"March Madness" has got nothing on the art scene at Chaffey this past month. March highlighted three well coordinated art events as part of the Cucamonga Peak/Art Avalanche during the two weeks after spring break. These were truly unmissable, unless you simply didn't go to school. Public artwork was displayed all over campus in the Temporary Art Park (TAP), from down south near the Breeze office to hidden niches on the Wignall patio and even unexpectedly in the Student Services and Administration building. In addition, the Wignall Museum presented a group show curated by Andi Campognone that featured former Student Invitational participants, while the Chaffey Art Organization (CAO) unveiled reNEW/reSTORE, a shop selling original art objects based on the theme of renewal, inside the Wignall project space.
The Chaffey College Art Committee and Art Department sponsored the Temporary Art Park. After the 125th Anniversary celebration on March 29th, many gathered at the Wignall Museum to attend the much anticipated art walk and artists reception. Viewers had the opportunity to take a guided tour around the campus with the TAP subcommittee chair Stan Hunter, co-chair Misty Burruel, and several of the artists to learn about the artworks.
One piece in particular, Filings by Matthew Hebert, encouraged viewers to touch and interact with the work. The piece requires you to look through peepholes in the drawers of a file cabinet and to trigger dioramas playing inside by unlocking the drawer using the button next to the handle. The dioramas, powered by solar panels, critique the cultivation and over-consumption of fossil fuels. Without knowing how to use it, many people looked at the work on the grassy hill near the Social Science building and never approached and experienced the artwork fully. Luckily, many caught on to the abundance of work presented on campus and went to the Wignall Museum for a TAP map to guide them.
Number 27 on the TAP map directs you to the Wignall Museum's exhibition and art sale 30 Years: Student Invitational Exhibition Artists Revisited. This group show invited former participants of the Student Invitational from several decades to come back to display and sell their work in the Museum. All of the artwork in the museum were for sale, and a portion of the proceeds went toward future events planned by the Wignall and the Chaffey Art Organization. One of the most talked about works in the show was the towering sculpture of cement spray paint cans titled UEC (P) #1 by David Delgado. The piece was equipped with over 200 molded cement cans that hung from the rafters down to an asphalted section of the floor.
Observers of all ages were fascinated and thoroughly enjoyed the great variety of artwork on campus.
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