Gertrude's statement

The type of artist that I could be described as is the type of artist that can be seen and changed from day to day or even season to season. I grow and fall just like any regular medium of a person and experiences and practices or even new beliefs may change me and change the way as I view and may be seen as art, an art work or even an artist. Which is why I find it critical that most should be open minded about who and what they're looking at because it may change each time you come across that who or what.  I'm simply an ongoing cycle. 

Nicole's statement

Stares of judgment

Accusations of blame

Stolen innocence

Abandoned childhood

Awkward silence

Past experiences have haunted me, changed my life in everyway possible, stolen things from me that I didn’t know was possible, given me strength I didn’t know I had and made me ready to move on while remaining in place. This video is representational of what I go through everyday of my life. Fear of judgment when telling what this past of mine is, sitting with the stares, the accusations and the awkward silence when my mind is anything but silent: hearing all the hurtful judgments that have previously been spoken, being reminded of the pain, replaying songs that have gotten me through those times, praying that moment will be over and covering the self-consciousness with laughs and unrelated statements while being faced with all of the emotions, faces, and horrific memories again and again.

Zach's statement

The purpose of my art is to simply challenge the status-quo of our collective existence, and criticize the current and future generations by means of appropriating specific images (mainly advertisements) of the past. Research leads me to propagandistic advertisements that pressure the people into purchasing unhealthy products - the images promote a society that does away with skepticism and critical thinking. These advertisements are heavily distorted, removed from their context. then presented as images that contradict their original message. In summation, I am reusing ammunition to combat the current assault upon the consumer. No one is immune to the harmful effects of advertising, but it's my goal to spread awareness through my work.

Ally's statement

In my work I attempt to move away from the traditional subversion of artistic materials as tools to create content and instead allow the materials to become the content themselves. I explore materiality by using the inherent and essential qualities of a medium, whether it be wood, yarn or skin and letting the physical nature of these decide how a work progresses. I choose to collaborate with my materials rather than control them. With this method I hope to create work that becomes a representation of not only myself but of my environment. I aim to focus attention on not only the way an artist can manipulate a material, but how a material can shape the intentions of an artist. I attempt to understand the ways in which my mind and actions can also go so far in creating a piece and the rest must be left to trust and chance.

Stephen's statement

Art to me is seeing the aesthetic in the little moments of everyday life. Being able to see these small aspects of life and find a deeper meaning or emotion in them. Our lives move at such a hectic pace that sometimes we need to take a step, rewind, and watch the moments presented beautifully, artistically, and personally. These moments are the ones I want to illustrate on film and in my art.

Austin's statement

 I believe that arts purpose is for entertainment. However, there is something to be said about making one think as a form of entertainment. Art that makes you remember the good old times is entertaining. A movie that takes you to a whole new world is too. Satire is funny in that it makes you realize a flaw in society or a genre. All these are ideas that are fun for the viewer to THINK about. I want to make movies that use this kind of entertainment; movies that are enjoyable because they make you think about life, the world, people, etc. in a fun yet thought-provoking way.

Adrian's statement

There is a common ground of emotion and feeling we all share: love, happiness, sadness, etc. It is quite a beautiful thing when these things are portrayed for others, or are translated outside of ourselves for others to also share these feelings. What is also beautiful is that we are able to provoke these strong feelings out of any form. 

 Have you ever gotten a feeling, a strong feeling, that you were not able to put words around ? What happens when one is able to contain this feeling though a mediator: sound, smell, visual, environment. This is truly magical. An artist is able to capture this unwordly/unworldy essence into a work and share it. This in turn can inspire another strong feeling, pushing it along, further continuing such an experience with others. Why not go for it? I would love to take my turn out of this Art thing, make something truly spectacular. Something that can make even more people feel, and ultimately do something even greater for the next.

Katherine's statement

Art has always played a huge role in my life.  I've made it a goal of mine to study and learn about as many forms of art as I can, from making music to painting a picture to creating a video.  I have found joy in all forms of art, but I can't say I have ever found as much joy in anything more than I have in making a movie.  Video art, to me, can be inspiring, beautiful, heart-breaking, terrifying, and eye-opening.  I want to create a piece of work that contains all of these attributes and more.  I want to show the ugly truths in the world with my artwork as well as the most wonderful and sublime instances in life.  With video art, I believe there are endless possibilities.

Amanda's statement

Endangered species, pollution, forest destruction, oil spills are all human caused.  I am passionate about our plant and all the creatures that reside on it and care about the damages that we are causing. Through my art I want to change people perspective on their lives and show them what we are doing to our earth. I hope to inspire people to make a change and help save our endangered species and wildlife. We live in a world where people "have to see it to believe it" and through my videos and photos I hope that I can show people what it actually happening. Being a voice for those who cannot speak is what I want my videos to be. Capturing moments in wild life that people don't normally get to witness could have a small impact or could have a large one.  Through my art  hope to one day open peoples eyes and make a large impact in their lives. my only goal is just to make them realize that we share this planet with many other creatures, and we have to take care of it. 

David's statement

I want to create art in order to express things I love and hate not only in the world around me, but in myself.  Art is an issue of giving form to otherwise disparate thoughts - in a sense, it is therapeutic.  With this, I can come to better understand ideas and lives outside of my experience, which, in turn, helps me understand my own place in the world and my own limited viewpoints. That is my personal goal in creating art: being able to challenge myself and acknowledge my own faults, as well as those that I share with others. I want to create questions where the audience - including myself - must find their own answers.

Colleen's statement

 Art has always been able to entertain and inspire me, and has often been the subject of my leisure activities and Wikipedia tangents.  I believe I can only learn so much about art from a book or a museum.  The only way to truly understand and appreciate art is to participate in the process.  This is why I make art. It challenges me to use what I have learned in books and museums and apply it, given the limitations of my own abilities.  Making art helps me to acknowledge and overcome my weaknesses.

            I am intrigued by the ability of art to connect the senses: sight can become sound and touch.  I like to think of art as an alternate means of communication; one not limited by the boundaries of language.  My art explores just that: the ability to convey an emotion through the combination of visual imagery and sound.

Ellen's statement

I am an artist to create 

connection 

between seemingly unrelated ideas

between supposedly incompatible truths 

between initially distant humans 

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.