Blog Post #6

MSU Billings Student Gallery presents
Tabetha Rindahl
Industrializing Nature
April 17 – May 5, 2017

Reception April 20th, 5-7pm
1st floor Liberal Arts Building
MSUB Campus

Industrializing Nature explores the relationship between industries and nature causing us to question whether or not our conveniences are really worth the destruction we are placing on the environment around us. We are living in a society where products are constantly being mass-produced to ensure economic growth rather than being concerned about protecting nature.

By use of encaustic wax on wood panels, this series represents the conflict between industry and nature. The images used in the paintings are pictures of industries from around the world to show that this is much more than a local issue. The black frame around each image represents the smog and pollutants produced by the industries. The wire trees were created to have a mechanical and mass-produced aesthetic. The natural element is represented by the layers of encaustic that encase each image in the beeswax and damar resin. The circles of vellum paper, made from actual trees, stand in for the dissolution of nature into commodified objects humans use in their daily lives.

The exhibition is Tabetha Rindahl’s senior capstone project. Tabetha is a senior pursuing three degrees: a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education, and a Bachelor of Science in Special Education. She will be graduating in May 2017.  After graduation she plans to continue her education working towards her Masters in Psychology.

There will be a catered artist reception from 5-7pm on April 20th in the Montana State University Billings Outer Gallery located on the first floor of the Liberal Arts Building. Gallery hours are 8am-4pm, Monday through Friday. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public; on-campus parking is free after 5pm.

Tabetha Rindahl, Mechanical Tree, 2016, metal sculpture, 8"x9"

Answer the following questions:

Chapter 4: How Do Museums Know What They Know?
What is provenance and why is it such an important issue in the art world? The Universal Leonardo project, launched in 2005, focuses on the techniques and processes used by Leonardo da Vinci rather than claiming to determine attribution. Why do you think this shift has taken place?

        Provenance refers to the records related to an artwork that document its ownership, ideally beginning with its creation date (p. 20). Provenance is an important issue in the art world today, because knowing the artist or workshop that a work of art comes from is valuable information and can determine whether the art has physical and societal value or not. With plagiarism being so easy to do in today's society, it is important that curators and conservators are able to study the history of an artwork. They can date the history of an artwork by using documentation from archaeological excavations, any records of sale, exhibition history, citations in exhibition catalogues, and art historical writings about the work. Conservators are also able to examine art by using magnifying glasses, taking photographs, using special microscopes, and using other strong lights (x-rays, infrared light, ultraviolet fluorescence). I think this shift has taken place because people want to know where these artworks originated and much of the artwork is given back to its rightful owners, their heirs, or next of kin.



Chapter 9: Ongoing Challenges
Review the information presented in Ch. 8 on Marcel Duchamp's work called Fountain (see Fig. 12). If you had been on the committee that decided what could and could not be exhibited at the American Society of Independent Artists, where Fountain was first exhibited, would you have allowed this work to be in the show? Why or why not? What would have been your criteria for acceptance or rejection?

        If I still had the mindset that I have now, but was on the committee choosing the exhibited art for the American Society of Independent Artists then, I would have allowed Marcel Duchamp's Fountain. I by no means find this work to be aesthetically pleasing, but I do find the work to be controversial, which I find to be a very important aspect of art. Fountain was a huge controversial issue at the time, and is still controversial today, making the viewers question "what is art?". This artwork provokes very strong opinions from its viewers and has caused some heated debates, but this is why art is so important to society. Artwork can cause viewers to have a positive or negative experience; its lets them accept the art as art or it can cause them to discuss why they feel that it is not real art. No matter how a person feels about an artwork, it is up for interpretation and discussion, and this in itself, keeps the world going. These things are fundamental for art, people, and society.

Blog Post #5

Fall 2017 Exhibition Call

The Northcutt Steele Gallery exhibits work of national and international professional artists. These exhibitions are open to the public without charge. The gallery offers professional exhibitions during the academic school year; including work from faculty and students. The gallery is located on the first floor of the Liberal Arts building.

The Northcutt Steele Gallery is now accepting submissions for the Fall 2017 Gallery Exhibition. Exhibition proposals are due by June 19, 2017; artists will be notified by July 4, 2017.


Deadline: June 19, 2017 at 11:59pm MST. (Late submissions will not be accepted.)


Guidelines:
Proposals can come from a single artist, collective, or collaboration amongst a group of artists.

Submission Criteria:
1) Artist Statement in a Word document or PDF file (500 words or less).
2) Exhibition Proposal in a Word document or PDF file (500 words or less).
3) Resume or CV for all proposed participating artists, each as a separate document.
4) No more than 10 digital images in .jpg format or

          -Images should be named: lastname_01; lastname_02; etc.

          -Images should not be larger than 2MB.

          -Videos no longer than 2 minutes; upload file to YouTube or Vimeo and post link.

5) Corresponding numbered image list of submitted images in a Word document or PDF.

6) Optional: link to your website.

To apply for the exhibition call, please click HERE.

Dimensions for Northcutt Steele Gallery: LINK

Deadline: June 19, 2017 at 11:59pm.

For more information or to make an appointment to view the galleries, please feel free to contact:

Leanne Gilbertson

Director of Northcutt Steele Gallery

Phone: (406) 657-2903

Email: leanne.gilbertson@msubillings.edu

Answer the following questions:

What information is found in each of these calls? How is that information organized? Consider the design choices in each call. Name one positive aspect of each of the call’s organization of information and one negative aspect.

Akimbo: The following information can be found in this exhibition call: deadline, information about the specific exhibition call, specifications for the call, what should be included in the proposal, email that the proposals need to be submitted to, and contact information. The information is all listed in paragraph form with the proposal details in bullet points. The title of each category is bold to stand out against the other text in the exhibition call. I like how specific this exhibition call was all the way down to showing an example of how they want the images named. I was a little disappointed that there were not any examples of the kind of work they are expecting since they are asking for pretty specific artwork (flipbooks). I also like that they gave a date of when they would be responding by.

Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program: The following information can be found in this exhibition call: deadline (with specific time), information about MAEP, guidelines, what should be included in the proposal, tips for a successful application, and contact information. The information is all listed in paragraph form with the proposal details in bullet points. Important information is either in all uppercase letters or bold to stand out against the rest of the text. I like that you can work on your application, save your progress and exit the application, and return to it later. I did not like that the deadline is specifically 4pm; I just feel that it would be more beneficial to have the deadline at midnight to give people the chance to submit their stuff before the end of the day. I also like that they provide tips for a successful application and the following work samples.

BOX 13 ArtSpace: The following information can be found in this exhibition call: information about BOX 13 ArtSpace, deadline, submission criteria, gallery dimensions, and contact information. The information listed is in paragraphs, other than the exhibition proposal requirements which are listed as bullet points. Important information is bold. I like that they have a date listed for when they will inform the artists of their decision. I feel like everything is kind of jumbled together; maybe there should be more spacing between the paragraphs. I also like that they are willing to help artists figure out alternative funding and/or installation methods.

Blog Post #4

Tabetha Rindahl

Just Another Pretty Face

2017

Mixed Media

12"x18" (3 separate pieces)

Species extinction is an enormous problem in the world today.

This is when the last individual of a species is wiped out, when they no longer exist on this Earth. Many species are now nothing more than a faint memory written in our world's history. These species are being affected from people all around the globe. In fact, according to the Living Planet Index, monitored species population abundance has declined by 58% from 1970 to 2012. These organisms are being affected by unsustainable agriculture, fisheries, over hunting, and other human activities that are contributing to the loss and destruction of habitats, climate change, and pollution.

Not only do these organisms deserve to live, but we rely on many species to provide products and "services" essential to our own existence.

How are we going to protect organisms at risk for species extinction before the human race becomes extinct itself?

Blog Post #3

Tabetha Rindahl

Untitled

2017

Mixed Media

12"x18" (3 separate pieces)

Species extinction is an enormous problem in the world today.

This is when the last individual of a species is wiped out, when they no longer exist on this Earth. They are nothing more than a faint memory written in our world's history. There are many species currently endangered or at the brink of extinction. Many of these species are being affected from people all around the globe. Over hunting, loss and destruction of habitat, and pollution are all major factors into the disappearance of these organisms.

Not only do these organisms deserve to live, but we rely on them to provide products and "services" essential to our own existence.

How are we going to protect organisms at risk for species extinction before the human race becomes extinct itself?