Andrea's statement

I've always been the kid who draws. Drawing for me was definitely my step into arty world, but it was mainly a hobby. It was never until the past few years that I realized my art could mean a lot more. My drawings were always very meditative for me, I enjoyed not thinking of anything when drawing and letting hours fly by... But this was the extent of each drawing's meaning. They were just a way to cope with that present moment.

It wasn't until I started getting into photo and video that I wanted to put concepts and meanings behind my work that other people could grasp. I guess because drawings are more for me, and that meditation, while photos and videos can be made pretty instantly and need a deeper meaning to sustain importance. So I began creating videos in effort to try and grasp onto certain memories, feelings, or theories I had. But mainly my art is just a big emotional expression of me trying to hold onto and capture every bit of beauty and pain I feel in my life. For some reason i think its so important to remember emotions, because if you let them slip you'll end up making the same mistakes and feeling the same things over and over again and life wont move forward.

I also feel this need to capture feeling because once someone gets your art and can identify with it, you then have the faith that what you felt was real, and what you felt was justified. And I think every human just wants some faith, and art is how people find that peace and identification with themselves and others.

Maggie's statement

Art evolves. It changes just like we do, similar to our expressions, experiences, and the way we
perceive the world. The artist in me seeks to creatively express what is on the inside, what I care about,
what I love, what I ponder, what I want to see change, and what I seek to understand. To look at my
art, is to look at my life. One will see the changes, past growth, and the future that dwells around the
corner. As art widens in form, I attempt to seek numerous ways to involve art into every facet of my
life, in both typical and atypical fashions. I have seen how my artistic endeavors have strengthened me
as a person and I intend to pursue art in order to understand who I am and thus, the Creator inside of
me.

Thomas' statement

Going to the movies or watching movies is, documentaries aside, a form of escapism. When I want to put off some issue or anxiety inducing thoughts, or just forget reality in general, movies are my go to solution. The best movies, however, make you feel as if they know the reality you are fighting against and brings it to the forefront for you to confront. Great movies, in a sense, make it seem as if they know you better than you know yourself. When I make art, that is what I strive to accomplish. 

Tyler's statement

I make art because the universe has a sense of humor and if you don't laugh along you'll end up crying. My art isn't there to be critiqued so much as to say "made you look." As the tattoo on my right arm reads, "there is so much beauty..." And that's why I make art. Just because. 

Joanna's statment

I am a multimedia artist. Through my artwork, I look for meaning in the places we inhabit every day. I reference common settings: bedrooms, bathrooms, backyards. Though the images I make rarely include people, their presence is felt. I believe these familiar settings have the power to uncover complex notions of security, anxiety, desire, loss, and nostalgia. 

Kevin's statement

The reason I'm an artist is for the feeling that comes with creation. To have ideas in my head, and to watch them manifest themselves into something physical, something tangible, is what really makes art worthwhile. I like to create things that express my views, thoughts, and ideas about day to day life, and I hope that with my art, someone will either be able to relate to it, or they will draw inspiration from it, as I have from so many others. I feel that everything around me has something that needs to be appreciated, and that via any kind of medium, I need to help show that. And when it finally happens, and someone else sees the intricacy in the littlest things, that makes me feel like I have done my job as an artist.

Zac's statement

I refer to myself as an artist with great reluctance, because I am oftentimes an observer, an inactive participant, of this universe - I am just another Liberal Arts Undergrad doing his best to be understood by his audience.

My humble status grants me access to technologies that produce moving and still images; these creations are then consumed by a group of peers and professors whose attendance is mandatory.

I am currently frustrated, bored, and attention-deficit - these emotions exist within everything I produce. 

As an artist, it is my intention to effectively create experiences based on these emotions (among others) to a willing audience who will question/engage/become lost within my assault upon the established conventions of entertainment, information, and reality itself. My experiences are simply mine and cannot be recreated for commercial use, but the ability to recreate the psychological experience (i.e. traumatic, nostalgic, psychotic) is why I remain invested in the arts. 

In summation: the ability of others to extrapolate meaning based on the content and form of my work validates my self-referential use of the term 'artist'.

Charisse's statement

As an artist and cultural producer I strive to be promiscuous: intellectually, technically, and creatively. Making, teaching, and appreciating art is the best way for me to become who I am, and to love that person. In conclusion, I promise to share, smile, question, stay honest, welcome uncertainty, push critical thinking, and remain engaged in my local and global community.

Jonathan's statement

Video is the one medium in which I am able to show my artistic ability. I create videos that express what I am feeling and what I see is beautiful in this world. I want to show people my imagination and how I view life.

Jennifer's statement

        I have always been amazed by the capabilities of computer graphics and animation. The invention of the computer has taken art to a whole new level and there is still so much to be explored. I love that I have the power to transform any idea that comes to my mind into a reality through art and technology. I aim to bring this fantastical world into the real world in a way that seems realistic and true. I want to excite and inspire people with my art the way the movies I love inspire me.

Lindsey's statement

I would like the viewer to understand  the architecture of a city beyond the architectural object
and to show subjective interpretations. My goal is to give a voice to the people and the
architecture. I am interested in alternative narratives about architecture and cities from nonarchitects and non-tourist related parties. Film is purposefully chosen to combat against the
tourist medium of photography. Arguably, film offers a clearer representation of architecture
with sound, time, and movement. To go beyond voyeurism, and to really grasp the experience
of a building- finding its flaws and eccentricities, yielding undiscovered beauty- will produce a
more authentic portrait of all of these issues.
The architectural historian and theorist can become storytellers who embed life, place, time,
and experience in an architectural narrative. In “The Narration of Architecture,” an editor of
Casabella, Pierre-Alan Croset focuses on how meaningful architecture can be published and
retain meaning through narration. To recover these local, cultural experiences, a narrative must
emerge to salvage ‘real’ architecture from consumption. Although not given as a solution,
Croset references film as an example of the sequencing of images. Interestingly enough, the
theorist Juhani Palasmaa finds that the narration of memories and the totality of senses in
literature and film are positive alternatives that fall within the realm of the ocular but include
so much more than just a quickly consumable product. Film offers the viewer an understanding
of subjective spatiality, the feeling of time and movement, the way that gravity and light touch
materials, and the events within a space and its surroundings. Film also offers various modes
of representation that are often homogenized in photography.
A critical approach in viewing architecture is necessary to protect architecture from becoming
a consumable, and thereby replaceable object. Out of all the art forms, architecture is most
aptly realized in real experience. An architecture that relates in a sensual, humanistic way
envelopes people in a certain time, space and condition. Likewise, intimate and personal
experience with architecture is important to show to protect people from losing their sense of
place in the world.

Stevan's statement

I enjoy producing something from nothing, creating a fresh work of art that I can channel all of my passion into.  Video is a blank canvas, where I can dream of new ideas with the brush stroke of a mouse.  I want to put into motion the comic panels in my head, form concepts that interest me and bring forth thoughts that will hopefully intrigue others.  My project is a study in destruction, documenting the march of progress and showing what we are losing forever by doing so. 

Stephan's statement

Art has always been a way for people express themselves. Whether it’s because they were feeling a certain emotion, experiencing something they don’t quite understand, or if they’re just feeling inspired, art has also been a medium of expression. Now, video and digital art seems to be quickly becoming a new art form that people use for expression as well as communication. I want to use this new cinematic art to convey ideas that I have, shorts that can show how I feel, or just communicate with others in general. It can bring to life any stories I want to tell or any issues I feel are important. I want to be able to show every day/normal things from a new perspective or a way most people don’t usually notice.