Tidal Exhibition 2005 Review

November 14, 2005, 12:30
Fine Arts Gallery / Joe Mack Wilson Building

As I walked away from the Fine Arts Gallery, I concluded that the Tidal Exhibition was a mix of mediocre and great work, making it a decent body of art overall. I understand that the students are not entirely responsible for their work since most of the pieces clearly had instructional intentions influenced by the faculty. Taking this as a reflection of the campus, I feel that there is still work to be done by the faculty and upcoming seniors alike if we are to strengthen the reputation of the campus.

Personally, I am drawn to mediums and styles I have never seen before. The work of Jessica Blinkhorn exemplified this with her clever uses of coffee and ash within her ink illustrations. Her penmanship was astounding as I studied her linework closely. On craftsmanship alone, I have to salute Ben Goldman. His series of nudes on masonite were highly impressive. Valerie Houcek's oilworks were also amazing. Jennifer Anderson also deserves an honorable mention. Each of these students really took their creations above and beyond, as evident by their accuracy and crispness of their works. They were also rewarded by having more of their works on display too.

The exhibition really succeeded in demonstrating illustration but I feel that the display was somewhat lopsided and did not cast every art arena in equal light. There were wood sculptures, yes, but what about traditional clay sculptures? What of ceramics, is there nothing representative of each field of art? Graphic design was represented well. Photography could have been better, what I saw did not hold my attention for long. I just feel that a successful exhibition which is representative of a university should have a wider variety of mediums and subjects.

Based on the subject matters of each work, I considered the mood of the exhibition was somewhat somber, maybe even hopeless. It's understandable that the college youth of today are bitter and ridden with despair but I think that is also where the faculty steps in and tries to mold some of the works in a more hopeful setting. Gloom and doom has been overdone, why not take a unique approach? I am not demanding flower power or anything, I just feel that art can still be dark and mysterious without the typical overtones. Art is the expression of the self but not much can be said about individualism when everyone is expressing the same exact thing.

To conclude, I give the Tidal Exhibition high marks on technical aspects but lower marks on originality. I tend to flock to more technically sound images, which I believe this exhibition contained. But if this body of work was to be examined solely on aesthetics, I don't think much could be said as everything is mired and bogged down in typicality and with a lack of individuality. The exhibition shows its strengths but also displays its weaknesses which I believe should be approached and rectified for the next batch of senior work.

- Erik Ellickson