Summer art history class inspires group of students to develop exhibition
Over the summer, six UF School of Art + Art History graduate students took a 20th century feminist art history class together and spent a lot of time in and out of class, studying and talking about the things they were learning.
“It was really great to be able to talk to each other about some of the theory and history that we were reading about,” says Adreena Cook, a third-year printmaking graduate student. “After spending so much time together the show seemed like a natural outlet for the fresh ideas buzzing around in our heads.”
Essentialize This!, a pop-up exhibition opening Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 at 6 p.m. at Viophilia in the Wynwood Art’s District in Miami, will feature these six students. The work in the exhibition is fueled by the summer studies of the class and works in the exhibition include paintings, drawings, prints and video art.
“I think the main theme of the show is a response to the theories and information that were presented to us in our art history course,” says Cook. “A large part of what we discussed were the structures that control the way that we are taught about history.”
The students examined the unseen structures that decide who is worth mentioning and what types of art work are worth talking when discussing art history, and often history in general.
“A lot of the people who make these choices tend to be the people who hold the most power socially or culturally, and those choices tend to favor people who are more like themselves than different,” says Cook. “This results in a lack of representation of the people who are different from those who are in power, be it differences in gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or class.”
“Our study of 20th century feminist art history gave words to a lot of the notions that we were already noticing and trying to talk about in our work, and the show itself is made up of each of us reacting to this pointed information in our own chosen mediums.”
Artists featured include:
UF alumna Brittanie Bondie (MFA Photography): brittaniebondie.com
3rd-year Adreena Cook (MFA Printmaking): adreenacook.com
2nd- year Laura Denzer (MFA Painting & Drawing): lauradenzer.net
3rd-year Jessi Hamilton (MFA Painting & Drawing): instagram.com/jessihamiltonart
2nd-year Brielle Jenkins (MFA Drawing): briellejenkins.com
3rd-year Ana Treviño (MFA Art & Technology): anatrevino.net
