Media gets ‘ReSearched’

by Jessica Murphy

Scattered across the front room of The Museum  in the library are seven large-scale mixed media paintings, bright canvases covered with computer parts, a clock, celebrities, a rotating paintbrush and so much more. 
    Courtney Downs, a junior English major, was amazed with what she saw.
    “Is that who I think it is?” Downs said to a friend about one of the paintings.  “My goodness, that really is Tom Cruise and Oprah in that painting.  That is awesome.”
      The exhibit is simply titled “ReSearched.”   Onlookers will find more than just Tom Cruise in the paintings;  there are plenty of images that deal with the media placed on every canvas.
    Senior business major Kate McWilliams found the exhibit to be representative of the world around us.
    “If you think about it, the media is what surrounds our lives,” McWillams said.  “Everyday we are somehow affected by something that involves the media and these paintings do an excellent job of representing our world today.”
    The artist is Michael Marks, a senior art major at GCSU.  In his artist statement, Marks said he is interested in questioning our preconceptions about what a painting should be and its role in today’s world.  He is interested in the idea of creating pictures from things that already exist, not to show something new, but to examine more closely what was already there.
    Lindsey Carroll, a sophomore psychology major, found the exhibit to be different from others she has seen.
    “There are some things that are obvious in the artwork,” Carroll said.  “But then there are other aspects of the paintings that you really have to put thought into.  This is the first exhibit I have seen where you have a mixture.”
    Stephanie Raines, curatorial assistant for The Museum at GCSU, was the curator for the “ReSearched” exhibit.
    “The exhibit has been very successful so far,” Raines said.  “The opening had over 75 people in attendance and there has been a steady flow of people coming in to see the exhibit since then.”
    Artists from all over Georgia have had the opportunity to display their artwork in The Museum but there had yet to be a local artist on display.
    “The Museum was looking for something different,” Raines said.  “Marks is the first artist locally to have his work displayed at the museum.  What is even better is the fact that he is a student from GCSU.”
    There is also a Podcast that goes along with the “ReSearched” exhibit.  Students and faculty can download the Podcast to help get a better idea of what “ReSearched” is all about.
    “The Podcast is basically a commercial,” Raines said.  “It has pictures, information about where the museum is located and Michael Marks even talks for a minute about the exhibit.”
    Siobhan Alvarez, a senior rhetoric/psychology major, found the exhibit through the Podcast. 
    “I came across the “ReSearched” Podcast, and
through that, I was intrigued to go to the exhibit,” Alvarez said.  “I think the Podcast was a good idea because it gives people a preview before they actually go see the exhibit.”
    Raines has been impressed with the response from campus.
    “‘ReSearched’ has drawn some good attention around campus,” Raines said.  “I have personally been very pleased with the response from students and faculty.”
    Courtney Downs enjoyed “ReSearched” so much that she came back a second time and brought along some of her friends.
    “This exhibit is incredible.  Not only are these paintings amazing, but his artwork literally flows off the canvas,” Downs said.  “These pieces are interesting and every time I look at them I see something that I hadn’t seen before.”
    “ReSearched” has been on display since Sept. 5 and continues through Oct. 12. 

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 29 2006. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry