Bill Gilbert, founder of Land Arts of the American West at the University of New Mexico, will present his work and teaching philosophy at the UNM Art Museum on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m. Gilbert began teaching sculpture at UNM in the Department of Art and Art History in 1987.
Photo: Bill Gilbert
The Land Arts of the American West program, an interdisciplinary, field-based studio curriculum, was conceived by Gilbert in his interest to redefine the very nature of how students are educated in the visual arts. In 2000 along with Professor Emeritus John Wenger and a dozen eager students, Gilbert initiated the first Land Arts trip, covering five states and 8,000 miles. He later collaborated with Chris Taylor from the University of Texas at Austin. Gilbert will discuss this experiment in pedagogy and how it has both affected and intersected with his work as an artist and teacher.
Gilbert said, “Land Arts is fundamentally involved with, not a critique, but an evolution of what education is within the arts. Land Arts has an opportunity...to create this sense of fluidity across time and cultures and disciplines.”
“These field-based experiences offer both a radical alternative to the typical classroom studio or computer lab, as it also reshapes the conventional student-teacher relationship,” said Michele Penhall, curator of photographs and prints at the UNM Art Museum and co-curator of the current exhibition, “Dispersal/Return: Land Arts of the American West.”
After his presentation, Gilbert will sign copies of his new book, “Land Arts of the American West,” co-authored with Chris Taylor.
UNM Art Museum exhibits and events are free and open to the public. Museum hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday 1-4 p.m. The current exhibits continue through Nov. 25. Visit Art Museum.
Media Contact: Angela Berkson, (505) 277-6773; e-mail: waxrtist@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at November 6, 2009 02:38 PM