photos: Anthony Caruthers
By Tray Wetherell
Editor-In-Chief
Kristen Bartel, an instructor of arts at Lewis & Clark Community College had students actively displaying their talents Thursday in the main staircase of Wade Hall. The students of the Design I class was given an assignment about defining scale and proportion in design. This assignment presented an opportunity for her students to learn about how traditional mediums of design while effective, can be limiting to creativity and that those borders should be tossed aside sometimes to project a vision that a piece of paper or canvas simply cannot contain.
“The project allows us to touch on instillation art and cite specificity in the contemporary arts” Ms. Bartel said while overseeing the project as students used black construction paper and tape to create a visual effect that created the illusion of depth. “What this demonstrates is one of the Seven principles of design, that of Scale and Proportion…It changes an audience members perception of space”
Indeed walking into the stairwell, one could get the feeling of depth and shadow that wasn’t there. While there is not any way for students to comment on the project, students that saw the project as it was being developed were both curious and happy to see something creative going up on the plain walls of the stairwell.
D. Sky Rains, a second year design student at L&C was asked what do you like about design? “ Everything around you is design and I’m interested in doing that…writing….creating a whole world…using original designs and creating”. Student involvement in creating artwork is a top priority of Ms. Bartel, “This project is one of several art projects currently going on in Wade, and helps involve non art students as well in the creative process.”
Ms. Kristen Bartel is a new addition to the adjunct faculty at Lewis & Clark Community College coming from St. Charles Community college where she taught and is a graduate of SIU Edwardsville with a master’s degree in Fine Arts. She is an avid artist and displays her creations online at www.kristenbartel.com.
You can see the students creative work from Feburary 26 to March 3 in the Wade Hall main stairwell.
