SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
University Affairs Office
1801 E. Cotati Avenue
Rohnert Park, CA 94928-3609
(707) 664-2057
e-mail: jean.wasp@sonoma.edu
University Affairs Office
1801 E. Cotati Avenue
Rohnert Park, CA 94928-3609
(707) 664-2057
e-mail: jean.wasp@sonoma.edu
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2003 File #
Contact: Carla Stone, Sonoma State University Art Gallery: (707) 664-2295
James Turrell in Talk on Light and Perception, Sept. 16
Prominent artist and California native James Turrell will discuss his art work of light and space at 7 p.m. on Sept.16 in the Evert B. Person Theater at Sonoma State University. The talk coincides with Turrell’s exhibit: “James Turrell: Light and Land,” currently on display at the Sonoma Country Museum through January 4, 2004.Turrell, who was born in Los Angeles, has been working in the medium of light, color and perception for over thirty years. His artwork explores both psychology and optical illusions, focusing on basic shapes, colors and sizes.
The goal of Turrell’s artwork is to make people realize their own powers of perception. His work is open to interpretation, and also allows questions to be asked about the way that one sees the world. “I want to create an atmosphere that can be consciously plumbed with feeling, like the wordless thought that comes from a fire,” he says.
In his talk at SSU, Turrell will not only address his artwork, but will also discuss the Roden Crater project, which he has been involved in for thirty years. It is Turrell’s vision that this now-extinct volcano in the Arizona desert will become a monumental celestial observatory, linking man with the movements of the heavens. A tentative date for the opening of the Roden Crater Observatory has been set for 2005.
This event is co-sponsored by the Sonoma County Museum and the Department of Art and Art History at Sonoma State University. For more information or to book tickets for James Turrell’s artist talk, contact the Evert B. Person Theater box office at (707) 664- 2353. Admission is $10, with a $5 discount for Sonoma County Museum members. This event is free to all SSU students and faculty.