Senior Art Show: The Class of 2007 Celebrates Talent and the Future

Each spring, as graduating seniors in the California State University, Dominguez Hills Art Department prepare to receive their diplomas, there is one more celebration to take part in before commencement. The Annual Student Art Exhibition was held in the University Art Gallery on May 10 with family, friends and supporters from the community in attendance.

Kathy Zimmerer, director of the University Art Gallery, sums up the celebratory spirit of the evening, saying, “This year’s graduating class has produced work of outstanding originality and quality, and met the high expectations of their professors. The professors have worked closely with the students, and new faculty members have infused the department with an energy and creativity that has melded with the great expertise of senior faculty members.”

“This is by far the strongest show we have had since I have joined Dominguez Hills five years ago,” says the Art Department chair and assistant professor of graphic arts, Michele Allan. “In graphic design, the show reflects strong professional standards from concept, execution and presentation. This is also the first time we have had such a variety of media in studio art, from painting to sculpture and mix-media, thanks to Jim Keville’s (assistant professor of art) contribution this year as a full-time faculty member.”

In creating the works, which include motion graphics, packaging projects, painting and sculpture, the students drew from a variety of inspirations, ranging from cultural heritage to the subconscious imagination.

Mariam Zubin is driven to create by her pride in her Afghan heritage and a wish for reform in that country’s treatment of women. Her mixed media sculpture, “Entrapment,” illustrates the “inability to escape from tyranny and terror for the women of Afghanistan.

“Not only is she wearing a burqa, but she is caged in,” Zubin points out. “She is missing a hand and her legs. Above her, the razor wire is trapping her in. She can see out in front of her and above her, but can’t escape either way.”

Zubin plans to take a semester off after graduation and work on a portfolio before applying to a master’s program in fine arts. While she is focused on creating more statements about the plight of Afghan women, her body of work focuses on depicting nonpolitical aspects of the culture, as well as a sense of hope.

“I’m half Afghan and half German,” she says. “Even though I’ve never been there, I have a deep pride in Afghanistan, even though this is my country. ‘When She Believes,’ is an homage to my grandmother. In the background is a mosque in Mazari Sharif, where my father was born. The woman in the painting is reflecting on how she believes her country can go back to where it used to be.”

David Gray fell in love with graphic design when he took a course in high school. He enjoyed “the opportunity to express myself inside and show the world what’s going on inside my head.” As an intern at the Packaging Corporation of America, Gray has had the opportunity to enhance his education with professional experience, resulting in a job offer upon graduation. He also designed the cover for a recent CSUDH class schedule, which featured an iconic image, the college sweatshirt. The image is now featured on the homepage of the campus web site.

“Being an intern has been a more valuable experience than I could ever imagine,” he says. “It showed me the full spectrum of the profession, as far as working with other people and their requests, and compromising your own design to make the job work. It’s a very rewarding feeling that I’m sure every artist feels when they complete a project and everything locks into place.”

Gray echoes the feelings of many of his classmates when he describes one of their greatest influences, “Michele Allan always had encouragement and pushed our abilities. Throughout the years, I saw all of my classmates, including myself, develop. We’ve got a strong program here, and we’re only getting better.”

Andre Jackson transferred from San Diego State University two years ago to complete his bachelor’s degree in art, a goal that had been derailed for nearly two decades as he worked as an event florist.

“I’ve been in and out of college for a while, so I’m happy to find myself finishing in art, because it’s where my heart is,” he notes. “I had wanted to be an illustrator, but I never thought I could draw, so I was frustrated. Floral design is kind of like being a sculptor, so it seemed like a natural progression to come back to art.”

Jackson’s work features his love of contrast and texture. “I like to create a sense of quiet juxtaposed with something very textural, or chaotic,” he says. “My painting ‘Passage’ seems very passive, with a quiet field. But then, there’s the force of this tornado coming at this unknowing figure. I like the idea of creating that kind of tension in my pieces.”

After taking a year off to work on his portfolio, Jackson plans on applying to graduate schools in the fall of 2008. He says he is inspired most by “the energy of people. I like to observe their daily lives, try to find what seems like an ordinary situation and reveal a very intimate part of the experience.”

As a child, Jennifer Hopkins was inspired to become a designer by looking at billboards and signs.

“It made me wonder, ‘Would it be possible for me to do that?’” she recalls. “I wanted to put my impression on the world of what I feel design should be.”
Hopkins often imbues her designs with a retro aesthetic, as in her packaging designs for a collection of 1950s jazz CDs. She hopes to someday create billboards of her own, or do magazine layouts, and will be putting her portfolio together and job hunting after graduation. She feels that one of her responsibilities towards her craft is to help destroy negative stereotypes of African Americans in advertising.

“Being African American, I want to continue the positive portrayals of us out there, and show other people that we don’t always have negative connotations behind us,” she says. “I would love to get that out there about my culture.”

Hopkins also gives kudos to Allan, saying that, “She focuses on you and what’s good about you, encouraging us to put that in our work and make it ours. Also, our classes are a lot smaller than most schools, so it helps us get that kind of one-on-one experience with our professors.”

The Artist of the Year Award was presented to Andre Jackson by Nancy Severtson of the City of Carson Fine Arts and Historical Commission. Standard Wire and Cable, located in nearby Rancho Dominguez, enlisted the services of CSUDH graphic design students to design their catalog in 1991 and 2006. The company’s president, Russ Skrable, his partner, Dick Hampikion, and catalog publishers RR Donnelley presented the Best Graphic Designer of the Year Award to Henry Villalta Cruz, along with a $500 scholarship. Two Excellence in Design Awards were given by Electronic Arts and Walser’s Art Supply to Crystal Bergado and Jennifer Hopkins, respectively.

Corporate support was also bestowed upon studio art graduates, with the Excellence in Studio Art Award presented to Mariam Zubin by Lyons Art Supply & Frame Co. of Long Beach, and to Daniel Perez, by Pathology, Inc. The latter scholarship is sponsored by CSUDH alumnus Dennis Sevilla (Class of ’91), the company’s director of operations, and Rollie Rebuelta, its chief financial officer.

Assistant professor of art Jim Keville recognized the students who were graduating with honors in the major. They are Edith Asker Chipman, Abdallah Ibrahim, Bridget Bojorquez, Michelle Wray, Donna Cruz, Sonya Edmonds, and Brandy Reese.

Professor of art Gilah Yelin Hirsch describes what drives the class of 2007 to success.

“As artists, they understand that the more personal their imagery is, the more universally powerful it is,” she says. “They are beginning to feel confident as artists and allow themselves to take even greater risks. My hope is that through this experience, they will learn to trust their feelings and intuition, not only in making art, but in their lives in general, which is the ultimate creative process.”

- Joanie Harmon-Whetmore

Photos above, top to bottom:

Henry Villalta Cruz shows off Tantrum Threads, a casual clothing line he developed for a class project. He plans to actually produce the line for consumers after he graduates.

Ilona Finta's art is inspired by memories of her childhood in Hungary and by her subconcious imagination.

David Gray has learned to use design creativity and marketing sense to fit the needs of his clients as a graphic artist.

Andre Jackson incorporates his love of observation and nature in his paintings.