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November 5 , 2009

CSU Dominguez Hills Art Exhibition, “Figurative Dimensions,” Features Works by Tiiu Ashcraft and Russell McMillin

(Carson, CA) – Whether nude or fully cloaked, the human figure can demonstrate great power.  Two contemporary artists, Tiiu Ashcraft and Russell McMillin, use drawings and sculpture to explore the interfusion of physical and psychological strength in the figure. Twenty powerful ceramic female torsos by McMillin and five giant and dramatic charcoal/mixed media drawings of the male and female figure by Ashcraft will be exhibited at the University Art Gallery of California State University, Dominguez Hills.

The exhibition, “Figurative Dimensions,” opens Nov. 12 with a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The exhibition continues through Dec. 10.

McMillin’s “Power Culture Icon” is a series of fantastic figures covered in armor and dressed in corsets. An art instructor specializing in sculpture at El Camino College, McMillin says these figures “relate to the acquisition of power, cultural development and ultimately, society’s creation of iconic images. These sculptures incorporate influences and elements from pre-history, history, and contemporary society.”

Ashcraft’s highly charged drawings resonate with the conflict between male and female. The large-scale mixed-media nudes emphasize the beauty of the human form in what the artist describes as “a classical fine art context.” Ashcraft, who has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from CSU Long Beach, writes that she is exploring “the tension between beauty and depravity, visual seduction and disquiet.”

A conversation with the artists will take place at 6:15 p.m. during the opening reception of “Figurative Dimensions” on Nov. 12.

The exhibition and related events are sponsored by the Instructionally Related Activities Committee of the Associated Students, Inc.

Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, the University Art Gallery is located in room A-107 on the first floor of LaCorte Hall on the campus of CSU Dominguez Hills, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson, near the junction of the Harbor, Artesia and San Diego freeways. Admission to all gallery events is free.

For more information about the University Art Gallery and others shows in the 2009-10 season, visit http://cah.csudh.edu/art_gallery.

Convenient on-campus visitor parking for the University Art Gallery is available in Lot 6 with a permit. Permits are $4 and can be purchased at the yellow dispensing machine located in the parking lot. Enter the campus from Toro Center Drive off University Drive, or from Tamcliff Street off Victoria Street in the city of Carson.

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About CSU Dominguez Hills -- California State University, Dominguez Hills is a highly diverse, urban university located in the South Bay, primarily serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The university prides itself on its outstanding faculty and friendly, student-centered environment. Known for excellence in teacher education, nursing, psychology, business administration, and digital media arts, new degree programs include computer science, criminal justice, recreation and leisure studies, social work, and communication disorders. On campus is the Home Depot Center, a multi-purpose sports complex that hosts world-class soccer, tennis, track and field, lacrosse, and cycling.

Media Contact:
Laura Perdew
(310)  243-3264
lperdew@csudh.edu

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