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Art for Visual Arts’ Sake

The Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture invited four outstanding artists to display their creations in Spectrum: 2017 Visual Arts Faculty Exhibition on November 2 taking place at UMBC’s very Fine Arts center. These artists include Eric Dyer, Corrie Parks, Peggy Re and Sarah G. Sharp. Spectrum is available for attendance starting Nov. 2 until Dec. 16. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is encouraged that students visit this exhibit for the beauty the artists have produced, which is highly unique and mesmerizing.

Each artist introduced the spectators to individual, extraordinary perspectives which flourished with imagination and meaning. Walking around and viewing these artists’ pieces, one cannot help but be enchanted and in awe. Each artist’s style prompts the viewer to recognize a deeper level of thinking. Art attaches people to introspection, and this exhibition is the perfect place to do just that.

Eric Dyer’s pieces utilize motion in a magnificent way. From afar, his pieces seem to depict detailed patterns. However, after closely approaching the piece, one is likely to find different forms of items that we commonly know such as statues or buildings. Additionally, the canvas is partnered with both strobe lights and interactive motion. The combination of motion, intricate, tiny details, and strobe lighting transforms the initial  piece and encourages it to evolve into an entirely new visual experience. One might be touched by how easily change can transpire, and yet how each form, both stationary and mobile, is beautiful.

Sarah G. Sharp’s pieces introduced fabric and embroideries to photographs. Many of her pieces consist of embroidered thread and found images. It is a simplistic yet astonishing fresh form of art. Sharp combined two already relevant forms of art (embroidery and photography) to create a realm for future artists to explore.

All of the artists presented an extraordinary, individualized interpretation of traditional art. One artist used motion while another use a magnifying mechanism to create art. Art has an endless capacity for styles, techniques and individual interpretations. However, art’s sole purpose can also to just be art; in other words, a piece of art’s main mission may be to simply bring visual pleasure. Some pieces don’t reflect meaning or convey an inner theme.

These pieces suggest that the mere visual aspects of the piece represent the meaning a spectator is scrutinizing the art for. Merely the exposure of emotion can leave a piece of art’s legacy fulfilled. Art is what the spectator wants it to be. It means what the spectator needs it to mean. That is the beauty of art. It is limitless. It is nondiscriminatory. It is voiceless, yet it is loud. It is mesmerizing. It is doubt-inducing. It is self-expressive. It is art.