Sometimes I feel awkward in art museums. There’s nothing but innovation and imagination swirling around, and there I am, a kid from New Jersey, standing in awe in the middle of it all, in faded jeans and a shoe lace untied. How can a human as ordinary as me create something as profound as what proudly hangs in museums?
Fast forward to last Tuesday night. I didn’t know what to expect as I walked into the Quick Center to take a peek at the new exhibit in the Walsh Gallery. The exhibit is called “What Now” and features contemporary painting, sculpture, and photography by alumni from Fairfield, Yale and NYU, among other schools. The buzz of the softly lit room drew me in, and immediately I found myself welling up with all the questions I’ve always wanted to ask an artist. The trouble was, I’d never been around a live one to ask until now.
But these artists were alive, alright: alive and as eager to answer my questions as I was to ask them. Doug Jaser, one of the alumni organizers of the exhibit, showed me each of his two riveting pieces, discussing them like a proud father.
We talked about his time at Fairfield, and why he chose to go here to study art, as opposed to a formal art school. He and fellow exhibit organizer Keith Wagner were quick to point out that being an artist has to do with more than just the finished piece, and that a liberal arts education only helped them develop their art.
They were also quick to point out what a special occasion the exhibit is.
“For the first time that I can recall, alumni are setting a precedent by reaching outside and bringing together talents from various colleges,” Wagner said.
“I’m happy that we were given the opportunity by Diana Mille [director of the exhibit] to present an innovative range of new art from the tri-state area,” Jaser added.
Jaser and Wagner were both major forces in bringing the exhibit to Fairfield, and from the looks of the artwork, I don’t know how anyone could lobby against them.
In between asking my litany of touristy questions (in my faded jeans, I might add), the bold colors of the paintings pulled at me; the shades of the photography whispered to me; and the energy with which these artists realized their talents, cried out to me freshly, and with a fervent demand to be noticed, that I think even the most seasoned art critic would find hard to ignore. I encourage you to take at least twenty minutes yourself between now and Dec 22 to explore this experience too.
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