John Sebastian Velasquez

Poddities

approx. 3ft tall, 2ft wide, 1ft deep

Steel

2019

After crucial testing, the examination of this strange pod species revealed no new information.  What is the purpose of this position they configure?  Are they dancing in harmony or combating in rage? Or maybe conducting some sort of mating ritual.  Do their muscle shaped structures additionally have bones which support them during these extended physical contact.

Samantha Lupacchino

Abstract Saturn

2019

string, steal, styrofoam, plastic straws, spray paint

5'6" x 5" x 5"

Space, planets, astronomy. They're all beautiful things that us humans find so fascinating. But what would happen if they became abstract or out of shape? Saturn is known for it's rings that are made up of ice, dust, and rocks. Making this beautiful planet into an abstract piece, it can look like it has hair added onto the ends. The colors, as well, we can recognize when thinking about space are mainly purple, black, and silver which is why these colors are chosen. 

Colleen Anderson

bubblegum tom

date

size

material

an interactive found material piece

a sculpture about the duality of a memory

Victoria Acevedo

Victoria Acevedo

Grandma's Window

2019

wood, cardboard, yarn, tights, books, paper, oil paint

42" x 36" x 6"

For my second sculpture I choose to work with books to create a scene through a window. I wanted to work in a 3D fashion, but challenge myself to work with mainly one material. I wanted to work in a medium I could easily get my hands on that would also be easy to manipulate. For this reason I chose to work with books. I then created an imaginative older woman character that lives in a cottage who reads books and knits. This scene is what she would see out her window using things I believe would be in her own cottage. Things such as panty hose, knitting needles, watering can, candle, potpourri, and old papers. Though this sculpture is not quite finished, I am excited to build upon it.

Jeffrey Churchman

Break Through in Red

2019

wood, paint, string, plexiglass

8.5 inch wide x 25 inches tall x 2 inches deep

a physical embodiment of breaking boundaries and pushing through to a new state of being.

Jeff Kim

Jeff Kim

Forest

2019

Metal

33 X 82 x74

This forest represents the future of nature as we see wild fires all over the world destroying nature. About 75% of wild fires in California are caused by humans. In the Amazon most fires are caused by human activity, especially for clearing land for farming from June to December when the Amazon Basin is at its driest season causing the fire to go out of control.  

Esther Lee

Streams of Living Water

2019

Thread, Yarn, Wood, Canvas

40"wx64d"68"h

For this sculpture, I wanted to try using a medium I never used before, so I thought of embroidery.  I've never embroidered before so I challenged myself to create it into more of a sculpture. For the actual composition, I decided to recreate a scene from my trek in Nepal as my inspiration. I wanted to be able to create something very detailed and interesting, yet more personalized, so I added aspects like the wooden house and deer. Because I'm not a professional embroiderer, I used techniques that are more "improper" to create an interesting composition, like the mountains in the background. And like my last project, I wanted my piece to come out into the space and let my it become more interactive, so I used the yarn to give it the effect of a waterfall flowing out and onto the floor. It took a lot of time to make this piece, but it was definitely worth it.

Thomas Diamanty

Thomas Diamanty

A Brief Inquiry into "Coming Out"

2019

doors, pink/purple/white sequins, spray adhesive, glue, permanent marker

79" x 30" x 5"

Coming Out is such a charged term. I've found liberation in it.

But still, it remains a complicated issue.

To exist is to be radical. To be flamboyant and campy and fucking G A Y is political and deserves to exist in spaces. This is my experience of reflecting on my own coming out experience and how I have changed – evolved, really.

When first dipping my toes into the queerness of it all, I was very fortunate to have supportive friends encouraging me. Pushing me out of my then comfort zone. When my friend Ryan starting using the word 'Faggot' (hell yeah capital F) it was, in all honesty, appalling. I felt naked and vulnerable. But instead of running (like most of us do in these situations, like I always did in those situations)

I listened.

For the first time, I was exposed to this idea of reclaiming a word.

A very powerful word. A very ugly word. A word that had power over me.

Using this word with my queer friends felt empowering to me. When others try to use that word against me, it means nothing. Taking the power back felt like growth.

This empowerment is what I wanted to represent in these doors.

The act of writing 'fag' so very many times became monotonous. A word that previously would make me shudder or internally cower now meant nothing. By the end of my canvas, I wasn't even writing. My arm was gesturing letterforms that had no influence over me. Reclaiming words like these allow people to walk down the street with confidence, sometimes for the first time in their lives.

John Halligan

Entrapped

2019

Birch Plywood, Poplar, Paint, Sealer
26" x 19" x 5"


For most of my life I would consider myself a shy person at first when meeting people. I was that tall quiet kid that when someone heard my voice they always seemed to make it a big deal. I remember little me though, innocent to life being fearless and quite the socialite. All it took was a couple of kids to laugh at me for stuff out of my control that would change everything for most of my young years. Afraid to be embarrassed and humiliated for literally anything, I would just sit back and observe life more often than not. Interesting to know once you've been deemed the anti social kid, how hard it is to break that stigma. People would either find it so abnormal or have to make it such a big deal if I ever tried to be more social. Which for a shy person was only that more anxiety inducing being put on the spot. After years of really stepping out of my comfort zone I would say I gained the confidence to be an outgoing person. The problem though, going most of my life in isolated thought and decompressing my feelings internally, I didn't know in the slightest how to cope emotionally. Growing up in overly masculine surroundings, it's easy to say talking about feelings was scrutinized and made you look inferior. The last thing I wanted was to be laughed at more for showing emotion. Which then made my emotions a ticking time bomb. Living most of my life having this feeling of entrapment is something I want to break through, I want it to be ok for anyone to discuss their emotions and never feel inferior for any feelings they are having. Being able to be vulnerable in front of others is a bigger sign of toughness than never shedding a single tear.