STUDENT ART ON DISPLAY IN LIBRARY
June 26, 2001, Bloomfield, NJ - Visitors to the Bloomfield College library will find that they are not alone as they walk down the steps to the lower level. Several sculptures of whimsical figures are perched on the steps as part of a project from the Arts Alive! class taught by Elizabeth Seaton.
The figures are made out of detergent bottles, paper tubes, disposable coffee cups and Styrofoam plates, covered with a plaster of Paris shell, and painted in bright colors. The pieces have a tribal look, recalling the work of indigenous artists from Africa or the Pacific Islands. They are also influenced by the work of Louise Nevelson, who incorporated wooden scraps and everyday objects such as bowling pins and railings into her large-scale sculptures, as well as the work of George Segal, who made life-casts of his models using plaster of Paris.
“We’ve been working with collage in our journals, and we’ve been looking at the work of several collage artists including Romare Beardon, local artist Lori Field, and the book art of Sabrina Ward Harrison and David Wojnarowicz,” said Seaton. “We took a cue from Wojnarowicz and used some collage to partially cover our sculptures.”
Student participants in the project include: Malikah Abnaythya, Blossom Allison, Fatima Belton, Jaquay Martin, Richard McWilliams, Windy Ortega, David Quinones, Rohini Rupall, Charles Tempio, Nikkishia Pile, and Tammi Wright.
The sculptural figures will be on view in the Bloomfield College library, corner of Liberty Street and Oakland Avenue, until July 13. The figures will also be displayed in a student art exhibit on campus in September.
