Annual Senior Art Show Highlights Talent, Diversity and Community

The opening reception for “Annual Student Art Exhibition: B.A. Graduates” exhibit on May 11 (exhibit runs through May 21 in the University Art Gallery) showcased not only the artistic talent of students at California State University, Dominguez Hills, but the high levels of community engagement and preparation for professional success the university’s art department provides.

Melinda Guzman, a California State University Board of Trustee member, happened to be visiting the Carson campus and attended the reception with President Mildred García. She says that the exhibit, which highlights work by graduating studio art and graphic and digital art majors represents “a tribute to the work [the university is] doing here, both from an academic standpoint and with the students.”

“This exhibit captures the essence of what we would hope to bring to students throughout California,” she notes, “which is an appreciation of the diversity of art, which can be used both for commercial purposes as well as the beauty of whatever is in the eye of the beholder. I’m very impressed by the community’s support. You’ve got a full house here from all walks of life, which I think speaks to the diversity of the art as well as the diversity of the people in the room.”

Art department chair Michele Bury-White says that this show reveals a level of student skill that is “getting stronger and stronger, overall,” with an increase of entries in motion graphics, graphic art and digital graphics.

“This is the largest show we have had,” she says of the works of 24 graduating seniors and one faculty choice artist. “We’re able to offer more sections... and we also have a strong collaboration with DMA (digital media arts program). A lot of their students minor in digital graphics, so we have a lot of their projects [here].”

Despite the growth of the graphic art program, senior Linda Cueva says that the smaller classes give aspiring designers a safe and nurturing place to hone their craft.

“The critiques were more focused,” says Cueva, whose designs are inspired by a colorful combination of her Latina heritage and Los Angeles upbringing. “It wasn’t as scary as it would be to have 30 people saying, ‘No, we don’t like that,’ rather than having [critiques from] 13 or 14 people you actually got a chance to know.”

That familial feeling carried over into the art of Jesus Fernandez, who displayed two of his paintings, “Camecuaro, 2006,” which was executed from a photo of his hometown, and a large canvas of the logo for the Mexican soccer team, Club Deportivo Guadalajara, popularly known as Chivas.

“This is a lake from the little town I’m from in Mexico,” he said, indicating the first canvas. “It’s in Michoacán. My mom wanted a painting for the living room; this is it right here.”

The Chivas painting was a gift for his brother-in-law, who saw it for the first time at the exhibit. When asked if anyone in his family is an artist, Fernandez, who is looking forward to a career in graphic design, quipped, “No, not really. Maybe a tagger, but he’s not doing it anymore.”

Eighteen members of the Class of 2009 are aspiring graphic and digital designers. Heather Fava, who incorporates themes of conservation and sustainability in her work with repurposed materials, says that a consciousness of the environment is beginning to permeate throughout the design field.

“A lot of people are doing it because it’s hip, but eventually, we’re going to have to reuse things, so you might as well start now,” she says, displaying her installation of recycled materials. “I didn’t start because it was trendy. I always think, ‘I could get another use out of this tissue paper, this box is really cool, it has a nice texture.’”

Fava interned for Erica Avery, a graphic designer whose client list has run the gamut of corporate and nonprofit organizations, including St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, the American Film Institute and Honda America. Fava says that the range of skills she was exposed to will enhance her future career endeavors.

“[Avery] called me her jack-of-all-trades because she had me doing photography, organizing, archiving, and design software,” says Fava of the experience. “It was really good because I never knew what I was going to be doing. She would give me a task and say, ‘You probably won’t get these all scanned today,’ and I made it my mission to do it.”

Rising to the task has been a hallmark of the CSU Dominguez art department this year, not only with fulfilling assignments and jobs for clients on- and off-campus. The studio artists, led by professor of art Gilah Yelin Hirsch, participated in two mural projects for the Watts Health Center (WHC). Last semester, a strictly volunteer group of students and art alumni created murals for the pediatric and obstetrics, and gynecology areas of the inner city clinic. The spring semester saw an official mural class taught by Hirsch, who oversaw the painting of a set of murals for WHC’s radiology department, which requested the project after seeing the previous works’ effect on patients.

"James [Johnson, WHC chief of radiology] was saying that OB/GYN used to be pandemonium and people wouldn’t stay for their appointments, they would get impatient, get angry,” says Hirsch. “Now it’s very calm there, everybody is chatting and talking about the art and nobody is going away. They want to stay there the whole time and they’re happy to come back for return appointments. It’s a total change.”

Nestor Alas, a transfer student from El Camino College, says that the experience of formerly solitary artists creating by committee provides “the most important thing: working together in a group to come up with something good.” He says that the radiology murals, which had to be completed within a semester, gave the students a discipline that prepared them for professional work in the future.

“We learned about meeting the deadline,” he says. “The class was only two-and-a-half hours but sometimes you have to work more than that. The good thing was that the studio was always open. Every time the students had a little gap between classes, they’d jump in there and work.”

Hirsch’s specialty in healing through art was also in focus when six of her advanced painting students participated in “We Step Into the Light,” an exhibit presented by the YWCA Greater Los Angeles Sexual Assault Crisis Services in April at Bateman Hall in Lynwood. Desmonette Hazly, a counselor who works with the YWCA spearheaded the project, which paired artists from the university and local community with survivors of rape and domestic violence in order to celebrate the women, their recovery, and empowerment through art.

“I wanted to have artists who are community based and cared about working with other people,” says Hazly, who had two portraits done, one painted by Eunice Gearhart (Class of ’09, B.A., studio art). “This [art] department has a reputation of doing that. I wanted to work with artists like Eunice who really put themselves into the project.”

The student artists from CSU Dominguez Hills included Alas, Kevin Patrick Daly, Eunice Gearhart, Pamela Harnish, Phyllis Quinn, Dennis Sylvester, and Consuelo Villalba. The models, many of whom had not only survived their experiences, but became leaders in academics, business, entertainment, and other professions, included Korla Collins, Janney Marin, Yvonne Nettles, Janet Puentes, Jenni Rivera, Rosie Rivera, Nerissa Smith and Kizah Vaughn.

Hazly will present the “We Step Into the Light” project this week at the conference, “Women Making a World of Difference: Discovering and Honoring Our Purpose, Path, and Passion” at Sias International University in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China. She has also received a grant for a documentary on the project, which has been adapted by several other communities around the world, and plans to feature CSU Dominguez Hills students in it.

“Artists have a third eye, they can see things that are not usually apparent to most people and it comes out on the canvas,” she continues. “So it was a beautiful experience. I’ve never felt more comfortable revealing myself, not just physically, but opening up to another person about who I am. To have someone take the time to find out about me and make me comfortable doing something I’ve never done before, showed in the painting.”

Guests were welcomed to the reception by President García, George Arasimowicz, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, and Allan. Guest speakers at the reception included Hazly, Watts Health Center’s Dr. James Johnson, and Mark LeRoy, the director of strategy and creative at the Los Angeles-based firm, silverECHO.

Scholarships were given to continuing students by the art department and local businesses. Standard Wire and Cable of Rancho Dominguez, has relied upon CSU Dominguez Hills students to design the cover of their catalog since 1992. Russ Skrable, president, presented scholarships of $125 each to Len Hilacion and Sharon Goldman, both continuing design students. A scholarship was also given by adjunct faculty member David Parsons. The founder and executive director of Summer Studios in Lomita awarded $150 to Jennifer Langley, a continuing student in studio art. Finally, the Art Department Scholarship of $500 was awarded to Alas, a continuing student in studio art.

Hirsch announced the establishment of the Winston Hewitt Endowed Scholarship, honoring the late founding chair of foreign languages, Winston Hewitt, who gave up his academic career to pursue his passion for art. His estate has given $200,000 to support continuing art students.

Along with financial support, the art department provides a network of academic guidance in a collaborative atmosphere. Consuelo Villalba, who graduates this week, transferred from Palm Beach Community College as a music major, but decided to pursue her love of art after arriving at CSU Dominguez Hills.

“The great thing about being here is that the staff and faculty are really interested in the success of their students,” she says. “They’re very helpful and motivating and encourage you to expand and move beyond what you did today. I think that’s a wonderful thing to have.”

Hirsch, who has taught at Dominguez Hills for 35 years, reinforces the sentiment and says every year’s senior exhibit brings something new.

“What boggles my mind continuously is that in all these years, with thousands of students, I’ve never seen the same thing twice,” she said. “That’s what makes it all worthwhile. Everybody has their own creative strain and given the permission and the right kind of encouragement, blossoms in their own unique way, which is what we’re here for.”

For the first time since 1994, the students have also designed and published a 64-page full color catalog of the exhibit. For a copy, contact the art department at (310) 243-3310.

For more information on studio and graphic art at CSU Dominguez Hills, click here.

- Joanie Harmon

Photos above: Heather Fava (at left) and Linda Cuevas draw inspiration for their graphic designs from green living and growing up in multicultural Los Angeles.

Cordella and Larry Raymond, who worked on murals for the Watts Health Center last year, lend their painting talents again to create new works for the clinic's radiology department.

"Stepping Into the Light" gave advanced painting students the opportunity to paint portraits of thriving and empowerment for the YWCA Greater Los Angeles Sexual Assault Crisis Services. Pictured, L-R, back row: Dennis Sylvester and Phyllis Quinn, studio art majors. Front row: Alice Corona, YWCA Sexual Assault Crisis Services; Consuelo Villalba (Class of '09, B.A. studio art); Nestor Alas, senior, studio art; Desmonette Hazly, YWCA Sexual Assault Crisis Services; and Gilah Yelin Hirsch, professor of art

Yvonne Nettles (at left) and Phyllis Quinn celebrate their collaboration in "Stepping Into the Light" as they display Quinn's portrait of Nettles.