The Visual Arts Center will mark its grand opening this weekend. On Saturday, Sept. 25, the VAC galleries will be open for two hours prior to the kickoff of the Texas vs. UCLA football game. On Sunday, Sept. 26, the center will host a series of events from noon to 9pm. All are free and open to the public. The schedule is below. For more information, visit www.utvac.org. – R.F.
Noon-5pm: Gallery tours
Members of the Center Space Project, the student organization that curates the VAC’s Center Space gallery and organizes events and film screenings, conduct VAC tours.
1-5pm: Sumi Ink Club Meeting hosted by Lucky Dragons
The Sumi Ink Club is a drawing society that holds weekly meetings worldwide to explore the process of drawing. Los Angeles-based art collective Lucky Dragons hosts this event, which invites all ages and drawing styles to collaborate in the creation of a new work, The Long Hello, on the walls of the Arcade.
3-4pm: Geography and Eyewitness: In Conversation With Magali Lara
Dr. Roberto Tejada and Dr. Andrea Giunta of the Center for Latin American Visual Studies speak with the Mexico-based multimedia artist about her experiences in Patagonia that led to the creation of the exhibit “Glaciers.”
4-5pm: Tour of “ZZZ’s” by Ry Rocklen
The VAC’s first artist-in-residence conducts a tour of his site-specific installation of sculptures in the Vaulted Gallery.
6:30-8pm: Wrong Spectrum, an interactive musical performance
Lucky Dragons, an experimental music group consisting of artists Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Anderson, present an interactive, site-specific musical performance with newly created instruments.
8-9pm: Fade In: Videos curated by Lucky Dragons
Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Anderson of Lucky Dragons present videos by artists Alyse Emdur, Cayetano Ferrer, David Horvitz, Lindsey White, and themselves projected through the VAC windows for viewing outside.
VISUAL ARTS CENTER EXHIBITIONS
“Ry Rocklen: ZZZ’s”
Vaulted Gallery, Sept. 24-Dec. 18
A site-specific installation created for the Vaulted Gallery by Los Angeles-based artist Ry Rocklen working with Department of Art & Art History students during his five-week residency at the Visual Arts Center. Rocklen is known for transforming discarded domestic detritus into sculptures that investigate one’s connection to everyday life.
“Sumi Ink Club: The Long Hello”
The Arcade, Sept. 26-Oct. 16
An exhibition of the collaborative drawing created on the walls of the VAC during its opening weekend as part of a meeting of Sumi Ink Club, a drawing society that holds weekly meetings worldwide to explore the process of drawing. Participants of all ages and all drawing styles were invited to join in the creation of this work, titled The Long Hello.
“Unveiled”
Center Space, Sept. 24-Oct. 16
An exhibition of works from students and alumni of the Department of Art & Art History that deal with the theme of transparency. Curated by Center Space Project, the student organization of the VAC, with assistance from Risa Puleo, the Blanton Museum’s assistant curator of contemporary art.
“Deconstruct + Reconstruction”
Mezzanine Gallery, Sept. 24-Oct.23
A group show featuring eight artists whose works examine the decomposition of social conventions, domestic structures, and art materials in physical and conceptual ways. Participating artists include Bast, Daniel Dove, Katy Heinlein, Aki Nagasaka, Ian Pedigo, Rebecca Ward, Phoebe Washburn, and Thúy-Vân Vu. Curated by Jade Walker.
“Magali Lara: Glaciers”
East Gallery, Sept. 24-Oct. 23
Multimedia works – line drawings in blue and indigo, images and sounds of ice collapsing – inspired by Mexico-based artist Magali Lara’s encounters with the colossal frozen masses in Patagonia. Curated by Dr. Andrea Giunta and Dr. Roberto Tejada of the Center for Latin American Visual Studies.
This article appears in September 24 • 2010.