Unique exhibition on display at COS: 'The Lab for Wonderful Ideas: Where Virtual Meets Reality'
College of the Sequoias and the Fulbright Program are collaborating to launch "The Lab for Wonderful Ideas: Where Virtual Meets Reality."
The exhibition will bring together art projects made by local college students. The art uses technologies, such as virtual reality, computer software, 3-D printers, laser cutting machines, and other techniques, according to COS officials.
Students worked in teams with faculty and staff advisors, interdisciplinary colleagues, and outside artists from different universities to create a memorable experience for everyone to enjoy, COS officials said.
The COS Foundation is sponsoring awards to 'Best of Show' ($1000), 'Award of Merit' ($500), and 'People's Choice' (Wacom Tablet). The awards are meant to be used for the acquisition of emerging technology for student projects. College of the Sequoias is joining a new era of modern critical thinking, innovative learning methodology and real professional development.
The opening reception will be held on Tuesday, May 21 at 12 p.m. The award winners will be announced on May 21, during the exhibit.
The gallery will be open to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on May 21 and 22 at the COS Art Gallery in the Kaweah Building, Room 214. Admission is free.
A rare opportunity
The Fulbright Program is a government funded program that establishes opportunities for graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach abroad.
Out of 75 California awards this year, only two were awarded at community colleges.
COS was selected to host Fulbright Scholar, Ramon Blanco-Barrera. He is a faculty member at the University of Seville, Spain and has worked extensively with the Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa, Canada.
Blanco-Barrera, known in the art world as 233, is working with students and the community to conduct postdoctoral research, COS officials said. He teaches classes and created the concept project "Lab for Wonderful Ideas."
He recently had a solo exhibition, "Expanded Iconosphere," at COS Art Gallery, which ran earlier this year.
Blanco-Barrera spent the spring semester teaching at the college and will soon return to Spain.
"I will keep collaborating in the distance with COS," Blanco-Barrera said. "This is another parallel project to give the students the opportunity to be simultaneously working with international students using virtual reality or other emerging technology."
The collaboration between COS and the Fulbright Scholar Program was formed with the help of COS Dean of Arts and Letters, Richard Lubben.
"I thought of Ramon and his background in art and passion for social justice," Lubben said. "He is energetic and so positive, as well as him being a Spanish speaker. Our student population is almost 70% Hispanic. It seemed like the perfect collaboration."
Over the course of his career, Lubben has received many educational and professional accolades, including a Fulbright visiting research chair in Human Rights and Social Justice.
He and Blanco-Barrera have an equal respect and appreciation for each other as artists, human rights activists and educators.
"Most Fulbrighters are always visiting huge well-known institutions like Stanford, Columbia, Harvard, UC Berkeley," Blanco-Barerra said. "So, hosting me, an international highly recognized Fulbright Scholar, at COS, is outstanding and an incredible achievement. And this was really possible thanks to (Lubben), who had that vision for COS students and community."
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Check out this rare, unique exhibition on display at COS
