The walls of every other classroom at Cal State Long Beach stood lifeless in comparison to the creatively sketched, paint-smeared walls of the fine arts department.
At the fifth annual Greater Los Angeles Master of Fine Arts exhibition and Open Studios event, graduate students from the 13 schools displayed their art while CSULB art students opened up their creative workspaces.
The construction of the GLAMFA exhibit was more than a summer in the works. CSULB graduate students and the Fine Arts Roundtable, a campus organization that works to cultivate musicians and artists in tghe College of the Arts, sought an organic, hands-on approach in organizing the event.
They handpicked 43 out of 125 artists in master’s programs across Southern California. Consisting of works that traverse the boundaries of medium with paintings next to sculptures and film, the week-long GLAMFA exhibit, which ended yesterday, was a mötley crüe of the best.
Megan Hoetger, exhibit coordinator and a curator for GLAMFA, said that each year’s team offers a different dynamic and taste when it comes to choosing content. They wanted art pieces that were “resolved and without questions that leave us wondering more,” Hoetger said.
The stomping grounds of CSULB graduate art students became galleries revealing the unique, creative processes of the artists in the Open Studios Sunday.
Adam Stoves from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas created “DON’T TOUCH HERE/TOUCH HERE,” which displayed those words printed on separate walls in a corner of the gallery covered with finger-painted dust doodles.
An installation from Zac Monday from UC San Diego, entitled “3 Blind Fates,” was a 3-D structure of wires, wood, thread, yarn and satin.
An interactive tearoom arranged by Nuttaphol Ma from the Claremont Graduate University sat in the midst of the gallery courtyard. “Longing and not BE longing,” the title of his presentation, provided a tranquil setting for discussion on topics such as transplantation and survival.
Matthew Causey, a CSULB fine arts graduate student specializing in ceramics, displayed an enormous, red monster that he sculpted. His main source of inspiration stemmed from the saying, “If you can’t make it good, make it big. And if you can’t make it big, make it red,” which is also the title of his piece.
“I was angry!” Causey joked about the making of his monster.
The illustration studios held a special intrigue of their own.
CSULB illustration artist Nancy Chiu commented that many of her pieces are based upon past experience and that she enjoys working on pieces “closer to the heart.”
This extraordinary compilation of art collected from fine arts occupied five galleries and two project spaces. The selection of works detailed not just the end result but also the process of making an art piece.
For more information on the artists or to get involved in next year’s event, visit greaterlamfa.com.