Artists muster up the courage to showcase their private and personal work. On Aug. 23, professors of art lowered their walls for the Western Carolina community at the School of Art and Design Faculty Art Biennial. Attendees filed into the WCU Fine Art Museum to view the works of faculty from the School of Art and Design.
Richard Tichich and volunteers spent two hours piecing together a quilt-esque work as part of a featured performance piece called “Family Traditions.” The volunteers included Erin Tapley, Cristen Cameron, Erin Hudson, Libbi Coyne, and Blythe Brown.
Video by Joshua Luckadoo, senior broadcasting student
The sewing machines used to assemble the piece dated back to the early and mid 1900s. The fabric came from old tablecloths, bedspreads and other worn items that tied into the idea of age and tradition of the machines and quilts.
Richard Tichich, Director of the School of Art and Design
Photo by Ben Haines
“I’ve been making quilts as long as I can remember,” said Tichich. “My grandmother used my grandfather’s old clothes to make quilts and taught us how.”
Tichich and his brother continue to make quilts for their families and hope that they will carry on the tradition.
Susan Martin, instructor of photography
Photo by Marysa Burchett
Susan Martin produced three photographs and one 3-D piece with themes of foreclosure and recession that have redefined the idea of “home.” Art is an expression of what is happening around us and Martin took an interest in the subject when she noticed her neighbors being affected by the market.
“People don’t understand the research that goes into art. Students don’t know how to create art out of what interests them,” Martin said. She believes that students should explore their personal interests and express them through art.
The exhibition featured several types of media including ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, installation, book art, photography, graphic design, new media and video.
