Paper Machine: Artwork by Caitlin Harris

Paper Machine : Artwork by Caitlin Harris

Paper Machine is a multimedia and interactive art exhibition of artwork created by Boise based artist, Caitlin Harris. This exhibition will be on display until Friday, February 4th on the 4^th floor of the Fine Arts Building in the Compartment Gallery room 408.

Caitlin will be the juror for this year's Annual Undergraduate Art Exhibition and Scholarship Competition.

Caitlin's Artist Statement

Paper Machine explores how oppressive systems are embedded in the operations of media technology, from the book and beyond. The mechanisms of media are often hidden in forms we take for granted; forms so integrated into our histories that their operations become invisible to us. I analyze how the hidden mechanics of media perpetuate patriarchal thinking, and how their mechanisms may be artistically repurposed to oppose it. There is an inseparable entanglement between communication media and social hierarchies. A bookis a container for language, a sequence of codes that shape our understanding. The alphabet is a model for classification and is instrumental in developing ideas such as abstraction, analysis, rationality, and individualism. These aspects position us to make broad declarations and compel us to thinkin terms of hierarchical organization. This mode of thinking contributes to the pervasiveness of patriarchal power. It operates below the fold of our consciousness, invisiblyshaping our conceptual framework and relationships in the world.

The workin Paper Machine confronts paradoxical stereotypes and unattainable behavioral norms women are expected to inhabit in a patriarchal society. Cynthia Enloe describes patriarchy as“a searchlight, a concept that can enable us to see what we otherwise might miss: the connective tissues between large and small,subtle and blatant forms of racialized sexism, gendered misogyny and masculinized privilege.” Expectations of gender identitycompress women into narrowly prescribed ways of being, and create conditions that make them vulnerable to violence. Utilizing interactive time based sculpture and printing, the work dismantles expectations of gender and critiques the construction of gender norms. Content is hidden or revealed through the actions of the viewer. Intricatelyfolded paper sculptures and outdated media delivery devices transform information and serve as metaphors for hidden obstacles to equityin our society. The project enacts a sequential mode of discoveryrelating to the form of the book, and explores the intimate and temporal interaction that occurs between a reader and a text. By demonstrating or disrupting modes of communication, their invisible structures and our complicityin them may become visible. The structures that mediate our interactions in society and govern our behavior are always present; they are hidden and ubiquitous. Patriarchal structures enact real consequences for actual people, and in order to end this oppression we must do the workto recognize and change how we interact with these structures.

Paper Machine Reception: Compartments 2021

Mute-O-Scope 2020, mixed media, laser printed flip book, acrylic tube, animation mechanism, and clear acrylic rods

Proof, 2021: flexigon printed with toner on printer's tympan

Paper Machine Reception: Hold, Balance, Offer 2021

Lack/Lust Paradox, 2020: installation view

Lack/Lust Paradox, 2020: Suppress detail, multimedia

Lack/Lust Paradox, 2020: Lust detail, multimedia

Lack/Lust Paradox, 2020: Spread detail, multimedia

Music Makers and Dreamers of Dreams: Artwork by Mel Anderson

Music Makers and Dreamers of Dreams Announcement

Music Makers and Dreamers of Dreams showcases the artwork and sketches of Mel Anderson. This exhibition will be on display until Thursday, January 27th in the John B. Davis Gallery on the main floor of the Fine Arts Building room 105.

Music Makers and Dreamers of Dreams Reception

Self-Portrait, sculpture by Mel Anderson

2022 Undergraduate Art Exhibition and Scholarship Competition

2022 Annual Undergraduate Art Exhibition

The 2022 Undergraduate Art Exhibition and Scholarship Competition will be on display in the John B. Davis Gallery from March 28th through April 7th. The John B. Davis Gallery is located on the main floor of the Fine Arts Building. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from noon to 6:00 pm.

Caitlin Harris acted as the juror for this year's exhibition. Caitlin is a multidisciplinary artist, printer, and designer. She is the co-proprietor of Wheelhouse Press and an adjunct instructor in the Boise State University Department of Art, Design & Visual Studies.

Students who had artwork accepted into this year's exhibition include: Shawntel Dayton, Kassidy McCurry, Emily King, Kristal Herrera, Emily Mebane, Ila Garrido, Marissa Empey, Krista Smylie, Kayla Wolanski, Mariah Larson, Debra Black Bear Smith, Helen O’Hara, Jeff Davies, West Goldie, Miranda Sutherland, Neena Ashby, Sierra Fry, Beauyn Nichols, Morgan White, Myah Hoover, Ian Johnson, and Sarah Austill.

Juror's Statement:

Jurying the 2022 Undergraduate Art Exhibition and Scholarship Competition offered an opportunity to examine the ideas, techniques, and materials that students are engaged with during this unique time and place. Selecting works for the exhibition from the incredibly strong group of submissions was both a challenge and an honor. The diversity in medium, strategy, and content intrigued me. I was impressed by the level of conceptual development communicated through the work. Each piece I selected effectively communicated its message.

Technical skills and craftsmanship matter in a work of art. More essential however, is how the technique moves beyond process to enhance the meaning of the image or object. I was particularly drawn to the tactility and function of works like Beauyn Nichols’ Chained Gauntlet, and Debra Black Bear’s Kaleidoscope. These pieces have a relationship to the body that tangibly engages the viewers’ perception. Helen OHara’s Twin Sisters of Different Mothers, utilizes a complex technique to weave a coded narrative between strategically placed stitches across two textiles.

It is essential for art students to take risks and push beyond comfortable artistic territory. These moments of experimentation and innovation are evident in this collection of work. In Sarah Austill’s Grief, symbolic images seem to float inside illusionary three-dimensional panels, giving the work a unique sense of space. Each level of Mariah Larson’s multi-layered paper-cut composition, Deep Dive stands on its own. When the overlapping layers are combined, complex juxtapositions emerge.

In the evaluation of work created with more traditional mediums like drawing and painting, I sought out pieces that demonstrated technical ability, fluency in the principles of design, and the conceptual impact of the subject matter. The color palette in Sierra Fry’s Remains creates a subtle tension and gives the industrial structure an otherworldly feel. West Goldie’s Coronation of West demonstrates a developed sensitivity, utilizing high contrast chiaroscuro to illuminate the celestial

The artworks in this exhibition communicate meaningfully, pushing the boundaries of the mediums in which they are created. Throughout the jurying process, I was continually impressed by the original ideas, technical accomplishments, and conceptual breakthroughs the students demonstrated. I have immense gratitude for the opportunity to evaluate this diverse body of work. Sincere thanks to the dedicated faculty in the art department at Idaho State University and to all the students who submitted artwork.

Coronation of West, West Goldie - oil paint on canvas

Traditional Style Flower Necklace, Miranda Sutherland - brass, copper, and cultured freshwater pearls

Kaleidoscope, Debra Black Bear Smith - metals

Gorget, Jeff Davies - sterling silver and anodized aluminum

What Did I Do Wrong, Sarah Austill - acrylic

2022 High School Art Exhibition at I.S.U.

The 2022 High School Art Exhibition at I.S.U. will be on display in the Compartment Gallery from March 28th through April 7th. The Compartment Gallery is located on the 4^th floor of the Fine Arts Building. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from noon to 6:00 pm.

The Mask of Van Gogh, Makinlee Anderson from Grace Lutheran

Submerged, Mila Gabiola from Highland High School

Happy Birthday, Lynn Moniz from Pocatello High School

Droplets, Clare Earnest from Pocatello High School

Lulu, Shauntae Ramirez from Century High School

Bowie, Madi Hoagland from Grace Lutheran

Outside Influence, Stailey Goodworth from Snake River High School

Frog Couple, Kennedy Jones from Highland High School

The Lady and the Bird, Madi Hoagland from Grace Lutheran

2022 B.F.A. Senior Thesis Exhibition

2022 B.F.A. Exhibition Announcement

The 2022 B.F.A. Senior Thesis Exhibition will be on display in the Compartment Gallery on the fourth floor of the Fine Arts Building room 408. This exhibition showcases the artwork of Selena Torres and Ian Johnson. Their artwork will be on display in the gallery from 4/18 through 4/29.

The Compartment Gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 12:00 until 6:00pm.

Study in Line: G, Ian Johnson, bronze and steel

2022 B.F.A. Senior Thesis Exhibition: Artwork by Salena Torres and Ian Johnson

Gallery Reception for the 2022 B.F.A. Senior Thesis Exhibition

Some Things Don't Change, Selena Torres, oil on canvas

You Before Me, Selena Torres, oil on canvas

2022 B.A. Senior Thesis Exhibition

2022 BA Exhibition Announcement

The 2022 B.A. Senior Thesis Exhibition will be on display in the John B. Davis Gallery on the main floor of the Fine Arts Building room 105. This exhibition showcases the artwork of graduating seniors Rebecca Harkness, Gina Scharbrough, Mariah Larson, Juliann Hollingsworth, and Alex Hartwig. Their artwork will be on display in the gallery from 4/18 through 4/29.

The John B. Davis Gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 12:00 until 6:00pm.