MSC exhibit showcases the influence of profs on students

“Response,” an art exhibit showcasing mentorship’s immutable influence in works by Texas A&M College of Architecture professors and their current and past students, is on display at the Texas A&M [Memorial Student Center] (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Memorial+Student+Center/@30.612368,-96.3414782,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x90311327f8c2221d!8m2!3d30.612282!4d-96.341376) ’s Reynolds Gallery.

Presented by the Memorial Student Center Visual Arts Committee, the show will be on display through Sept. 9, 2018. A reception will be held 3-5 p.m. Aug. 22 in the gallery.

Featuring a variety of media, from traditional oil paintings to digital prints, the body of work shows direct and indirect ways college artists have influenced each other and the creative impact of the mentor/student relationship.

“In the respective work of a professor and a student, it is possible to identify not only what is similar — the chosen medium, use of color, or subject matter ­— but also what is in direct contrast,” according to a curatorial statement by the MSC Visual Arts Committee. “No piece is an exact mirror of the other, but is instead seen as a reverberation or a response to the other. (We) seek to show how artists and their professors have a continuous relationship that is always at work – influencing, inspiring and most importantly, growing.”

In one pairing, Glen Vigus, visualization lecturer, and his student Daniel Zamora, submitted highly saturated, stylized portraits that show a clear influence from artist to student.

Marcel Erminy, associate professor of practice, and his student Ana Larrañaga, submitted digital architectural photographs: the Design Hub in Barcelona, Spain and the Texas A&M Emerging Technologies Building respectively. While the subjects of their art are similar, the style of photography differs greatly. Erminy’s piece is a zoomed in, whimsically angled shot of brightly colored escalators, while Larrañaga’s work captures a darker, moodier view of a building from a distance, incorporating skylines and surrounding landscapes.

The exhibit includes work from four additional professors: Krista Steinke, Felice House, Russell Reid, and Karen Hillier, and 12 former and current students.

Sarah Wilson
swilson@arch.tamu.edu