Artist Talk: Mike Benjamin, Sarah Kramer, and Anne Rowan

Last Thursday, I attended the SMP presentation of Mike Benjamin, Sarah Kramer, and Anne Rowan. Of course, I wanted to support Sarah (our classmate!) but I have never attended an Art SMP presentation, so I was also interested in learning more about the year-long project experience from a different discipline.

Mike Benjamin's project was centered around the establishment of an off-campus learning space that encourages students to engage with what they're learning directly, as opposed to sequestering them in a classroom and removing them from their subject. This project was made even more interesting by its clear interdisciplinary approach (education, history, art, etc) and the fact that the presentation was driven by participation from the audience.

Sarah Kramer's level of detail (in both her art and her research) really impressed me. For her project, Sarah created several charcoal drawings. Her presentation described elements that are common throughout her work, in addition to the art of others who have informed and inspired her. Her inclusion of music (Bon Iver, most notably!) was very interesting to me, especially when she explained their specific influence. Professor Sue Johnson commented afterward that Sarah was very articulate about the very thing that artists have the most trouble discussing (that is, their creative process), and I definitely agree.

Anne Rowan's photography was the last SMP to be presented on Thursday, and looked in-depth at the issue of intimacy. Her method of achieving intimacy is unique in that she strives to exclude as much as possible from the overall photo, so that the subject itself stands out. She also tends to zoom in on the object or person that she photographs, and these subjects tend to be familiar with her on a personal and emotional level. Juxtaposed with her earlier SMP concept (landscapes), it was fascinating to see how Anne's work evolved over the year.

Before the presentations, I was able to walk through the gallery, view the works, and even read the artists' statements - from this, I thought that I had gotten a good perspective on the pieces displayed. After seeing the artists talk about each of their projects, though, I realized just how much I had missed in my first encounter. In the end, none of the SMPs were quite what I had expected, and I was very glad to have heard Mike, Sarah, and Anne talk a little bit about their intentions. Hearing about the research they did was, in particular, exciting for me and it's made me interested in reading more about art theory and history.