Stephanie Robison had the honor of presenting at the first Art Insights of this fall semester this past Thursday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. The event was held in the SUU auditorium and was free and open to the public.
The College of Performing & Visual Arts hosts Art Insights throughout the year. By bringing in different artists to speak about their work and how they became successful, these events are great opportunities for art students to learn about the artists and their techniques.
In her introduction, Robison was described as having high energy and being generous. She began the event with asking the audience, “What is your first memory of making?” Throughout the night, students were able to participate by submitting other answers to questions like these through their phones.
Robison first described a piece that she began creating after a car accident she was in. It was a homemade cart that spun 360 degrees, plugged into the wall, and could move up to 25 feet. She pointed out that the piece included rudimentary materials, such as wood and cloth. Her reasoning behind this was that these materials were accessible. Because she came from a family that didn’t understand art, she believed picking common materials to work with would help her art make sense to her family.
Several of her other pieces featured umbrellas. As someone that spent a lot of time in Oregon, she said she never carried an umbrella because it was raining constantly, and she didn’t want to be carrying one around all the time. Robison explained that they became a symbol of “protection that was kind of futile.”
Freshman Samantha Wilson, a graphic design major, was excited for the event, having viewed Robison’s website in preparation. Regarding her work, Wilson said, “I love that you can really pick out her style in her art but that each piece is still very unique and interesting.”
Robison’s exhibits can be found nationally and internationally. For more information on the artist and to view her work, visit her website.
Story by: Elizabeth Armstrong
accent@suunews.net
Photos by: John Janca
