As part of the HIP grant through the UVU art and design program, students and faculty were given the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles in order to broaden their artistic studies. They visited such places as the American Museum of Ceramic Art, the Getty Center, LACMA, Broad, Norton Simon, LA MOCAs, Hammer Museum and the Franklin D Murphy Sculpture Garden.
After returning from this journey, students were tasked to develop art that investigated their identities and culture by drawing upon inspiration from the artists they had just studied. The resulting pieces they created were put on display within the 4th-floor art and design gallery of the Gunther Tech building at UVU as part of the “Rethinking Identity: How Travel Shapes Us” art exhibition.
Each of the pieces on display had its own unique approach to the artist’s experiences. However, they were unified by a desire to illustrate that they all had a story to tell. It was extremely insightful to see how each of these students chose to express their identity through various mediums.
Along with displaying their individual styles, these pieces were inspired by and referenced the artists they observed on their trip to Los Angeles. MaiLyn Millward’s paper sculpture “Not yours anymore” drew inspiration from Candice Breitz’s “Rainbow Series #14,” which was on display at the MOCA. Kenya Heiner’s was inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s “Boîte-en-valise” and created a collage on glass called “Boxed in a Suitcase.” Christina West’s ceramic piece’s influence was directly addressed in its title, called “Reaction to Van Gogh.”
What resulted from this opportunity to learn from other famous artists’ work, and from the talented instruction of the UVU faculty, was a truly beautiful expression of various voices and perspectives. The art exhibition can be viewed from March 13 to 23.
