School of Art at George Mason University: February 2011

Friday, February 25, 2011

Thomas Stanley Brown Bag Discussion, Center for Consciousness and Transformation

Tuesday, March 1, 2011, 12-1:15PM
Johnson Center, Gold Room (Lower Level)

The end of history or the end of the world, some type of ontological collapse, is written into the mythologies of many cultures including the judeo-christian archetypes that are still quite resonant in our presumably secular society. Unfortunately, where last days prognostications are taken most seriously, they are also taken most literally and in those dim quarters, the end of the world is painted in the gloomiest colors of catastrophe and travail. The world we inhabit is as much a creation of our discursive manipulations over time and through language as it is the product of physics. The manner in which we inhabit a virtual symbolic world has eclipsed in salience, importance, and immediacy our habitation in what used to be called the real world. (Which is now, of course, just a very bad television show.) Hardware apocalypse is when everything melts, burns, or blows up and humanity along with it. Seems very wasteful. Can we talk in the twenty-first century about something like a software apocalypse? That is, a modification of or an accretion to language and/or how it is used that is so massive in its ontological consequences that we, in effect, experience the end of the world created under the old semantic order. Join Dr. Stanley as he uses his experience in life and music to explore and perhaps make palatable something he calls "velvet apocalypse".

ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Thomas Stanley is...
    * Ethnomusicologist specializing in new and emerging musical practices, especially as these relate to the collective experience of temporal texture on a macro-scale (i.e., history).
    * Author of George Clinton and P-Funk: an Oral History (1998).
    * On-air music programmer at WPFW-FM presenting an amazing array of underground and experimental musics.

TOPIC DISCUSSION VIA PB WIKI
We invite you to respond to the following question prior to the presentation on March 1 on the CCT Brown Bag Wiki: What does the expression "I-and-I" mean to you? Source it, interpret it, and connect it, if possible to our discussions of consciousness and its transformations.

If you’ve already signed on to the list, you can go directly to the question prompt by following this link: https://cctbbag.pbworks.com/w/page/36203673/March-2011-Brown-Bag

If you'd like to join the list but haven't, please contact Martha Souder at msouder@gmu.edu.

RSVP via PINGG
Please let us know whether you’ll be attending or not. You should soon receive an invitation from Stacey Guenther for a PINGG evite. Please respond there. If you have trouble accessing the evite, please respond here. We’re asking you to respond, so we can ensure we have enough space to accommodate everyone.

BE THERE, Even if You Can’t Be There
For members of the community who can’t physically attend, University Life will be streaming the presentation, so you can be there without physically being there. This should be especially beneficial to those of you on the Arlington and Prince William campuses. To view a live stream of the event, go to http://www.livestream.com/universitylifelive

Design Competition

A new non-profit group, The Red Truck Foundation, is launching its campaign with a logo design competition. RTF is an organization that works to bring emergency care services to third world countries. RTF recognizes the lack of infrastructure in many of these developing nations - and has found a solution through the use of motorcycle ambulances. Through the competition initiative the organization hopes to not only bring awareness to its cause, but to also encourage creativity across the design community. Logo entries are due by midnight on March 10, 2011. Entries can only be made by individuals, and must be original graphics. There will be two rounds of voting - the first will be conducted by the public, and the second by a jury panel selected by RTF. The final winner of the competition will win $300, and the opportunity to showcase his/her talents. Your design can be the first response. Save lives with a creative design. To learn more about RTF and how you can participate in the competition please visit their website: www.redtruckfoundation.org, or search The Red Truck Foundation on Facebook.

Graduate Student Exhibition

The Graduate Student Exhibition runs from Monday, February 28-Friday, March 11 in the Fine Art Gallery, School of Art. The opening reception will be held on Wednesday, March 2 from 6-8pm.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Chinese Scrolls from the Collection of Dr. Chi Wang

The School of Art invites you to the reception for an exhibition of Chinese scroll paintings from the collection of Dr. Chi Wang on Thursday, February 24, 2011 from 6 to 8 PM in the Mason Hall Atrium Gallery. The reception will be preceded by a panel of scholars within the gallery who will discuss the works on view and provide some background for these fine works.

This exhibition is jointly supported by the Confucius Institute and the School of Art at George Mason University.

Call for Works: BITE: identity and humor

BITE: identity and humor
Juror Jefferson Pinder
Exhibition dates: June 23-July 30, 2011

Application Deadline: March 31, 2011

Eligibility: All artists, 18 years and older, living in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia are eligible.

Acceptable Works: All media including video and new media. Work installed in the gallery must fit through standard double doors, 8H x 6W. All work must be ready for installation with proper hanging devices if needed and instructions where necessary.

Described by the juror, Jefferson Pinder, "Humor is one of the best tools to open dialogue about heavy issues...For this exhibition, artists are asked to use irony, sarcasm, and wit to shed light on issues of personal struggle in mainstream society. Artists are asked to create and share work that challenges historical, societal, and cultural norms that dictate expectations of who we are supposed to be. The selected work does not have to be funny as much as insightful."

Full prospectus:http://www.restonarts.org/Exhibitions/ProspectusBITE.pdf

Each application requires an online application through Juried Art Serviceswww.juriedartservices.com and must include the following:

1. Non - refundable application fee: $10 for GRACE members, $35 non-members
2. 10 works or 3 videos, resume, artist statement, link to artist website if available

For questions or additional information please call Greater Reston Arts Center at 703.471.9242 or visithttp://www.restonarts.org/Exhibitions/Exhibit-Opps.htm

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Pop Up Class with Carol Barton

Photo from last night's Pop Up Book class taught by Carol Barton. Sponsored by the GMU Printmaking Guild, the event was from 1:30 to 7 PM in the printmaking studio. There was a large turnout for the workshop and lots of paper engineering and bookmaking techniques were offered.

Ms. Barton gave a presentation on the history of pop ups, which were originally made for the scientific and medical communities. Only much later did they become a popular format for children's books.

The artist is currently teaching at the Corcoran and other venues around the country. Techniques taught were from her books: The Pocket Paper Engineer, Volumes 1 & 2.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Artist in Residence Opportunity

Independent Day School seeks Artist in Residence. Enthusiastic working artist sought for production of own work during 5 week on campus residency in either October or February. Ability/willingness to provide K-12 students access to their artistic thoughts and processes a necessity. Stipend, housing, and public studio provided. Application Deadline March 1, 2011. Send: letter of interest/intent, resume, list of references and phone numbers, 10 images of own work and SASE for return of images to: Todd Johnson, c/o WebbSchool, 9800 Webb School Drive, Knoxville, TN 37923.