‘Collective effervescence’ at the Art Complex
Sculptures sit on a small lawn with three tall trees providing shade. A man made of metal wiring floats overhead, coming within inches of a ball, but forever out of reach. Students covered in foam dust enter and exit their class as they work on their end-of-the-year projects.
Willow Vergara, an art major at Santa Monica College (SMC), said, “One of the things we talked about in our class recently was collective effervescence, which is like the progression of people thinking up with each other. Looking around, we do have that collective effervescence. We listen to each other's music, we listen to each other talk about our pieces, and so in that way, we’re all geared to share experiences. It’s a very open community. I feel like you can find lots of friends out here.”
Students at SMC displayed their artwork at the Art Complex, showcasing their skills before the end of the spring semester. SMC offers a wide range of art classes, including multiple different mediums of art, two-dimensional design, three-dimensional design and art theory.
SMC offers more than the basic painting, drawing and printmaking classes. The two-dimensional design classes teach students visual design language. Three-dimensional design includes ceramics, sculpture and glassblowing.
“This piece is my self-portrait. It is intentionally made rough and has a lot of elements going on it to express my confusion and understanding and coming into my own identity,” said Vergara as she presented a large white banner with a picture of a bust statue.
“It’s called ‘Tangled Roots, Weeping Willow.’ Growing up mixed in America, I felt like people’s perception of me didn’t always reflect my upbringing, my cultural values and where I come from and the people around me,” said Vergara.
Vergara then walked over to a community display case holding some of her own Afrocentric sculptures. She identified her own work alongside some of her favorite sculptures and glassware created by her classmates. Inside the showcase, works like “Zero Percent” by Nicholas Shriner, can be found, alongside multiple works made of Legos by Ira Zimmerman.
“Super happy to see my work displayed. I love seeing everyone's artwork. It’s like a community,” said Shriner.
Community and artwork aren’t the only things that can be found at the Art Complex. Students find inspiration from their peers.
“Seeing what my fellow peers make is always inspiring and always gives me new ideas, makes me think of new things. It’s one of the biggest reasons why I come to school is just to be around other people and their work,” said Madisen Matsuura, an art major at SMC.