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Local colleges and Open Square collaborate

By Paula Canning

Staff Writer



HOLYOKE For Christopher Willingham, an adjunct art professor at Holyoke Community College (HCC), the Holyoke Open Square Installation Art Project that recently took place at Open Square did more than showcase local undergraduate and professional work it whispered the emergence of a thriving art community in the city of Holyoke.

Willingham said that the exhibit, which featured a variety of installation and performance art on the second, third, and fourth floors of the converted mill building, represents the first step towards developing a local fine art and performing arts center at Open Square.

According to Willingham, the fine arts center would be utilized as a common exhibition and work space by a consortium of undergraduate art departments throughout the Pioneer Valley, and would be comparable to Mass MOCA in North Adams

Willingham explained that the May 11 exhibit, which featured the works of Holyoke Community College students, Mount Holyoke College, UMass Amherst, and Smith College, was the result of a collaboration between the colleges that represents the "first step towards a larger vision."

According to Willingham, this vision, along with the idea of hosting the exhibit at Open Square, was born from conversations between Dean Nimmer, a former professor at The Massachusetts College of Art, who recently re-located to Holyoke and John Aubin, the owner of Open Square.

Willingham said that Nimmer, who currently rents a studio for his work in Open Square, suggested to Alban that he consider creating an art center to coincide with his plans to rehabilitate and create commercial business throughout the enormous amount of Open Square's unused space.

Willingham said that Aubin then moved forward with contacting area colleges about the art center, including HCC.

"The goal is to have shared classroom, workshop, and exhibition spaces, where students can be in the type of environment where they explore different strategies that they might not be able to at their own institutions," he said.

He explained that the ultimate goal is to create an artist in residence or visiting artist program to attract sculpture and installation artists of national and international caliber that may then serve as mentors for local artists.

"What I would like to see is the creation of a community of artists among the artists in the Valley," he said. "I think artists are generally isolated within their own institution, and community is such an important part of being an artist."

According to Willingham, the art center would have a number of advantages for the community, including making the city more attractive to businesses.

"Being in Holyoke, and being involved in a community that is trying to reclaim and rehabilitate old spaces, I want to be able to involve the community directly by creating something that is interesting and inspiring," he said. "It's about making Holyoke an attractive environment for people to come work and live," he said.

He said that, while there are "a lot of bureaucratic hurdles in terms of bringing it to the level of organization that we would like," he said that he believes that the May 11 exhibit demonstrated a great deal of support from the surrounding colleges.

He said that the project was partly a "feasibility study" to determine to what degree that school involvement could be generated. He said that the response to the work was "very strong and positive," and that the next step will be to attract greater participation from Smith College and from UMass Amherst.

According to Willingham, the exhibit at Open Square was so important for the students because it allowed them the opportunity to explore installation art.

Describing it as an extension of sculpture, Willingham explained that installation art incorporates a close connection between the object and and the space that it occupies.

Emerging during the 60's, he said installation art regards the work and the space in which it is exhibited as one interchanging piece.

"It has to do with activating the space around the sculpture and turning it into one work," he said.

One advantages to installation art, according to Willingham, is that it allows students to take a more "sophisticated and contemporary" approach to dealing with formal strategies an opportunity that he said doesn't occur often at the undergraduate level.

"I feel that its very important for our students to be able to explore these ideas," he said.

According to Willingham, the opportunity to exhibit installation art at HCC is "pretty much out of the question," in terms of space limitations.

"Although the Taber Art Gallery is one of the finest in the Valley, there are still limitations on the scale of work that can be displayed," he said.

He explained that allowing the students to exhibit their work on such a large scale was also very important.

"Art is such a solitary activity, and for a student to find a way into a situation where [he or she] can exhibit their work and gain feedback is very hard," he said.

Exhibiting one's work is one way to prepare students for a professional life, which is often overlooked in college art programs, he said.

"Students are not always shown how they can apply their education into the practical business of making a meaningful living," he said.

He said that by participating in the exhibit, students were given the practical experience of learning how to set up their work for a show, relating to gallery owners and curators, and generating interest and attention.

Willingham said that preparing for the show was a "labor of love" for all of those involved, and that it really demonstrated the high level of commitment that many adjunct professors have towards their students.

He said that, like many other teachers at HCC, he feels a strong connection to his students and to teaching, and that, "he couldn't approach it any other way."

"Teaching and making art are two things that I cannot separate from one another," he said.

In his classes, which include drawing and design courses, Willingham said he tries to include a number of three dimensional assignments.

"I try to raise the bar and expose students to as many contemporary and advanced ideas as I can," he said.

Amy Johnquest, director of the Taber Art Gallery at HCC, said the exhibit at Open Square was the first time that students at HCC participated in such a large-scale exhibit.

She said that putting the exhibit together was an "organic process."

"We've kind of figured things out as we went along," she said.

She said that the exhibit generated "great feedback," and that the students were excited to participate in something they wouldn't typically have the opportunity to do.

"That's the beauty of this the opportunity to work on larger scale projects that they couldn't normally do in the classroom," Johquest said.

Janine Cooper, a visual art major at HCC, who had her work on display at the exhibit, said that, as a student, the event was a "wonderful opportunity" for her to gain exposure to large audience.

"To have that experience was just amazing," Cooper said.

She said that the opportunity to interact with other art students from other schools was "very enriching."

Another advantages of the show, she said, was that she was able to "get a real sense of a thriving art community."

"As an individual artist, it helps you feel connected, and that you're working towards something greater," she said.

She said that with both students and professionals exhibiting their work, there was a great deal of diversity among the art work.

In terms of the mix of student and professional work at the show, Cooper said the "variety fed both ends of the spectrum." She explained that many of the established professionals at the exhibit were likely to have been "inspired" and "refreshed" by all of the young talent, while the students benefited from coming in contact with "working artists" who had made a career out of their abilities.

"Working artists are few and far between," Cooper said.

Cooper said she believes that Holyoke is going to experience a "turning of the tides," and that it is headed towards developing a striving art community similar to that in Northampton.

With its historic canals, old buildings and mills, she said the city provides the ideal backdrop for a thriving artistic community.

"Holyoke is just so beautiful," Cooper said.

She said that feedback at the exhibit was "wonderful," and that many of the visitors showed a great deal of appreciation for the work.

Cooper, who exhibited both an installation work and a series of prints, said she was impressed with the amount of high quality artistic work.

"It's just amazing that this level of artwork is happening right here in Holyoke,"she said.