Jaqueline R. Torres
The opening reception of the “Off-Planet” gallery exhibit would have made Martians homesick.
Art and party refreshments turned into a cosmic tribute to outer space on Saturday with astro-photographs and a solar telescope complementing the works of the five artists.
“Art and science have a lot of similarities in a creative aspects,” said Gallery Director Mary Oliver, who put the show together. “This is a marriage of the arts and sciences, which for students is an important aspect of college.”
Works like Norma Jean Squires’ Space Track evoked a different feeling than the usual “desolation of space” art trends.
“I found images of Sputnik, the first spaceship,” Squires said of the painting. “I’m trying to show the mechanism we use to get to la luna and I’m trying to impart the connection between life on earth and our relationship to the universe.”
Squires and her Grandson watched solar flares, explosions that blast off the surface of the sun through a solar telescope that was set up.
Carolyn Mallory, faculty advisor of the astronomy program, assisted patrons at the gallery who wanted a good look at the sun. She borrowed the $40,000 telescope from Woodland Hills Camera. Normally looking directly at the sun is not safe this telescope, however, blocks the harmful rays from the sun.
“It’s a wonderful celebration of the off-planet experience.” Mallory said. “We’re going to the Moon; we’re going back to Mars. We ought to be doing these kinds of activities. It meets the US national goals, retaining our place in space.”
“The name Off-Planet comes from a book I read where people have houses on other planets.” Oliver said.
“What is it like on Saturn, to see those rings?” Squires pondered while studying the works of other artists.
Her advise to students of all disciplines is “to come to your own conclusions [about art], delve into yourself to find what’s deep within-you have to do that on your own.”
Squires took her turn peering through the solar telescope into the vastness of space.
“As technology allows us to see these things it becomes easier for artists to depict them” Squires said, “it’s a whole new way to see life.”
Mallory is the advisor for the Astronomy Club of more than 80 members. They meet the first Friday of the month in the campus center. Professionals in the field speak and the club often has star gazing gatherings.
The club is open to all majors and members of the community who have an interest in Astronomy.
The telescope was only at the gallery for a day but the art will be there through March 9.
“When you look at these paintings you get almost a three dimensional feel.” Said Oliver.