UCF Celebrates the Arts to Brim with SVAD Creations

It’s a visual world these days – and the works of color, form and motion created by students and faculty will be on full display at the UCF Celebrates the Arts festival in April.

A diverse presentation of mixed media installation pieces, banner art, films, animation, and tableau vivant (living art) will inundate the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for the 2nd annual festival April 8-16.

“Even though the Dr. Phillips Center is designed primarily for the performing arts, having the addition of visual arts on display at the center is imperative for the growth of the Orlando visual arts community,” said Byron Clercx, director of UCF’s School of Visual Arts & Design. “This event is very important for students because it gives them the opportunity to operate outside of a traditional art and design venue. This event allows us to showcase SVAD to the greater Orlando community.”

Here’s what SVAD is presenting during the nine-day festival. The schedule is still being developed:

Film Student Showcase – This curated exhibition of SVAD Film productions will feature narrative, documentary and experimental shorts showcasing the variety of expression and technical skills coming out of SVAD Film.

Zachary Beckler Film Talk: Interior: Making a Modern Horror Film. – Beckler, a UCF Film graduate and now lecturer at the university, will talk about how independent filmmakers can find new ways to create suspense and fear in today’s technologically saturated audiences. Afterward, his award-winning film Interior will be screened.

Tableau Vivant (living art) – This popular returning feature from last year’s festival will include costumed actors or models who pose with backdrops, forming famous works of art. Students are working now to recreate pieces by Picasso, Klimt, Cassatt, Magritte, Rockwell and others.

SVAD Mixed Media Event – Undergraduate students in mixed media will create site-specific installation pieces that respond directly with the architecture of the space. Students will be challenged with creating unique pieces in unexpected places under the direction of assistant professor Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz.

High School Portfolio Review Day – High school art teachers and students are invited to participate. Students can bring 10-12 matted or framed samples and receive individualized constructive feedback from SVAD faculty and students about how to develop their work and portfolio. Teachers can also discuss art education and the importance of advising students about the possibility of entering the field of art education as a career path. For more information on the portfolio review day, contact Yulia Tikhonova at tikhonova@ucf.edu ^[1].

Banner Art – Large, high-resolution prints of SVAD student artwork will be exhibited throughout the public spaces of the center. The images represent some of the many specializations of studio art at UCF: ceramics, drawing, graphic design, painting and printmaking. Some of the banners are more than 20 feet square.

Animation Showcases – SVAD’s Character and Experimental Animation Programs will present a showcase of student computer animations. These artful displays will be on computer monitors throughout the Dr. Phillips Center.

“Orlando has quickly become a hub for the arts and we are excited to be at the center of this city’s creative growth,” Clercx said.

UCF Celebrates the Arts gives prime exposure to SVAD programs that will bring industry collaborations and opportunity to SVAD students and faculty alike, said Matt Dombrowski, assistant professor of digital media.

“Our goal is to not only promote the arts here at UCF, but also help develop downtown Orlando as a creative hub for the southern U.S.,” he said.

The SVAD contributions are some of the many events that will be presented at UCF Celebrates the Arts, which is all free and open to the public.

More than 1,000 university students, 100 faculty members and some collaborative programs with outside partners will showcase theatre, dance, orchestra, choirs, big band, chamber music, cabaret, concert bands, opera, visual arts, studio art, gaming, animation, photography and film.

This is part of a series of stories about the April 8-16 events at UCF Celebrates the Arts 2016. All events are free, but tickets are required for performances and entrance into the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., Orlando. Ticketing and full schedule details will be posted at arts.cah.ucf.edu ^[2] in mid-February.