Event Review - Artist Now! Robert Grame

Robert Grame
Raven Mrozek

BUILD SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL!

Robert Grame gave a fantastic artist lecture, however the one concept her brought up that stuck with me was his statement "build something beautiful."In regards to design work, the thought of accessibility lacks due to the fact design is generally a form of art that us done for a specific reason to carry out a specific function. Even though it seems as if design lacks accessibility in some sense, it is the designers responsibility to "build something beautiful;" it is the designers responsibility to create something that will stand out and be remembered in order to be effective. This is necessary because of the fact design work is an ephemeral craft.

It was interesting being able to view this ephemerality through Robert Grame’s work. He showed such a variety of his designs, ones from years ago and ones more recent. This made it possible to see the design elements that over time became less prevalent in design work. This also more easily previewed how Grame utilized a theme throughout his works over the years, mainly with his design of text and how he utilized them in his works. Back to the idea of accessibility, designers work to persuade and entertain. It is important to think about how to use signifiers, and how to engage the mind especially in regards to shape and meaning. 

There was a second topic Robert Grame discussed that interested me, and that was his tangent on the subtractive process.He discussed that it was almost necessary to study the micro and macro in a work of design in order to create a sense of three dimensionality and space, giving more dynamic to the overall composition.I appreciate the simplicity provided by the subtractive process. In my opinion, any artist could be given a lump of material or an idea and do virtually anything to it; they can add, and add, and continue to add to this material or idea and turn it into a heavy space. Think about it this way however, maybe the key to creating a more effective visual whether it be design, photography, or anything else is to subtract.

I appreciated Robert Grame's artist lecture and really enjoyed how he spoke about his work.His work was fantastic and he really did show the ephemorality of art as well as the beauty behind it all.If anyone gets the chance to hear him speak, I highly recommend it.

Ideas/Fantasm - Matthew Gamber

Matthew Gamber
Defining The Ephemeral Nature of Photography
by David Kieckhefer

Matthew Gamber explores the ephemeral image in a variety of ways with and without cameras. Eventually all surfaces decay and images fade, but Gamber embraces the fleeting nature of the image that is created by light and is eventually destroyed by it. His exhibition, Unfixed, brings together objects and images that cause us to consider mortality, time and memory, and the beauty of moments that can never last.

Installation shot from exhibition UNFIXED: The Fugitive Image

"Gamber's new project, Any Color You Like, is a bit like losing the sense of taste right as you are about to bite into something you have been looking forward to eating, and the expectation of that enjoyment usually comes from the memory of having eaten it before.  By removing the memory and one of the senses, the experience changes. Gamber's images look at objects that we have traditionally seen in color and that speaks to the idea of color, and force us to see and think about them anew."
- Aline Smithson

Matthew Gamber holds a BFA from Bowling Green State University and an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University. He is an Assistant Professor in the Visual Arts Department at the College of the Holy Cross, having previously taught at Lesley University College of Art and Design, Boston College, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Savannah College of Art and Design, Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He has also previously worked on archive and digitization projects with Harvard University and the Boston Public Library for Digital Commonwealth.