El Fin :)

So I am excited to report that all of my pieces for the BFA Senior Exit Show are finished and being hung in the gallery.  It's such a relief to finally know that my semester of hard work is coming together!  The final pieces put in the show are as follows:

OCEANS

Ebony, Foam Board, Wood, Acrylic, Sand, Burlap

16.5" x 6" x 3"

BURMA

Ebony, Foam Board, Wood, Sand, Feathers

15.5" x 8" x 3"

MIDDLE EAST

Ebony, Foam Board, Wood, Acrylic, Sand, Burlap, Linen

16" x 6" x 3"

MEDIA

Ebony, Foam Board, Wood, Acrylic, Sand, Mixed Media

15.5" x 8" x 3"

THE ACT

Ebony on Paper

18" x 24"

The first 4 pieces listed are part of my 'Consequences' Series that I'm working on currently.  These are the aforementioned "shadow box" pieces, which boast a realistic drawing of a person atop a box.  The person depicted on top of the box has either negatively or positively affected the environment, people, or community shown in the box.  Pictures of the show work should be up by Wednesday at the latest, so stay posted please!  The last piece in the list above is an ebony pencil drawing inspired by a performance I did last semester at the Tampa Museum of Art.  The performance involved costuming and inspiration from Dia de los Muertos.  

I will also be posting a picture of this piece by Wednesday.  Also, I will be posting pictures taken at my performance for the Las Damas de Arte's, a group of art sponsors and patrons, 'Sunday in the Arts' gallery event.  My performance at the 'Sunday in the Arts' event tied into my 'Consequences' Series, by demonstrating the effect people have on the natural environment around them.  I had a handmade costume that represented the natural flora and fauna around us, and when people would touch me, look at me, or hang fruit (handmade) off of me, I would move and change according to what they did.  The performance was well-recieved and people enjoyed the beauty of the costume I created.

Now that the exit show work is finished and my performance is over, I can focus on my final painting for beginning design...my last art work of undergrad :)

Revised Artist Statement for Senior Exit Show

THERESA BERGMAN

Art is an expressed observation of a happening, through a visual.  I find that my art started as an observation of things going on in classes.  Figure drawings were a product of a model posing; Self-portraits were products of what I saw when I looked into a mirror.  Over time, these observations became more detailed.  My newer works started to be products of not only a visual observation, but also an emotional observation. 

This is when I became an artist.  My work was becoming in-depth and dimensional.  Still, my art was close to me, personal.  I studied abroad in Italy last summer and produced some of my best work.  It perfectly captured my experience living in Tuscany.  This year though, I wanted to push my boundaries by making works that had a wider perspective, works that weren’t “all about me.”  The decision to change the direction of my work was made in lieu of me feeling that a chapter of my artistic life (undergraduate study) was finishing, but the chapter was not yet complete.  I had worked so hard to show who I was through my artwork, but had not yet shown my opinions about what was happening around me. 

The idea for my shadow boxes emerged from the yearning to express my opinions about what had been going on in the media.  Atop the boxes are people who have affected an environment, place, or communities. Contained in each box is a representation of the area affected and how it was affected.  I wanted to show how each person in the media is put on a given pedestal because of something they said or did.  Whether or not the pedestal these people were placed on is correct or an exaggeration is up to the viewers to ponder or debate.  If my art can spark one new thought or conversation about what is going on in the world, then I achieved my goal of creating a dynamic body of work.  

Revised CV for Senior Exit Show

THERESA BERGMAN

Tampa, FL

EDUCATION

2011  Bachelor of Fine Arts Concentration in Drawing                                 Tampa, FL

University of Tampa                                                                                                      

2010  Studio art classes- Drawing, Metals, Sculpture                                    Cortona, Italy

University of Georgia’s Art School in Italy                                                                         

Lamar Dodd School of Art                                                                       

EXHIBITIONS

2010             Mostra (student showing of art)                                                    Cortona, Italy

2010             Art in the Dark - Dia de los Muertos                                             Tampa, FL

2010             Sunday in the Arts – Las Damas de Arte                                     Tampa, FL

2011             Sunday in the Arts – Las Damas de Arte                                     Tampa, FL

PUBLICATIONS ABOUT THE ARTIST

2010            St. Petersburg Times

Performance art for Las Damas de Arte’s ‘Sunday in the Arts’ show, featured in an article by Amy Scherzer, in print May 7^th, 2010

2011 Citi Times

            Performance art for Las Damas de Arte’s ‘Sunday in the Arts’ show, featured in 

            an article by Amy Scherzer, in print April 30^th, 2011

EXPERIENCE IN THE ART FIELD

2008 - …            Tampa Bay Outfitters                                                                  Tampa, FL

Sales Associate, Display Design                                         

Helped create several store displays to appeal visually to a range of customers

2006 - 07            Camp Minikani                                                                            Hubertus, WI

Day Camp Counselor, Lifeguard                       

Organized many art projects, crafts, and costumes involved in lesson plans for my new group of campers (ages seven to twelve) each week

2008 - …            Independent Work                                                                        Milwaukee, WI

Illustrator (Hand and Computer)                           

Worked on a few different projects independently-- creating illustrations for wedding invitations, save the dates, and thank you notes; creating illustrations as gifts for people to give during the holidays; have done photography (digital and manual) for children’s portraits and pregnancy pictures

WORK EXPERIENCE

2008 - 09            Talbots                                                                                            Tampa, FL

Sales Associate, Shipping and Receiving                 

An upscale store with specialty sizes in petite and woman’s, as well as misses sizes and accessories for everyone

2004 – 08            REI                                                                                                   Brookfield, WI

Customer Service, Cashier                                   

A large outdoors store carrying supplies and clothing for skiing, hiking, biking, camping, paddling, and exercise

SKILLS

Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe CS3-CS5 Suites, iMovie, iDVD; Proficient in Spanish

Artist's Statement (For Show Tags)

THERESA BERGMAN

Art is an expressed observation of a happening, through a visual.  I find that my art started as an observation of things going on in classes.  Figure drawings were a product of a model posing; Self-portraits were products of what I saw when I looked into a mirror.  Over time, these observations became more detailed.  My newer works started to be products of not only a visual observation, but also an emotional observation. 

This is when I became an artist.  My work was becoming in-depth and dimensional.  Still, my art was close to me, personal.  I studied abroad in Italy last summer and produced some of my best work.  It perfectly captured my experience living in Tuscany.  This year though, I wanted to push my boundaries by making works that had a wider perspective, works that weren’t “all about me.”  The decision to change the direction of my work was made in lieu of me feeling that a chapter of my artistic life (undergraduate study) was finishing, but the chapter was not yet complete.  I had worked so hard to show who I was through my artwork, but had not yet shown my opinions about what was happening around me. 

The idea for my shadow boxes emerged from the yearning to express my opinions about what had been going on in the media.  Atop the boxes are people who have affected an environment or place. Contained in each box is a representation of the area affected and how it was affected.  I wanted to show how each person in the media is put on a given pedestal because of something they said or did.  Whether or not the pedestal these people were placed on is correct or an exaggeration is up to the viewers to ponder or debate.  If my art can spark one new thought or conversation about what is going on in the world, then I achieved my goal of creating a dynamic body of work.  

Artist's Statement

Theresa Bergman

I always find myself trying to define what art is.  As a concept that has a wide range of definitions, art is hard to pinpoint in just one sentence.  Over the four years I have spent studying art, I have finally had a breakthrough in defining art, or at least what art is to me.  Art is an awareness-- an expressed observation of a happening, through a visual medium.  I find that my art started as an observation of things going on in classes.  Figure drawings were a product of a model posing; Self-portraits were products of what I see when I look into the mirror.  Over time, these observations became more detailed.  My newer drawings and paintings started to be products of not only a visual observation, but of what I was feeling inside, an emotional observation. 

This is when I became an artist.  My work was becoming in-depth and dimensional.  Still, my art was very close to me and personal.  I studied abroad in Italy last summer and produced what I consider to be some of my best work because of the way it captured my experience living in Tuscany.  This year though, I wanted to push myself to go where I haven’t been before with my artwork.  I wanted to push my personal boundaries by making works that had a wider perspective, works that weren’t ‘all about me.’  The decision to change the direction of my work was made in lieu of me feeling that a chapter of my artistic life (my undergraduate art career) was finishing, but the chapter was not finished being written yet.  I had worked so hard to show who I was and what my experiences were through my artwork, but had not yet shown my opinions about what was happening around me on a global level. 

The idea for my shadow boxes emerged from the yearning to express my opinions about what had been going on around me for the past few years in the media.  Atop the boxes are people who have affected a specific environment or place. Contained in each box is a representation of the space affected and how it was, negatively or positively, affected.  I wanted to capture the idea that each person in the media is put on a given pedestal because of something they said or did.  Whether or not the pedestal these people were placed on is correct or an exaggeration is up to the viewers to ponder, talk about, or debate.  If my art can spark one new thought or conversation about what is going on in the world, then I have created a dynamic piece. 

Aside from the aspect of trying to create through a wider lens, I was also working with new mediums.  I have never created sculptural pieces that included two-dimensional works before.  Working in three-dimensions was refreshing; I felt it opened up so many possibilities for expression.  I will continue to work with several materials on pieces; however, drawing is still my choice medium.  When I draw, I feel like a part of me is flowing onto the paper—my worries are momentarily released and all I focus on are the curves and shapes created.  I have looked to several artists for inspiration, but in the area of drawing, I have specifically looked to the sketches of renowned architect Frank O. Gehry, the figure drawings of Pablo Picasso, and the street art of Keith Haring.  All of these artists have drastically different styles, however, they all put great emphasis on creating a realistic image based solely upon line at first, and in some cases, have finished pieces with only line.  The thought of being able to complete intricate buildings (Frank O. Gehry), draw the complex human figure with perfect movement (Pablo Picasso), or convey a story (Keith Haring) with simple, clean line intrigues me.  Keith Haring also inspires me to be fearless in my work.  His works were modern, sometimes political, and sometimes completed in illegal areas (the New York Subway walls), but no matter what the media said, he continued to work in his way.  It’s important to me that I remain fearless in how I create, in order to not limit myself.        

Good News!

So, I havnt been very good at keeping up with my art blog so far, but it is for a good reason--because I have been working on my art.  Im currently working on a performance piece for the Las Damas annual art show at Tampa Prep.  The theme will be organic: I will be depicting a tree, growing and blossoming, changing as the night progresses.  The performance will end with the tree making a dramatic change.  Also, I have been working on developing my collection of art pieces for the senior exit show in May.  These pieces also circle around the organic, but are less whimsical than my performance will be.  The pieces are mixed media (drawing and sculpture) and will show people of power or status dealing with the consequences of their actions/choices.  The pieces all display what I believe the people's actions show they are really concerned with.  In the midst of all this art work Ive been doing, I also received news that I was accepted into Columbia College Chicago Graduate School of Art :) I will be attending there this fall to get my MA in Interdisciplinary Arts.  Just thought Id update the blog and share this exciting news!!

CV (Curriculum Vitae)

THERESA BERGMAN

Tampa, FL

EDUCATION

University of Tampa                                                                               Tampa, FL           

Bachelor of Fine Arts May 2011

Studio Art, Concentration in Drawing

University of Georgia                                                                          Cortona, Italy

Lamar Dodd School of Art- Cortona, Italy campus               Summer 2010

Studio art classes- Drawing, Metals, Sculpture

EXHIBITIONS

2010 Mostra (student showing of art), Cortona, Italy

2010 Art in the Dark- Dia de los Muertos, Tampa, Florida

2010 Sunday in the Arts- Las Damas de Arte, Tampa, Florida

PUBLICATIONS

St. Petersburg Times-

Performance art for Las Damas de Arte’s ‘Sunday in the Arts’ show, featured in an article by Amy Scherzer, in print May 7^th, 2010

RELATED

EXPERIENCE

Tampa Bay Outfitters                                                                               Tampa, FL

Sales Associate, Display Design                                          Sept 2008-Present

Helped create several store displays to appeal visually to a range of customers

Camp Minikani                                                                                      Hubertus, WI

Day Camp Counselor, Lifeguard                        June 2006-Aug 2007

Organized many art projects, crafts, and costumes involved in lesson plans for my new group of campers (ages seven to twelve) each week

Independent Work                                                                           Milwaukee Area, WI

Illustrator (Hand and Computer)                             June 2008-Present

Worked on a few different projects independently-- creating illustrations for wedding invitations, save the dates, and thank you notes; creating illustrations as gifts for people to give during the holidays; have done photography (digital and manual) for children’s portraits and pregnancy pictures

WORK
EXPERIENCE

Tampa Bay Outfitters                                                                                Tampa, FL

Sales Associate, Display Design                                          Sept 2008-Present

An outdoors outfitter providing customers with proper knowledge of clothing, luggage, and equipment for trips, be it in Florida or around the world

Talbots                                                                                                       Tampa, FL

Sales Associate, Shipping and Receiving                 Feb 2008-Feb 2009

An upscale store with specialty sizes in petite and woman’s, as well as misses sizes and accessories for everyone

REI                                                                                                              Brookfield, WI

Customer Service, Cashier                                      Sept 2004-Aug 2008

A large outdoors store carrying supplies and clothing for skiing, hiking, biking, camping, paddling, and exercise

Camp Minikani                                                                                      Hubertus, WI

Camp Counselor, Leadership Trainee                 June 2006-Aug 2007

A summer and winter camp for youth to learn outdoor skills and socialize with others in their age from all over the Midwest

SKILLS

Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe CS3-CS5 Suites, iMovie, iDVD; Proficient in Spanish