AESTHETICS & VALUES 2012 AT FIU FROST ART MUSEUM
By: Chelsie Rachelle Soderman, A&V 2012
A&V 2012 ARTISTS: Robert Chambers, Luis Garcia-Nerey, Jiae Hwang, Kuhl & Leyton, Ed Levine, Jillian Mayer, Gean Moreno, Gavin Perry, Roberto Behar & Rosario Marquardt R & R Studios, David Rohn
(image: Kuhl and Leyton, New Hope Plantation, 2010. Acrylic tape, book tape on paper5′ x 13′ 4″ Courtesy of Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art)
MIAMI, FL (February 20, 2012) — Bright, large scale pieces, a map that reverses our traditional take on the world, and a sculpture that literally turns the notion of the all-American tree house upside-down are just a few of the works that will have guests “flipping out” at the 2012 Aesthetics & Values Exhibition (A&V). This year’s exhibition is curated by 40 Florida International University (FIU) Honors College students and features dynamic works by 10 of Miami’s most notable contemporary artists or pairs of artists. The exhibition will be open from March 6, 2012 through April 15, 2012 at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum located on 10975 Southwest 17th Street, Miami, Florida 33199, and is free and open to the public. The reception is March 28, 2012 from 6 pm to 9 pm.
“I love the concept of Aesthetics & Values, because it gives students a chance to, for once, be the coordinators and leaders of something, to be the ones in charge, which never happens in a classroom. It’s about exploring art, meeting artists and discovering museums. A&V really allows students to broaden their minds,” said Laetitia Choppin de Janvry, Political Science major. Aesthetics & Values is a program in a category entirely its own; Charelle Trim explains that she took A&V “to do something radically different” from what she is doing in her Geology courses at FIU. Each of the pieces in this year’s exhibition will challenge traditional perspectives and have guests considering far-reaching new ideas. The 2012 A&V Exhibition will feature the works of Jillian Mayer, Luis García-Nerey, Ed Levine, Gean Moreno, Kuhl & Leyton, David Rohn, Jiae Hwang, Gavin Perry, Robert Chambers, and Roberto Behar & Rosario Marquadt.
Many of the artists have created site-specific works for the seventh annual A&V exhibition.
“When I was a kid, I grew up in Miami, near Lincoln Road. I used to go to the Art Center and say ‘Wow! I want to do something like this.’ Being back here, working and being a part of projects like Aesthetics & Values means a lot to me,” said artist Luis Garcia-Nerey, whose work for the exhibition is a multimedia sculpture of a tree house with which visitors can interact and walk around.
Taught by artist and Honors College Fellow, John Bailly, the Aesthetics & Values program helps students understand the role of art in history and society, and how art challenges or enforces authority. A&V is comprised of a group of students (most have not studied art) whose fields of study range from Business to Computer Science. After exploring Miami’s local art scene, forming close working relationships with artists, and learning about art by immersing themselves completely in it, students have taken on the unique challenge of curating and planning all aspects of their very own exhibition in less than one year. “Students enter into a partnership with everyone in [their class]… A&V 2012 potentially has the best show ever. It looks fantastic when I see the floor plan and the artwork that’s coming in,” John Bailly said in one of the last class meetings before installation of the 2012 A&V Exhibition.
The Aesthetics & Values Exhibition has become one of the most successful student projects at FIU; however, it is also a nationally recognized program. A&V students have presented at the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference (NCHC) since 2007, and will feature in the 2012 Global Clinton Initiatives University Conference.
Aesthetics and Values
The Aesthetics and Values seminar, taught by artist and Honors College Fellow John Bailly, examines the vital role visual art plays in the social and cultural dialogue surrounding controversial issues. It investigates how artists have challenged or enforced authority by creating new aesthetics.
Honors College at FIU
The mission of the Honors College is to provide a transformative undergraduate education by providing cutting-edge academic and co-curricular opportunities; mentoring and inspiring students to excel and flourish through advanced research, community engagement, international study, and cultural literacy; providing the tools to develop a coherent worldview through higher-order reasoning, intellectual curiosity, and ethical judgment; and fostering integrity, responsibility, and civility in tomorrow’s leaders.
The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University
The Frost Art Museum opened its current 46,000-square-foot state of the art building in November 2008. Over 66,000 people have visited The Museum in its new building since its opening in November, 2008. Admission to The Museum is always free. The Frost is an AAM accredited museum and Smithsonian affiliate and is located at 10975 SW 17thSt across from the Blue garage and adjacent to the Wertheim Performing Arts Center on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m. Closed on Mondays and most legal holidays. For more information, please visit thefrost.fiu.edu or call 305-348-2890. Find The Frost Art Museum on Twitter (twitter.com/frostartmuseum) and Facebook (facebook.com).
FIU
Florida International University is one of the 25 largest universities in the nation, with more than 42,000 students. Nearly 130,000 FIU alumni live and work in South Florida. Its colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. As one of South Florida’s anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. The opening of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in August 2009 has enhanced the university’s ability to create lasting positive change in our community. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
