Nathan Crites-Herren
The Paw Print
On display in the Cloyde Snook Gallery, is the “Global Village,” an art installation which is not your ordinary exhibit, nor is featured artist Susan Li O’ Connor your ordinary artist. A Chinese immigrant growing up in the metropolitan cites of Phoenix, New Jersey and Columbus, O’Connor received a diverse slice of the American experience while maintaining her Chinese heritage, which is undoubtedly reflected in her art.
Successfully attaining her Masters from Ohio State University, O’Connor’s art has always been about focusing on the uniqueness of place. “How often do we focus on observing for the sake of observation, just to spot something out of the ordinary?” Commented O’Connor, in her lecture hosted by the art department to celebrate the opening reception of “Global Village.”
As a professor and artist, O’Connor realizes the importance of the micro and macro perspectives of life. Her manifesto of art is something that is ubiquitous, leaving no stone un-turned in her quest for that powerful surge of inspiration that all artists feed off of. In this sense, she maintains a proactive approach to her art, not waiting for inspiration, but rather creating that inspiration anew so to be constantly refreshed by her endless and sometimes tiring work.
“The use of Space is essential to what I do, space changes everything from physical perspective to emotions,” said O’Connor. Location is everything, and it seems that through her time as an artist, O’Connor has mastered this somewhat elusive concept. The myriad of art produced throughout her career has focused on the use of recycled and discarded materials, art made from waste. Taking objects like paper plates and old newspapers and transforming them into complex pieces of art with substance that resides in its material simplicity and tact is the inspiration that O’Connor feds off of.
What sets O’Connor apart from other artists and makes her perspective somewhat controversial is her keen business sense. The proverbial saying “art for art’s sake” is something that O’Connor believes hurts the artist and keeps them in the “starving artist” mode. Transforming art from something that is generally considered a “poor man’s profession” to a viable business is how O’Connor has managed to build a profitable career in art. “Art for art’s sake does not exist, artists have to prove to the professional community that art can be a viable business,” said O’Connor.
Her latest installation in the Cloyde Snook Gallery demonstrates the diversity of O’Connor’s artistic achievements, from larger than life paintings to massive installations her pieces resonate with the viewer on emotional and physical levels. Focusing of conservation and “green art,” O’Connor continually tries to bring deeper meaning to her art by using trash for most of her art. “Transforming what is unwanted and void of value in our society to something that contains beauty and substance is my goal in creating these installations,” said O’Connor.
The “Global Village” exhibit is open to the public through March 29 in conjunction with the student theme art show, “Caught in the Act.”
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