Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC), A Maricopa Community College, is committed to making art and art education accessible to its students and the community. As part of that and the college's Visual Arts Exhibition program, EMCC brings, "Alterations: A Juried Exhibition of Art Cloth," from the national ArtCloth Network (www.artclothnetwork.com) to the Avondale campus through January 25, 2008 and is also expanding its visual arts programming for students beginning this spring semester, starting January 12, 2007.
Alterations
The contemporary exhibition of hand created fabric evolves from the traditional crafts of batik, shibori, quilting, and mudcloth. With roots in Asia, Africa and the Americas, art cloth follows the crafts of basketry, metalwork, ceramics, and glass as it moves from the production of strictly functional objects into the realm of artistic expression. The action of creating cloth is physical - lifting cloth into buckets of dye, washing, ironing, stretching, folding, embellishing, and smoothing. There exists an ongoing interaction with the evolving spirit of the cloth - an interaction that continues as others view the work and contemplate what is expressed.
The pieces in "Alterations" depict life events that have altered individuals, communities, societies, the planet, and/or universe. The artists invite the Estrella Mountain community to be altered as they encounter and contemplate the meaning of these works. The exhibition can be visited on the Estrella Mountain campus in two buildings; Komatke and Estrella Hall, now through January 25, 2007.
Visual Arts Programming
Estrella Mountain will now be offering a digital filmmaking course (TCM225 Filmmaking: Fusing Art and Technology, section 2011) that will focus on experimental film and avant-garde cinema and video. The course will survey some of the key historical figures in the 20th century and introduce contemporary players in video and new media art. The course will also take a critical look at Hollywood and the film industry. In addition to developing a historical appreciation, the course will also introduce students to technical methods for experimental video production, including stop-motion animation, video for/from the web, digital imaging for video, basic audio and video editing/production, open source software tools for content creation, and basic DVD creation.
Students who are interested in traditional art may enroll in Estrella Mountain's painting class (ART167: Painting, section 1549) where students will explore the technical and expressive possibilities of various painting media in easel painting. Students will learn to prepare and stretch a canvas, how to mix colors, various painting techniques, and basic color theory. Contemporary artists will be studied and students will have the opportunity to create their own art.
Public and visual arts are part of the culture at Estrella Mountain Community College. Built in 1992, the EMCC campus demonstrates its commitment to the arts in the architecture of its buildings, the consistent use of its visual exhibition cases and the courses it offers to its students and local community.