"DIGITAL ART" IS SHOWN EMERGING INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF FINE ART AT BEN SHAHN GALLERIES EXHIBIT
While "computer art" was initially regarded as an amusing curiosity, a growing number of serious artists are using the computer as a part of the creative process. "The Digital Canvas: An Exhibition of Work Produced by 12 Artists on a Personal Computer Printer" will be on view from March 15 through April 16 in the Ben Shahn Galleries at William Paterson University in Wayne. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held on Wednesday, March 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the galleries. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The 12 women artists featured in this exhibit, experienced in painting, printmaking and photography, recently attended the "Beyond the Digital Print" workshop held at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, Ma. This exhibit is the result of their experimentation during and after the workshop. "Digital art is emerging into the mainstream of the fine art world," says Ruth West, internationally recognized artist and curator of the show. Admitting that she was "hooked" once she owned her first Macintosh computer, West has been working with computer art for the last 15 years. She conceived the exhibit as a means to show other artists and students that computer art has finally become an affordable way for artists to create. West describes the exhibit as a "traveling teaching show" that demonstrates the product and process of professional artists who work partially or wholly on the computer. Each of the works presented were created in the artist's own studio space and are accompanied by a brief discussion of the creative process and involved technology. "The new tools are complex, robust, and present new challenges to the artist and the art world," says West. "The technology has finally developed to the point where it is 'transparent' to the artist; where any artist can begin to apply traditional techniques to the digital production of art without spending years learning how to write and debug the code." Where is computer art going now that it is as easy -- and as difficult -- to make art on a computer as in the more traditional media? "The Digital Canvas" show presents some answers to this question. Also on view in the Ben Shahn Galleries from March 15 through April 16 are "Virtual Artifacts: Computer and Mixed Media Works by Twelve Women," curated by Leslie Nobler Farber and "Tova Beck-Friedman - Drawings and Maquettes for Sculpture Projects." For additional information, please call the Ben Shahn Galleries at 973-720-2654.
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