint was that the tables had to all be inspired by a work of literature in the canon (keeping with the book theme). When Mastering the Art was first published it was the first book of its kind. recipe books had existed long before Mastering, however Child's book is less of a recipe book and more of a full blown instruction manual on how to create fine French food that was usually reserved for fine restaurants. Child's book made it easier to successfully create fine cuisine in one's own home. The table is based off of this idea of bringing art and craft to the masses and making it easier and more approachable. Child's medium was food, and since ours was books, the table is part showcase and part instruction manual on how to make recycled book art. The individual pans in the table can be rearranged and recreated as one creates more examples of manipulated paper craft."

Two from Ghislaine Fremaux

Breath (Devan), Ghislaine Fremaux. 2012. Pastel and Watercolor

Before you know I am in the world I am already kill by you. My mouth is open, my legs go softly and the heart is stretching to break. (Cory), Ghislaine Fremaux. 2012. Pastel and watercolor on paper

Frequently in her studio work, Ghislaine Fremaux incorporates multiple sheets of paper into her large-scale portraits. Rather than hiding this, the edges of the paper are left visible and are incorporated into the way that colors and shapes are separated from each other. Her process of shading, coloring, and recoloring are evident in the residues of watercolor and pastel at the edges of the images, revealing her craft. The combinations of paper add more to this aspect of the work, as well as making the portraits seem oddly three-dimensional.

For more information on the artist, visit http://www.ghislaine-art.com/.

Ian Brill

(title unknown). Ian Brill. 2012. Interactive multi-media installation. Sound & color.

There has been a noticeable interest in recent years of finding a place for video game technology in fine arts. The notion of interactivity in recent art has encouraged artists working in new media to embrace this aspect of the medium, and education on this technology has been incorporated into art programs. This is apparent at any of Penn State's spring Art Festivals, in which rooms devoted to new media will consist largely of interactive works of all sorts.

Ian Brill, a recent graduate of Penn State's media arts program has devised multiple installations that take advantage of this sort of technology. In one, visitors are invited to use a game controller to manipulate and control constantly changing designs. In this case, the medium is used to create a more abstraction that doesn't delve into the visuals that are typically associated with gaming technology. It explores the possibilities of the visual texture in simple pixels and limited colors, while creating a refined experience for viewers who participate in the installation.

For more on the artist, visit http://ibrill.com/

Two from the Prints Collection

Phobia. Hyun bob chung. Relief Print. From the Printmaking studio file cabinet, 238 Theatre Building

Watching the Old Die, Justin Myer. Color Etching. From the Printmaking studio file cabinet, 238 Theatre Building

Visual texture is integral to printmaking, a medium that is essentially the art of crafting a surface, applying ink to it, and transferring the inked image to paper. Textures can either be carved out of material, such as in relief prints, or the result of a build-up of ink and other chemicals on plate or stone. These two featured prints belong to a collection that has been built by printmaking faculty over the years, of work by students that, in their opinion, represents a particular mastery of the craft. The file-cabinets that housed these two prints also contain numerous other works produced by silk-screen, intaglio, relief, etching, and lithography.

The two prints are emblematic of two very different approaches to the medium, yet they both take advantage of the visual possibilities with their given materials. Myer's print on the right, the result of a photographic transfer onto a plate, has all the residual build-up of ink that is common when working with plates, yet used in such a way that it became part of the design of the image. According to Robin Gibson, the spotted affect was most likely achieved through splashing a bit of paint thinner over the surface. The relief print, on the other hand, relies purely on the initial linoleum carvings of the artist to create a landscape based solely on patterns.