BY NATALIE WINTERS
209 Living
It would serve as an injustice to give a tour of the Turlock community without visiting the campus of Stanislaus State.
Although I may be bias, as a Stanislaus alumna, there is no doubt in my mind that the campus is the heartbeat of the community, offering a place to view the colorful seasons, beautiful photo opps and diversity among students and displays of art.
“There are not a lot of cultural resources or areas to enjoy art, music and theater in this part of Central Valley, and we are happy to be able to provide that here in Turlock,” said Nikki Boudreau, gallery assistant.
Stanislaus State provides more than breathtaking scenery throughout the 228-acre campus; they also feature a University Gallery and two locations downtown: the Art Space on Main and The Building Imagination Center.
Boudreau explained that the art featured in their studios are the kind that most people would have to drive to San Francisco or Los Angeles to see.
“We bring that type of high-caliber art into our community and feature local artists, as well,” she said.
Public art is also featured throughout the campus, in front of the library, the Mary Stuart Rogers building and more.
“Even throughout offices and building you’ll see original works of art created by Stanislaus students,” said Boudreau. “It’s a connection to the community, the school and the artist.”
The University Art Gallery features a new show every other month and it is free and open to the public. The current exhibition “The Lonely Hunter” by Noah Wilson, a Modesto Junior College professor, will run until Feb. 26.
“The exhibitions are a really great way to check out original artwork,” said Boudreau. “There are opportunities for each event to meet the artist at the reception.”
The reception for “The Lonely Hunter” is on Feb. 18 with “artist talk” at 6 p.m. at the University Art Gallery.
There are two distinct art galleries on Main St. in Downtown Turlock provided by CSU Stanislaus. Artspace on Main is a gallery that showcases both professional and student work year-round and the Building Imagination Center is a state-of-the-art multimedia gallery that provides an exhibit space for video art. Both of the studios are located at 135 W. Main St. in Turlock.
The current exhibition at the Artspace, “Welcome to the Pacific” will run until March 24, featuring work from CSU Stanislaus art department chair, Dean De Cocker; and the Building Imagination center has its own exhibit going on right now by Christian Hali, called “Missing Volumes.” The show will run during the same period of “Welcome to the Pacific.” Artist talk is at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11.
“Every city, no matter where you live, should allow you to be able to see art, a play, live music,” said Boudreau. “It contributes to a large role in quality of life.”
