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Art Faculty Exhibit Original Works This Fall

by Solvegi Shmulsky

Speaking, exhibiting, and screening at diverse venues, it’s a busy fall for art department faculty at Landmark College.  At a college that values the teaching and learning experience above all else—with high expectations for student contact hours, mentoring, and overall excellence of teaching craft—there can be few hours left for artists to create original works.  However, the creative impulse thrives in Landmark College’s art department faculty who have made many accomplishments outside the classroom this fall.

Humberto Ramirez. As part of the Modern Mondays series, Humberto Ramirez’s video work appeared on September 30th as part of the “One-Minute Film Festival” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. MoMA describes Modern Mondays as “a showcase for innovation on screen,” and encourages visitors to “Engage with contemporary filmmakers and moving image artists, and rediscover landmark works that changed the way we experience film and media.”

“This is a great honor,” said Ramirez, who is a full-time artist and chair of the art department.

Samuel Rowlett. A multi-media artist with zooming energy and vision, Samuel Rowlett, assistant professor of arts at Landmark College, delivered the Pacific Northwest College of Art Homecoming Lecture on October 4th, 2013 in Portland, Oregon. He was invited as a “distinguished alumnus” to give one of the four “Cornerstone Lectures” at the College, a leading art institution on the west coast.  “Pacific Northwest College of Arts is my alma mater, so this is a huge honor for me,” said Rowlett.

Currently, Rowlett has work on view in the exhibition Artists' Walks: The Persistence of Peripateticism at the Dorsky Gallery in New York City. A “peripatetic” is one who walks from place to place—like the artists in the Dorsky show—and it refers to the teaching methods of Greek philosopher Aristotle who conducted discussions on foot. As part of the exhibition, Rowlett embarked on an eight-mile performance trek called Itinerant Painter on September 6th, 2013.  During this unique Manhattan performance, Rowlett painted portraits of people on the streets of New York with his mobile studio backpack.

Jen Morris. Prolific photography and video artist Jen Morris, who is also an associate professor at Landmark College, will exhibit her work in a solo show at the Vermont Supreme Court exhibit space in Montpelier, Vt. from November 4th to December 29th, 2013. A large, airy space, the

Supreme Court has held the work of many fine artists from Vermont and around the Country.  “As a citizen of Vermont, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to exhibit in this state building,” said Morris.  “It is a valuable moment in an artist's career to be invited to stage work in a place where it will be seen by an audience that is not necessarily there to see art.”

At the same time as the Supreme Court show, Morris and co-artist Emily Anderson will exhibit their work in an International Photography Biennale as part of Fotonoviembre, Atlantica Colectivas in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain from November 2013 through January 2014.  Reflecting on the accomplishment, Morris explained that this has been a long-term goal. “We have been following a lead for this exhibition since 2010, even before I came to Landmark,” she said.  “It's exciting to be part of such an event, and to be able to exhibit with such a list of international artists.”

The accomplishments of Ramirez, Rowlett, and Morris are that of “seasoned artists” who “effectively mentor students into the histories and contemporary expressions of a particular medium,” as described in the art department mission statement.  The mission statement also says that art courses “foster the practice of critical thinking and self-expression through an integrated mind/body approach to learning”—from homecoming speeches to solo shows, these artists embody the ideal of self-expression as a lifelong practice, thus they set an excellent example for newcomers and students in photo, video, painting and other disciplines.

Landmark College was the first institution of higher learning to pioneer college-level studies for students with dyslexia. Today Landmark College, offering two and four-year degree options, a graduate level certificate in universal design with technology integration, and summer programs for students who learn differently, is a global leader in integrated teaching methods for students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, ADHD, and ASD. Students, faculty, and other professionals from all over the world are drawn to Landmark College for its innovative educational model—designed through research and practice to help all students who learn differently become confident, self-empowered, and independently successful learners.

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