This fall semester, the Junior and Senior Pomona College art majors are exhibiting their work in a show called 50 Days at the Chan Gallery. The title and theme of the show comes from the period of time between September 9th and October 29th that the art majors worked on the pieces that they contributed to the exhibition. The show includes artworks from Alec Long, Anabel Gómez, Chris Harding, Clark Hollenberg, Cleo Berliner, Devon Horn, Jessica Wang, Kirsten Tingle, Marcus Polk, Michelle Qin, Olivia Campbell, Sara Arthur-Paratley, and Sonia Grunwald.
Many of the pieces in this exhibition are interactive. Viewers are welcome to read and take any of Olivia Campbell’s cards with “a mediocre greeting.” You can lift up Sálvame or sit down on Siéntate: Anabel Gómez’s spiritual imaginings of the colonized body, manifested as sculptures. You can donate or purchase prints at Marcus Polk’s untitled installation--informally named for Courtney. You can touch Sara Arthur Paratley’s untitled sculptures made of fabric, rope, mattress foam, and nylon tights.
Gallery goers had a special experience of the artworks at the gallery opening and reception, and it was not only because the artists were in attendance. Alec Long invited those that passed by to play a game of his own creation, involving the 4 different colored sides of his piece, the nails on each side, and small pink, black and white rubber bands. Though viewers engaged with the piece as a toy and a game, they also could admire the visual appeal of its aesthetic transformation as players added more rubber bands.
Many gallery goers accidentally engaged with artwork as well, as they mistook Clark Hollenberg’s California Black Oak Acorns for a rug, which added an extra element of surprise to the opening and reception. Clark further surprised gallery goers at the reception with sweet treats made with acorn flour. He brought the baked goods around the space and to attendees that chose to lounge, chat and read books in his comfortable Acorn Space for Environmental Justice in the corner of the gallery.
Sara Arthur Paratley added another level of engagement between the body and her pieces by pairing her sculptures with her choreography. While music reverberated throughout the space, Sara and another performer captivated gallery goers as they danced around the gallery.
The gallery opening and reception attracted faculty, staff, students, and community members alike, many of them enjoying the interactive nature of the artwork and the variety of mediums the artists used to communicate their personal narratives.