Jurying an exhibit of artwork is typically a challenging, although fulfilling task for any artist and/or curator, yet being a juror during this Covid pandemic has further complications to consider. Myself, I am being thoughtful and deliberate with my day to day actions, in my teaching, and communication, and creativity. That same notion of creating breathing space is evident in this exhibition.

There were certain ideas that came to surface after my initial viewing of the work submitted. Whenever I am entering an institution and viewing work that I am not familiar with, it takes some time to get a bearing on what the commonalities and contrasts are within that creative community. My focus was to see where, and how, the dialogue was being activated, and to that end, what comes to the foreground. As a visual artist and educator, Craftsmanship is something that I lean on in order to understand the dedication of the artists I am viewing. Overall, excellent craftsmanship was a hallmark of the work selected, and is immediately evident in the 3-d works selected, such as Bulak’s “Forgive me Father”, and Coker’s “Jack is back”.

Appealing Aesthetic and Conceptual choices are the next things to consider, and Chipman’s “Washcloth and Soap” was a piece that fit that idea of innovative conceptual dialogue, as did Mebane’s tulip vases. Undeniably, awareness of Materiality and interest in Construction permeates the work on view, and Bybee’s work and Unger’s “Reflection of Home” come to the forefront.

Observation of Self and Community is a principle strategy utilized within the art shown; from Brown’s “Tattoo”, Fry and Goldie’s portrait works, as well as Stephen’s figurative paintings, that deftly raise the temperature of the expressive initiative in the works shown here.

College art juried exhibits also have to feature works that “push past” coursework assignment prompts, Transcending the learning objectives and navigating towards an original voice. From painting to digital design, textile and metalwork, printmaking and drawing, the work from Idaho State University’s art department does just that. Thank you for persevering through this unsteady time, as it is the creative thinkers of today that will be shaping our better tomorrows.                                                            

With my work I want people to feel the emotions that come from what we feel as human beings. I have been single more times than I like to admit. I remember the emotions I felt from the breakups. The ups the downs, the pain I felt with heartache. Do you understand the emotions of a single mother? Happy, sad, angry, and mad. I am part of that category; I found myself in a spot I never imagined I'd be in. Divorced, alone as a single mother with two handsome boys. I had to let go of a dream I had imagined. I Had to learn to let go of what was. Like the heart I had to be resilient to pick myself back up with every heartache. The Heart is a Muscle and like normal muscles in order to come back stronger they must stretch and rebuild. So, I myself with every tear I had to learn how to pick myself up not as the same person I was. But as a new version of myself. I had to learn to be independent relying on myself with no man by my side. I had to be the man in my life. I had to be the provider and work 2-3 jobs when my ex can’t hold one for very long. I've always thought of myself as the Tomboy tough girl but there have been times when I don’t feel that way. With my art I hope that you can feel some of the things I have felt. Art is a way I express what I am feeling it releases those emotions and puts them into my pieces. I love being able to sit down and let the world turn around me as I get lost in my own little art world.

My name is Stephen Aifegha, I was born in Lagos state; the western part of Nigeria often known as the New York of Nigeria, due to its metropolitan structure backed up with the daily hustle and bustle. My artistic practice is influenced by my identity and culture as an African, being born and raised in Nigeria; however, I like to identify myself more as African than “Nigerian”.

 I am a mixed media artist who uses original African fabrics and newsprint as a major element in my art. The African fabrics are used to show my identity and also give an insight that my subject or narrative concerns issues regarding the African continent and its diaspora, the newsprint, on the other hand, is used to make social commentary, statements that define the politics and narrative of my artistic expression.

My subject matter and narrative as a mixed media artist centers on historical, social, and cultural issues that concern Africa regarding cultural syncretism, identity issues, culture clash, and pride. My art is a sort of activism regarding these problems and issues faced by the continent of Africa. It draws back to pre-colonial and post-colonial setbacks that have caused tremendous distress for Africa today. 

I'm motivated by my pan-Africanist identity and beliefs which make me seek deeper meaning in my roots and origination, not only as a "negro" but as an African, as an African thinker, who now lives in the diaspora as I begin to develop an interest in issues related to culture, tradition, existentialism, and history as a primary source of inspiration towards making art. Pan-Africanism is, however, the principle or advocacy of the political union of all the indigenous inhabitants of Africa. It is also a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous and diaspora ethnic groups of African descent.  So, therefore, this movement has influenced my art and is a major influence in my artistic practice. 

Storytelling is interesting to me, specifically telling a story through scenes and world building. For example, the painting The Calamity From the Sky is a depiction of a meteor plummeting towards the ground. This could be potentially an event that has happened or will happen and I am painting the uncertainty. Currently a large portion of my work is focused on the form of landscapes while my drawings tend to be more figurative. While there is overlap of these subjects (land/figure) between both mediums, I have recently focused on landscapes when painting and figures while drawing. I believe paint and color more accurately depict an emotional space for the viewer than line, mainly due to how vivid and intense color can be with paint as well as the textures that I can make.

A major influence on my work is video games. I love exploring, interacting, and experiencing a story in fictional worlds (at least in my favorite games), so in my work, I seek to make my own world. While it may not be nearly as interactive as a video game is, I want to invoke similar feeling of immersion that a game can create, mainly the feeling that you can get when exploring a game world and realizing that you have walked into a tough area. This experience can lead to many reactions, but two notable ones are, “I need to get out of here,” and “I’m ready for this.”

My work reflects the relationship between humans and the natural world and how we are intertwined while simultaneously disconnected from nature. I believe humanity is in a constant struggle searching for a sense of self.

Many of us are trapped in individual sized vacuum chambers, inhibiting the ability to see the beauty that is around us. The same beauty that surrounds humanity that is slowly being diseased is capable of showing its own inherent value. A true characterization of a sense of self is to share the desire to either protect what is left of the world or slowly let it decay. It becomes easier to focus the lens when trivial matters are thrown to the side, even if momentarily. Sustainability for earth is not only the best answer to save the natural world; it's the only option we have. Sustainability is both an individual choice and a movement that involves political action, education, and a societal paradigm shift.

 The question I am asking in the work is, “is our sense of self genuinely built around how others perceive us, by our activities, passions, and personal pursuits? Or, rather, are we defined by our unwavering moral appetites, abilities to advocate, and hunger for revolutionary change?” The wrong questions are being asked when the search for a "sense of self" begins. The responsive and obvious question becomes, "who are you when life falls apart, when nobody is watching, when the choices you make are not about how you dress, how you politically affiliate yourself, your religion, or who you are associated with, but rather the individual resolve that is unwavering to what truly matters? It's time to forgo one's identity to find one's worth. Identity is nothing more than a platform in which people feel institutional validation. My work pleads with the viewer to put nature, morality, and humility on a pedestal so we can ask ourselves, "What can we do to help each other help the world?"