By Victoria Ackerly
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – The 2015 Visual Arts Faculty Show, a collection of the works of a dozen Camden County College faculty and staff members, held its opening night reception Nov. 18 at the Marlin Art Gallery. The show will remain at the gallery in Room L-24 of Lincoln Hall until Dec. 18.
“Oracle” by Phil Rychert is one of the works in the faculty show. By Victoria Acklerly, CCC Journalism Program
The show includes many different types of art work. Among the works are a series of Polaroids taken by Fred Herr, clothespins mix media pieces by Kay Klotzbach, and four oil and acrylic paint on canvas pictures by Yikui Gu. The most talked about piece in the show is called “Oracle,” a mixed media piece by Phil Rychert, the art technician at CCC. The art gallery director chose the piece to stand in the center of the exhibit because it was the most impressive.
“Oracle” stands about four to five feet in height and sits on a jagged rock that eventually travels up a wooden staircase to numerous tiny shattered glass staircases intricately placed in a wooden and glass “house.” Rychert also made “Oracle” have working electricity.
“All together it took me about six months to nine months to complete ‘Oracle.’ You just have to get over figuring out where you’re going to put everything and how you’re going to put it together. The hardest parts were hiding all the electrical wires and meticulously gluing the tiny glass staircases together one by one,” Rychert explained.
Dressler Smith is another decorated artist displaying work at the show. Her oil pastel and watercolor resist piece “Woman of Valor” is inspired by a Hebrew poem from Proverbs 31. “My piece is about the celebration of women, and women are the central focus for many of my pieces,” Smith said. Smith’s art studio is located in Bellmawr, N.J. and she teaches many workshops, but she is also an accomplished writer. Smith just wrote a book about her life as an artist.
Kassandra Huerta, the art gallery director at CCC, was pleased with the turnout on opening night. “From 5 to about 6:30 we were packed. I was very excited about the turnout. The artwork this year is incredible, and all together I think the show was a big success,” Huerta said.
The Marlin Art Gallery is open from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. If you cannot make it during those hours, you can call and request to schedule additional hours through Huerta at 856-227-7200, ext. 4201, artgallery@camdencc.edu or http://www.camdencc.edu/community/artgallery.