Haas Gallery features cameras as instruments and art

Neal Cox's approach to photography is unique. His exhibition in the Haas Gallery shows twelve images taken with twelve different pinhole cameras that he designed and built himself. Each image and its camera are placed adjacent to each other. The cameras are complex, three dimensional objects in their own right, opening like the layers of an onion to reveal their inner workings. In some cases, there is a bit of mystery about how they work at all. The images relate to the cameras in their geometric shapes and use of color.

Cox writes:
 

Of the many considerations driving my core practice of designing, building, shooting with, and making prints from cameras, the following rank highest in priority:

Serendipity: I have a basic interest in seeing how things happen without my dictation. I design a complex, multi-aperture camera using pre-existing forms of geometry mainly so I can experiment with serendipity. By design, I leave the viewfinder out of the camera so that composition belongs to the process following exposure. The many ways that lines, values, shapes, etc., cross borders from one exposure to another intrigue my sense of aesthetics.

Dimensionality: Many of the cameras I have designed exploit anamorphic distortion. By creating a dimensional film plane and exposing onto film that has multiple planes, I have the opportunity to flatten the three-dimensional exposure and create a non-standard photographic view of the subject matter.

Aesthetics: I satisfy a personal drive to make objects by making cameras. I satisfy a personal drive as a trained printmaker to make prints by using the negatives in a broad range of techniques to make prints: collotypes, gum prints, cyanotypes, van dyke prints, screen prints, photogravures, tintypes, inkjet prints, etc. Each process affords a satisfying way to interpret photographic mark making. I satisfy a personal drive to make books by using, book art materials, primarily, such as book cloth and book board in the construction of my cameras. I satisfy a personal drive to draw by initially conceiving of my camera designs in a sketchbook, using ballpoint pen to bring the idea to life.

Research: In order to realize a given idea, I often must conduct research into geometry, physics, or some other non-art specific field. I delight in learning new principles with applications to my craft.

Cox is an Associate Professor of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art in Nacogdoches, Texas. His show will run from Oct 15 to Nov 12, with a closing reception on Nov 12, 11 to 2pm, and an Artist Lecture at 1:15pm.

Haas Gallery hosts exhibition

Currently exhibiting her one person show at the Haas Gallery of Art is Margi Weir, a multimedia artist from Detroit, Michigan who teaches multiple disciplines of art media at Wayne State University.

The exhibition runs through October 8. Ms. Weir will present a gallery talk at 1:15 pm on that date, and  the closing reception will run from 11 to 2 pm. All are invited.

Ms. Weir's work is  complicated, big, boldly colorful, and deeply meaningful. She writes:

In my work I use a computer to repeat images that I stitch together visually in order to make an appealing pattern, often resulting in tapestry-like, spatially flattened compositions. Through decorative patterning, the work of art draws the viewer into a slowly unfurling narrative that invites a discussion about ecology and/or sociopolitical realities of the contemporary world around us. Meaning is implied by the juxtaposition of images. Conclusions are left to the viewer in the hope that a continued questioning will be inspired by the work of art. 

These images are exhibited in several formats. I frame the digital prints on rag paper. I enlarge the images and combine them with acrylic paint, vinyl, and resin on panel for large scale layered paintings or, for very large installation work, I apply vinyl directly on the walls, windows, or floors of a gallery space. 

Visit the Haas Gallery to learn more!

Queering Our World

In anticipation of the Annual Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference that will be held on campus Nov 7 & 8, 2015, assistant professor Dave Kube, Graphic Design, has juried a show entitled Queering Our World.

The group show will be held at The Gallery at Greenly Center, 50 E Main St, Downtown Bloomsburg, from Tues, Oct 12 to Fri, Nov 6. There will be a reception on Nov 6, 6-8pm. Queering our World features 13 artists from various locations who explore and expose voices of the queer community, bringing visibility to the spaces, aesthetics, and challenges. Through the exploration of domestic spaces, simple objects, queer fairy tales, and other visual aesthetics, these artists work to carve out a space in which queer can find representation through varying degrees of visual language.

Machines Bearing the Weight of Delicacy

The work of Chad Andrews of the Department of Art and Art History is currently on display at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT (through October 25). The museum's website describes Mr. Andrews' work as follows.

Using silicone and a caulking gun, artist Chad Andrews creates wall drawings of trucks, tractors and implements taken from his life on a farm for Machines Bearing the Weight of Delicacy. The physicality of materials, process and assemblage play a vital role in his imagery. These ephemeral, one-time installations are destroyed at the end of the exhibition, and will never be displayed again. Catch them before they’re gone!

Exhibition Features 3 Pieces by BU Art Professor

Foundress (2014).

Hand dyes, discharged rayon, silk organza, muslin,

machine quilted, hand embroidered, hand made

paper (abaca), acrylic paint

71" x 34 1/2"

Photo: James Grimsley

Professor Meredith Grimsley, Department of Art and Art History, will have three pieces featured in the exhibition Mindful: Exploring Mental Health through Art. They are “Foundress,” “Same Old Wounds: Begets” and a performance piece called “Same Old Wounds: Legacy."

Professor Grimsley writes:

Foundress (detail). Photo: James Grimsley

"Each generation within a family inherits not only genetics,but patterns of behavior. With my use of both unsettling and alluring imagery, I reveal the psychological impact of family dysfunction. This work discusses a balance between beauty and distortion and the endurance of the human spirit.The nest in Foundress is that of a Yellow Jacket. Each year a single queen known as the foundress begins a new nest. Legacy perseveres to rekindle her hostile swarm. Correlating the nature of these creatures with thoughts of dysfunctional family legacies, I see that, within families, significant events, words and behaviors occur and are absorbed into our daily routine without examination. Some happen in a breath while others linger endlessly corroding or correcting our core."

The exhibition runs from September 18, 2015 through March 12, 2016 at Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, PA.

Ken Wilson, Faculty Emeritus, 1931-2015

I am sorry to report the passing of Professor Ken Wilson, who retired from the department of Art and Art History in 1996 as Professor Emeritus after 33 years of service.

Since his retirement, Professor Wilson remained active as an artist, and his works hang in museums, galleries, and private homes throughout the nation. A full obituary is available at this link.
We wish his family peace during this difficult time.

Storytelling – A student art exhibit blending together art and psychology

Senior Nicole Updegrove is currently showcasing work on the second floor of Centennial Hall from her Independent Study—Storytelling.  The project she did with guidance from Art professor Vera Viditz-Ward is a mix of her two loves, Art and Psychology.

Updegrove, a double major in both fields, visited Balanced Care Bloomsburg every Friday during the Spring 2015 semester and worked with speech therapist Carrie Vitko.  She had Updegrove bring in original narrative portraitures, simple images of people that could create a story.  The photographs were then shown to the elderly onset dementia patients at the assisted living center, where Vito would elicit the residents to talk.

Updegrove said the project helped the residents express themselves.

“The idea is to create a free flowing environment, instead of pulling out memories which can be painful,” she said.  “It also gets them out and makes them feel like they are contributing to something.”

She said when she arrived at the beginning of a session the residents would be quiet and uncomfortable, but after the hour-long class they would feel more confident around others and feel open to express themselves.

In the art exhibit, you will see the original photograph, a poem or story that was created directly from the residents’ reactions, and then a second photograph to represent what was seen by the storytellers.  The second photograph is a negative sandwich, a mixture of two different images, a medium Updegrove has enjoyed working with throughout her undergraduate career.  The photos are laid together, then the exposure of light blends them together when they are put to paper with the darkroom chemicals.  It’s not until the image is finalized that she would know what parts of an image would be visible in the finished photographic image.

Updegrove, a native of Carson City, Nevada, will be pursuing a Master’s Degree in Art Therapy at Drexel University in the fall.  Storytelling will be on display until Friday, May 8.

--Jackie Sadock, College of Liberal Arts

Alumnus Applies Art

Michael Kalmbach received his BA at Bloomsburg University in 2003 and his MFA at the University of Delaware in 2008. Shortly after completing his graduate studies he accepted a position at the Delaware College of Art & Design and founded the New Wilmington Art Association, an artist collective that organized exhibitions in vacant space throughout the City of Wilmington from August 2008 to April 2013.

This work led to Michael’s involvement with the Chris White Community Development Corporation, which developed the 23-unit artist live/work space, Shipley Lofts. Kalmbach now serves the CWCDC as Board Chairman. In June 2011 he accepted a contract with the State of Delaware's Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health to develop a space for artists on the behavioral health spectrum. The Creative Vision Factory has been open since December of 2011 and fosters the creative potential of individuals with behavioral health disorders in a studio art environment that cultivates integration with the local community through a program of exhibitions, workshops, and communal workspace.

Kalmbach maintains his own painting practice and has exhibited work in venues throughout the Mid-Atlantic, including the Delaware Art Museum, the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, the Biggs Museum of American Art, and UnSmoke Systems.

Michael writes: "My experience at Bloomsburg University gave me the necessary foundation to create a career for myself in the arts. As a Studio Art major I benefited from supportive relationships with the faculty of the Department of Art & Art History. I was encouraged by them to pursue my intellectual interests, so I spent a great deal of time in the English and Philosophy Departments. This liberal arts background has served me well and continues to inform my work in the City of Wilmington. Since graduating I have returned to campus on a number of occasions. As my career unfolds, it’s comforting to know that I can count on the Faculty and Staff of Bloomsburg University to be there as a resource."

Dean's Salute to Excellence 2013

Recently the College of Liberal Arts recognized five individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the life and students of Bloomsburg University.

Their teaching, scholarly/creative work, service and leadership have improved campus culture and enhanced the visibility and reputation of the university nationally and internationally.

In 1998 Dean Hsien-Tung Liu established the Dean’s Salute to Excellence award to recognize distinction in the areas of teaching and professional responsibilities, scholarship, and service. Since then, the college has recognized a few select faculty members each year for their achievements, presenting them with a glass apple, a traditional symbol of teaching and learning.

This year the College continued this tradition, but with a twist. Because of the retirement of Bill Wise, the artist/alumnus who supplied these glass apples, awardees were presented hand-crafted maroon and gold pens in presentation boxes that read “Dean’s Salute to Excellence” on one side, and the recipient’s name on the other.

With the unanimous support of the College’s elected chairpersons, the final glass apple was awarded to the leader who as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences instituted the Dean’s Salute to Excellence and served as a tireless advocate for the college, its students, and its faculty during his fourteen-plus years as dean: Dr. Hsien-Tung Liu.

Dr. Richard Ganahl, Dr. Neal Slone, Dean Jim Brown, Professor Meredith Grimsley, Dr. Timothy Rumbough

Four current Liberal Arts faculty were also recognized:

Dr. Richard Ganahl is a senior member of the Department of Mass Communications who recently celebrated his 20 year anniversary at Bloomsburg University. His areas of specialization include New Media, Media Use, Advertising, and Public Relations. He is the co-editor of Webcasting Worldwide: Business Models of an Emerging Global Medium.

Dr. Ganahl is a popular and well-respected instructor. His student evaluation scores are consistently high, and his colleagues praise the effective blend of theory and practice in his courses as well as the extracurricular field experiences he and his students have organized, including fundraising campaigns in excess of $10,000 for local organizations. He speaks eloquently of his view of teaching, scholarship and service as manifestations of a unified overall enterprise, and he clearly conveys that worldview to the next generation of public relations professionals.

Dr. Ganahl is the founding faculty advisor of BU Now, a multimedia student-managed media blog site. He is also active in service to the broader community, serving on the school board at St. Joseph School in Danville, PA and on the planning committee for the Collegiate Media Summit hosted by Bloomsburg University in Fall 2012.

Professor Meredith Grimsley is a member of the Department of Art and Art History, where she teaches Fabric Design and 3D Design. Her work includes wearable art, installation, performance, two-dimensional and three dimensional forms. Her student evaluations are superlative, and she is an active member of the department, taking a lead role in assessment and other initiatives. Her annual PADME event—that’s Personal Adornment Day and Makeup Extravaganza—has become a Bloomsburg tradition.

In the five years since she was tenured, she has maintained a challenging agenda of scholarly growth, including five highly competitive and international solo or two-person exhibits.

Professor Grimsley has demonstrated great potential as a faculty leader at the department level as well as within the college and the university as a whole. She and her students are highly visible at our annual Taste of the Arts, helping young patrons create projects in a hands-on way that often involves blow-dryers. She organizes the department’s Lunch Bag Lecture Series and Review Week, and she’s active in the broader community as well.

Dr. Timothy Rumbough recently completed his twentieth year in the department of Communication Studies. He teaches a wide range of courses for the department, including the general education and core classes as well as courses like Communication in Relationships and Computer Applications for Professional Communicators. His research focuses on computer-mediated communication and the effects of technology like cell phones and the internet on interpersonal communication. He’s published articles in several respected journals, and his research has been featured in national and international media.

Dr. Rumbough’s student and peer evaluations are consistently exemplary, and he is known as a leader in the department who serves on and leads several departmental committees. He has also served very effectively as a summer chairperson and is known as a knowledgeable and effective advisor.
Dr. Rumbough has also been very active in APSCUF serving recently on a Meet and Discuss working group reviewing promotion policies and practices. His commitment to the department, the college, and the university can be held up as a model to his colleagues.

Dr. Neal Slone has also recently completed his twentieth year at Bloomsburg University in the department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice. He’s taught and advised in both the Criminal Justice and Sociology programs. He is a highly regarded instructor based on his student evaluations as well as the observations of his peers, who laud his passion for teaching and his natural rapport with students. One observer noted specifically his patience with students in Statistics. In one of his upper level courses students complete a research project where they develop and analyze a dataset in order to produce a scholarly paper.  Students who have gone on to grad school report that this experience has made them far more prepared than their peers from other institutions.

Perhaps Dr. Slone’s greatest strength is in the area of advising. He is an outstanding advisor who gets to know all of his advisees and offers the time, attention, and personalized advice they need.

In the area of scholarship, Dr. Slone has focused on projects that allow him to engage students in research, including a recent survey with a group of students that led to a local lawyer successfully arguing for a change of venue. He also worked closely with regional Criminal Justice professionals to help them develop an advisory board to help the region better collaborate.

The College of Liberal Arts is pleased to recognize these outstanding individuals!

What We Did Over Summer "Break": Part 2

While many of the Bloomsburg University's College of Liberal Arts students had productive summer vacations, members of the faculty also managed to keep themselves busy as well. David Miller, assistant professor of Theatre in the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance filled his time away from the classroom by writing, producing, and directing three new plays and musicals.

courtesy of The Artful Conspirators

Sisters of the Eternal Knot is a new, original play that Miller wrote and worshopped over the course of a week with his New York City-based theater company The Artful Conspirators. The play revolves around warring nuns in Medieval France. As the leaders of abbeys Ciel Bleu and Rouge, the nuns' life-long antagonism with one another grows dangerous and the choices they make may result in the life or death of the nuns they serve.

"I don’t set out to communicate a message, per se, but when I reflect on my plays and how they reflect my values, I see that in many of my plays I am interested in the complicated role of leaders and teachers. There are good leaders and teachers and there are poor leaders and teachers. But it’s not as cut and dried as that. One of the questions I want to pose to audiences is 'What are the qualities of a good leader?' There’s something of that in this play, I think," said Miller in an interview with The Artful Conspirators.

courtesy of The New York Musical Theater Festival

Miller also directed the developmental reading of Alice Unraveled, a new rock/electronica musical about a young woman struggling to find her identity in the wake of traumatic experiences, at the New York Musical Theater Festival in July. 

Using characters from Lewis Carroll’s classic novel in a contemporary world, Alice is a teenage girl struggling with the post-traumatic stress. Alice is pulled “down the rabbit hole” and into a nightmarish world in which she cannot separate reality from memory.

courtesy of The Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival

Rounding out his summer "break," Miller directed the premiere of In The Early Dark, a 10-minute play about a close-knit family celebrating the first snowfall of winter as part of the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival. The play was selected as a finalist and was one of thirty plays selected for performance selected out of more than 800 submitted.

Currently, Miller is directing the BU Player's fall production of Avenue Q which will run November 7-10. 

To see more of Miller's upcoming work, visit www.mrdavidamiller.com.

Desperately Seeking Creativity?

"Many people see artists as shamans, dreamers, outsiders, and rebels. In reality, the artist is a builder, an engineer, a research analyst, a human relations expert, a project manager, a communications specialist, and a salesman. The artist is all of those and more--combined with the imagination of an inventor and the courage of an explorer."

--Steven Tepper, Associate Director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University and Research Director of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP).

"Is an MFA the New MBA?" Check out this brief article from Fast Company to read more.

And while we're on the subject:

Please join Haas Gallery of Art and the Department of Art and Art History for an exhibition of student work:

Human Nature 

Student Art Show

Juried by Interim Professor of Drawing, Lisa Corine Von Koch

March 26 – April 9, 2013

Opening Reception: Friday, March 29, 2013, 7 pm – 9 pm

Haas Gallery of Art 

Bloomsburg University

The exhibition is free and open to the public Monday through Friday 9 am to 4 pm and Saturdays Noon until 2pm.

For more information about Haas Gallery, this exhibition and future exhibitions, please refer to the Department of Art and Art History's webpage: http://departments.bloomu.edu/art/haas.html

Themes in Art Exhibition on Display in Old Science Hall Lobby

There are many methodologies that can be employed in analyzing and investigating the meaning of art objects. One such line of investigation that affords insight and allows for a multi-cultural approach is to investigate cultural themes in art.

The current exhibition, now on display in the Old Science Hall lobby, is the final phase of a small group project assignment for the Art & Art History Department’s Museum Exhibition class.

View of Themes in Art Exhibition

Each group was assigned a theme in art – death, war, religion, pleasure, and survival –and provided with artifacts predetermined by the instructor, Professor Heath Patten. Their task was to create and install a display for their objects with appropriate lighting, props, and didactic signage. Each group was evaluated on their success in display preparation, installation, artifact documentation, and integration of their artifacts into the theme.

The assignment was intended to engage students with artifacts and to have them consider the ways in which art objects are presented and interpreted for the public. Additionally, this project was designed to teach students how to handle, conserve, inventory, and describe art objects through the lens of a museum curator. This assignment not only gave students experience with art objects, but it also provided lessons in group dynamics and problem-solving as well as issues of cultural sensitivity when dealing with foreign, past and present, art objects.

The exhibition will be on display through March 14, 2013. Come visit the exhibit and enjoy the students’ hard work.

--Contributed by Professor Heath Patten

Taste of the Arts: BU Dance Minors prepare

BU Dance Minors: Legendary Director/Choreographer Bob Fosse is known for his quirky, witty, sizzlin' numbers.  From the popular Broadway musical Chicago, students Christina Davis and Amber Michael perform a dance reconstruction of Fosse's "Hot Honey Rag."

An afternoon of free entertainment, A Taste of the Arts, is planned for the Moose Exchange in downtown Bloomsburg, Saturday, Feb. 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. Sponsored by Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s College of Liberal Arts, the event is organized by the university’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts, which helps to promote the arts in the community. Join us!

A Taste of the Arts!

BU College of Liberal Arts hosts visual and performing arts showcase

BLOOMSBURG — An afternoon of free entertainment, A Taste of the Arts, is planned for the Moose Exchange in downtown Bloomsburg, Saturday, Feb. 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. Sponsored by Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s College of Liberal Arts, the event is organized by the university’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts, which helps to promote the arts in the community.

Dr. Clickard rehearses the BU Jazz Ensemble

Students and faculty in the art and art history, English, and music, theatre and dance departments will showcase their talents in the Moose Exchange. While art exhibitions, theatrical productions, dance performances, recitals and other musical events, all open to the public, are held throughout the academic year, most of these events take place on campus.  A Taste of the Arts, now in its second year, brings students’ talents to a central venue for the community to enjoy, said James Brown, dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

“We had a spectacular response last year,” Brown said. “There were more than 500 people in attendance, and the interaction with community members was wonderful. We hope to entertain even more local residents at this year’s Taste of the Arts.”

The idea behind the event is to offer a variety of arts experiences with new performances beginning every 10 minutes. A Taste of the Arts will feature music by the Jazz Ensemble and Husky Singers, dance and theatrical performances, and poetry readings, along with fine arts exhibitions, demonstrations and talks.

“Over the past year, the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts has hosted several programs at the Moose Exchange in an effort to reach out to the community,” Brown said. “A Taste of the Arts is a distinctive event and our students and faculty are looking forward to participating in it once again.”

Visitors may attend any portion of the three-hour program. Refreshments will be available. Details can be found on the CVPA website, www.bloomu.edu/cvpa.

For information, contact Nawal Bonomo, assistant to the dean, College of Liberal Arts, (570) 389-4725 or nbonomo@bloomu.edu.

This Wednesday: Piano Concert with Poetry, Live Drawing, and Dance

Charisse Baldoria

Multi-awarded pianist Dr. Charisse Baldoria is giving a concert on Wednesday, November 7, 7:30 p.m. at Carver Hall, Bloomsburg University.

To top it off, renowned fellow professors from the College of Liberal Arts are joining in with poetry, live drawing, and dance, creating subtle interactions with the music:  Performance artist Hunter Fine will recite works by Federico García Lorca and Rainer Maria Rilke.  Artist Lisa Corine von Koch will create a drawing onstage.  Dancer Julie Petry will perform to arresting rhythms and harmonies.  It would be the first ever collaboration of its kind.

Performing warhorses of the piano repertoire, Dr. Baldoria will play classical works inspired by the world’s varied musical traditions:  Spanish pieces from Albéniz’ monumental Iberia, two Scarlatti sonatas (one in fandango style), three Cuban pieces, and a set inspired by Southeast Asian gongs—featuring works by Debussy, Filipino composer Ramón Santos, and New Zealander Gareth Farr.

Julie Petry

In creating her programs, Dr. Baldoria taps into her complex Filipino identity.  She juxtaposes the indigenous with the colonial, performing music from and inspired by Southeast Asia and Spain, of which the Philippines was a colony for 333 years.  A seasoned performer, Charisse has performed in four continents and won awards in international competitions, including the San Antonio, Hilton Head Island, and Sydney international piano competitions.  She first came to the United States as a Fulbright scholar from the Philippines and got her masters and doctorate from the University of Michigan.  She directs the piano program at Bloomsburg University.

Julie Petry is a multi-Emmy nominated dancer-choreographer formerly based in the Chicago area.  She has worked with PBS/Heartsong Communications; Dance Chicago; and the Summer Palace, Centerlight, and Metropolis Performing Arts Center theatres, among others.  She earned her masters at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Lisa Corine von Koch

Lisa Corine von Koch’s work features sculpture, performance and installation, incorporating ecological practices into art making, and expressing intersections between nature and culture.  She received her masters in Painting and Drawing from Arizona State University and has done numerous exhibitions around the western United States.




A performance artist and communication scholar, Dr. Hunter H. Fine has worked on solo and ensemble shows in the Marion Klineau Theater in Southern Illinois, the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, and the Marsh in San Francisco.  His recent scholarship has revolved around the performative constructions of everyday social and civic spaces.

     The concert is free and open to the public.

Arts in Autumn

Bloomsburg University's Center for Visual and Performing Arts is hosting a fundraising dinner on October 21, 2012 featuring a delectable menu as well as an art exhibit and literary, musical, theatrical, and dance performances featuring some of BU's most talented students. Seating is limited and by advance ticket only. Join us!

Strange Creatures in Old Science

“Make a Wish” by Jessie Kilby (Dandelion)

“ Shoemongous” by Melanie Ortiz

Your sense of reality may be challenged when you visit Old Science Hall, which houses the Department of Art and Art History.  Positioned throughout the building – at the entryway, in the lobby, and in the hallways—are oversized re-creations of usually familiar objects.  

Students in Professor Meredith Grimsley’s Three-Dimensional Design course are making replicas of everyday objects that are two to ten times their usual size.  The “larger than life” theme gives students a chance to experience and evaluate common everyday objects in a fresh, new way.  The assignment also causes them to be attentive to details and features that may be otherwise overlooked, and so sharpens their perceptions.  

 Finally, students are asked to interpret their object with one of these themes in mind: humor, fear, social consciousness, or identity.  Each piece is displayed with a brief essay by the student explaining his or her choice.