On Jan. 19, an exhibit called “Drawing for Meaning” opened up in the McMaster Gallery. Open until Feb. 9, the exhibit showcases pieces created in different mediums by SVAD faculty, featuring many different ways that drawing adds to the creative process. Curated by the Associate Professor of Studio Art, more than a dozen faculty have created and showcased their art in this exhibit.
The exhibit is located in the main gallery of McMaster, different works of art spread across the room with an explanation and artist name by each. Some of the pieces are simple drawing and paintings, but there are also digital paintings, interactive mediums and installation art pieces. Among these works, there are a few that stand out that uniquely use the theme of drawing. There are drawings that sketch out plans for jewelry, an installation piece made from cardboard that uses the wall and floor, a journal you can pick up and flip through, art by children and even a Disney themed lunch box.
The purpose of the exhibit seems to be to show that drawing is not simply a process for one specific outcome, but that it helps create and advance other forms of art as well.
“In my practice, drawing is an intimate act of seeing and touching, making marks that echo and build upon lived experience” Sara Schneckloth wrote next to her exhibit that featured rocks from New Mexico and paintings of them.
The collaboration of SVAD faculty to create a cohesive exhibit is meant to inspire students to create. The professors who were on view in the exhibit are all passionate about what they do, both in their own art form and in their teaching. These works of art were personal and opened up a side of the SVAD professors not all students are able to see.
“Everything comes back to drawing. When you are young, people ask you what you want to be when you grow up. I never had any doubt; Drawing has always been a way of life,” Instructor James Busby wrote beside his sketch.
Another artist and professor, Jaime Misenheimer, said she created her works during her late husband’s battle with cancer, wishing to “crystallize time.”
Marius Valdez, an Associate Professor in Studio Art and author of a book called "The Secret Species Project," (which was on display in the exhibit) put it this way: “I think you can have the best of both worlds as a professor. I love working with students and being an artist so why give either one up?”
Whether it’s children, passion, pain or doodles that create something in you, the SVAD professors seek to prove that drawing and art can produce a final product that can inspire. Bringing together the staff of the McMaster school, the "Drawing for Meaning" exhibit explores how a few simple strokes with a pen can amount to all types of art.