Light of Day is a way to enlighten the public about Humboldt State University’s (HSU’s) permanent collection of fine art. While works from the collection are displayed in various locations around the HSU campus, much of the art remains in storage. The goal of this exhibition is to showcase the permanent collection in a way that has never been done, by bringing a selection of pieces to the University’s First Street Gallery, located off-campus in nearby Eureka, California.
The curators of this show are current HSU students Erin Grady, Shawn O’Connor and Natalie Schoch. All the work is two-dimensional, including paintings, prints and photographs. The pieces were chosen by the curators in order to illuminate the variety and depth of the collection.
Mr. and Mrs. Kublin, c. 1977, is one such work. Acquired through an exhibition aimed at increasing the amount of photography in the HSU permanent collection, the piece travels back in time, filling the viewers’ eye and mind with pictorial semiotic associations that provide a glimpse into this couple’s life and the period in which they lived. The seemingly inherent simplicity of a black and white portrait in fact provides a psychological insight by allowing the viewer to peer into the desire of a couple who wish to be portrayed adorned and surrounded by their rich accoutrements. Light of Day allows rarely seen works, such as this photograph, a moment to shine and to bring focus to HSU’s permanent collection.
A reception for Light of Day will be held Saturday September 1st, 2012 during Eureka’s monthly Arts Alive event. Celebrating its fourteenth year of service to HSU students and to California’s North Coast community, the gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. and is located at 422 First Street Eureka, California. Admission is free. Those planning group tours are encouraged to call ahead. For more information call 707-443-6363 or visit the gallery’s website at http://www.humboldt.edu/first.