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College of Arts and Sciences Fine Arts

Shaking hands with the past

Nathan OroscoFor artist Nathan Orosco (’02 MFA), the process of making art is an art in itself. From sculpting clays to melting bronze, “you’re collaborating with raw materials. You’re shaking hands with the past and the historic ways humans have traditionally dealt with those materials. And then I add in the content of my own personal identity.”

Cast bronze, fused glass, ceramics, textiles, wood, and other media take shape in Orosco’s art that speaks of his social, political, and » More …

Art for Social Change showcase and winners

Monica Ward plays the piano.The annual Art for Social Change Competition and Showcase shines a light on local artwork that express the significance of social justice, community building and black history. This year, accepted works were featured in a public exhibition in the Fine Arts Gallery 3 and awards presented by co-sponsoring departments across campus.

Students from all campuses were invited to submit creative work in one of four categories: Remembering MLK, Social Justice in » More …

Curating community and conversation

Sydney MurphyWSU senior Sidney Murphy, curator of a special six-week exhibit at WSU’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, sees art as a path to a more honest, open, and liberating future.

Standing in front of the four panels of Myriads, Only by Dark by Julie Mehretu, Murphy says of the Ethiopian-American artist, “Mehretu focuses a lot on topology, maps, the connections we have between places—that’s my interpretation. This idea of place is messy, of where we come from, really messy.” She tosses off a small laugh. “You can’t really follow one line.” » More …

Undergraduate curates exhibit for Black History Month

Sidney Murphy discussing work on display in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.Anthropology senior Sidney Murphy thinks it’s important that people of all ethnicities connect with art and that art can help us celebrate culture.

Murphy, who is also earning a minor in exhibition studies, selected works of four prominent black artists from the collections of Jordan Schnitzer and his family foundation for a special six-week “Social Space” exhibit at WSU’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

“Black artists and ethnic artists are the lowest-represented at art museums — and especially black women,” Murphy said. The four featured artists–– » More …

‘Venn Pirouettes’ exhibition blends art and science

MIchael SchultheisWSU alumnus Michael Schultheis finds dynamic synergies between the languages of mathematics and art. He employs analytical formula within his luminous paintings and sculptures. His works bend mathematical precision into imperfect visions, creating room for metaphors and storytelling.

Raised on a rural family farm near the Snake River in southeast Washington, Schultheis was awarded a bachelor’s degree in honors economics » More …

Fine Arts gallery showcases faculty work

Artwork by David Janssen Jr.When looking for art on campus, you might think only of the crimson cube of the recently opened Schnitzer art museum. But did you know there are several galleries in the Fine Arts building where WSU students and professors often exhibit their work?

Recently, David Janssen Jr., an art instructor with a specialty in 2D foundations, displayed a collection of his paintings entitled “Between Us” in Gallery 2. » More …

Fine arts alumna designs, shares iconic drawing

coloring book pageColoring isn’t just for kids any more: many mental health professionals say it’s a good way for adults to destress.

Thanks to Seattle artist and 2005 fine arts grad Tarah Luke, WSU is now part of the landscape. Luke found her niche in the adult coloring book industry and drew an abstract version of the iconic Bryan Hall clock tower for her fellow Cougars and Cougs at heart everywhere.

Luke was profiled in the Washington State Magazine Summer 2016 issue: read the full story below and download the coloring page! » More …

Undergraduate Symposium highlights research and art

student explains research projectStudents highlighted their semester course projects, research, and art as part of the fall Undergraduate Research Symposium and Art Exhibition at WSU Tri-Cities.

“The symposium and art exhibition provides our students with an excellent opportunity to practice communicating their research and course projects, which is an essential skill for when they go out into the professional environment,” said Allison Matthews, clinical assistant professor of psychology. » More …

Awards empower arts prof to pursue research, creativity in India

Io Palmer in the sculpture studioMixed-media sculptor and Washington State University associate professor of fine arts Io Palmer uses her artistic skills to explore complex social issues and her teaching skills to inspire future artists.

Inaugural recipient of the Berry Family Distinguished Professorship in Liberal Arts at WSU, Palmer recently received a Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award and is preparing to deploy her diverse skills in new ways in a new environment. » More …

Viewing the ordinary with new eyes

Drawing by Avantika BawaSporting a Portland Trail Blazers jersey, artist and Washington State University Vancouver associate professor of fine arts Avantika Bawa is talking about her new solo show at the Portland Art Museum.

The show, which opened Aug. 18, includes almost two dozen drawings of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum where the Blazers won their most recent championship … in 1977. The drawings are inspired by Bawa’s fascination — her “obsession,” as she says — with the coliseum. “Some people find it extremely boring, but I chose to take this building and put it on a pedestal and » More …