The UO Cultural Forum and the EMU have come together to provide an environment for new and experienced artists.
Three different on-campus galleries are available for students to display their photographs, illustrations, writing and other forms of aesthetic inspiration.
The Aperture Gallery, which is located near the food court on the second floor of the EMU, specializes in photograph exhibits compiled by University students.
This month, University graduate student Mick Briscoe has his latest exhibit featured in the EMU Aperture Gallery. Briscoe graduated from the University in 1975 and has recently returned to begin work on his master’s program in fine arts photography.
After graduating with a degree in architecture, Briscoe took his first photography class at a community college in 1978.
“After that first experience, I knew photography would be an extremely important part of my life,” Briscoe said.
From there, Briscoe’s work accelerated at a rampant pace. The following years found him collaborating with legendary photographers Ansel Adams and John Sexton.
“Just being around such talent would make anyone a much better artist,” Briscoe said.
Briscoe’s exhibit will be on display throughout the month of April.
Daniel Karp, assistant visual arts coordinator for the Cultural Forum, is encouraging students from all fields and interests to submit their work to the gallery exhibits.
“We are in the process of an aggressive search for artists,” Karp said.
The search includes regular themes that continually evolve within the different galleries. Even with a well-thought process for selecting themes, however, Karp does not want new artists to feel intimidated by the program.
“Submitting your work to the Cultural Forum is a fairly informal process,” he said. “We’re here to support the artists.”
Aside from the Aperture Gallery, the Cultural Forum also features work in The Buzz coffeehouse and the Adell McMillan Gallery, which is located near the EMU Ballroom. The Buzz features a mix of photos, artwork and creative writing, while the McMillan Gallery provides a great variety of works, including some national exhibits, Karp said.
Most student exhibits are featured for a month, unless there is an abundance of student interest in the galleries.
Last month, the gallery featured the exhibits “Places with Different Faces” and “India,” which were created by Sridevi Palanivelu.
Palanivelu said her first exhibit, “Places with Different Faces,” aimed to show her audience a broad range of emotional and personal experiences of cultures from around the globe.
“I want my exhibit to inspire students to seek a greater cultural experience outside of school,” Palanivelu said.
Her second exhibit, “India,” is an attempt to highlight the simplicity of Indian life that flourishes underneath the surface.
“On the surface of Indian culture you see chaos, things like hashish and reckless abandon,” Palanivelu said. “India is so much more than that. I want to rip apart the illusion of bohemianism that so many Americans have of Indian culture.”
The photographs for “India” were all shot in black and white film in an effort to further emphasize the theme of simplicity.
Any University student interested in starting his or her own exhibit can submit works to the UO Cultural Forum.
“I want to see these galleries contribute to the greater art community on campus,” Karp said. “In the near future, we could have students producing, reviewing and organizing art on campus. It’s a great opportunity for everyone involved.”