Upper Iowa University art students work across cultures to create art
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Upper Iowa University's 3-D Foundation class inflate their latest art projects outside Edgar Fine Arts Hall on the Fayette campus. |
FAYETTE, Iowa (October 4, 2012) – Upper Iowa University Associate Professor of Art John Siblik took one look at his class roster for 3-D Foundations and saw an opportunity. With eight international students and seven domestic students enrolled in the course, Siblik said it was easy to split the class in pairs – and in one case, threes – to foster a sense of commonality while exposing his students to different cultures. His main objective, other than collaboration to create unique pieces of art, was to have students learn from each other.
The large inflatable structures that resulted from the team projects were erected near Edgar Fine Arts Hall on the Fayette campus this week using plastic sheeting, packing tape and a blower source – in some cases just an industrial vacuum cleaner. Students attached the blowers and worked together to get their sculpture to fill with air just long enough to capture their creations in photographs.
And the creative juices were definitely flowing with a wide variety of subject matter covered in the group. Everything from Upper Iowa's mascot, the peacock, to an orb with reaching tentacles, SpongeBob Squarepants, and even an effigy of a tipsy grandmother – the students were not short on innovative topics. More photos of the class's artwork can be viewed on Upper Iowa University's Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/upperiowauniversity/sets/72157631690875153/.
The 3-D Foundations class also has artwork on display at UIU's Henderson-Wilder Library for the remainder of the term, which ends October 12.
Classmates include Batsaikha Battur of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Gijs Jakob Bedet of Amsterdam, Netherlands; Andres Felipe Cuesta of Chia, Colombia; Angela Marina Di Mauro Guzman of Pampatar, Venezuela; Paul Elie Dupeyrat of Meyreuil, France; Brody Hubbell of West Union, Iowa; Juan Sebastian Nino Aguirre of Colombia; Joslyn Oneal of DeSoto, Wis.; Wendy Perry of Oelwein, Iowa; Elizabeth Roneker of Maynard, Iowa; Jennah Smith of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Bayar Sodov of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Sharraden Turpin of Donnellson, Iowa; Luis Vivas Leoncedis of San Antonio de Altos, Venezuela; and Cody Witkiewicz of Orland Hills, Ill.
About Upper Iowa University
Founded in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private, not-for-profit university providing undergraduate and graduate degree programs and leadership development opportunities to about 6,200 students—nationally and internationally—at its Fayette campus and learning centers worldwide. Upper Iowa University is a recognized innovator in offering accredited, quality programs through flexible, multiple delivery systems, including online and independent study.
Contact:
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Phone: 563-425-5773
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