Video footage of the opening reception of the Private Property exhibition featuring Tom Hapgood and Bethany Springer, in the Fine Arts Gallery at the University of Arkansas on February 28, 2008.
A two-person exhibition featuring the work of University of Arkansas art faculty members Tom Hapgood and Bethany Springer will open on February 20 in the Fine Arts Center Gallery. A reception will be held on Thursday, February 28 from 5-7 pm and the exhibition continues through Friday, March 14.
Private Property examines ambiguous interpretations of privacy and ownership in modern life. Video, digital media and sculpture are used to create a unique exhibition which will impact the viewer on many levels. Hapgood’s work includes a piece titled “Raw Sewage” in which projection of video footage taken a sewage treatment plant is set to a “porn movie-style” soundtrack, as a statement on the effects of unrestricted access by today’s youth to debasing pornographic imagery. Hapgood’s other works include “Stop Sign Preacher” — an interactive installation that will allow gallery visitors to create their own messages to be projected onto a real STOP sign — and “Stick it to Father,” a commentary on the portrayal of the father (and men in general) on television and in advertising.
“Flyover Territory” by Bethany Springer also utilizes computer-generated images, this time taken from Google Earth, and interviews with Memphis residents of nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. When asked the question: “If you could fly anywhere in Memphis, where would you go and why?” most interviewees chose not be in Memphis. The testimony of one resident, James Mitchell, has been paired with aerial imagery in Springer’s work. “Showcase Showdown” is an installation created from demolition site materials with an overlay of carpet and vinyl animal hides as a commentary on the unseen losses related to urban development.
Tom Hapgood teaches Web Design, Animation and Typography. Prior to coming to the University of Arkansas in 2005. he was Design and Project Manager at the Treistman Center for New Media at the University of Arizona. Bethany Springer teaches Sculpture and 3d Design and joined the UA faculty in 2006. She received an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Georgia and a BA from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.
Both artists wish to acknowledge the support and contributions of the following individuals and businesses who made this exhibition possible: George Tatge of the University of Arkansas Electrical Engineering, Carpet One, Wenoah Goodson, Dr. Craig Thompson, Barett Miller, James Smith, Mary Jo Jirik Wong, Troy and Linda Connor, Harold Hull, the University of Arkansas RFID Research Lab and the UA Multimedia Resource Center.
Gallery hours are 9:00 am – 5:30 pm, Mon – Fri & 1 – 4 pm on Sundays.