DANBURY, CONN. — Artists in jazz performance, digital photography and graphic design will collaborate in a unique multi-disciplinary creative project that will unfold live before guests at the opening reception for the “Covering Blue Note” exhibition on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, in the Gallery at Western Connecticut State University.
The reception will be from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Gallery at the WCSU Visual and Performing Arts Center on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. The creative work produced at the opening will be on view in the Gallery from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 11, 14, 15 and 16, and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 12 and 13.
Admission for the reception and general viewing will be free and open to the public; donations to sustain the exhibition program will be accepted. Reservations to attend the opening reception should be made online on the VPAC events web page at www.wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com. The exhibition is co-sponsored by the Department of Art, the Department of Music and the WCSU Alumni Association.
The “Covering Blue Note” project represents an artistic initiative by WCSU students to create in real time a style of album-sized artwork inspired by the iconic cover art produced for the celebrated jazz record label Blue Note during the middle decades of the 20th century. Re-creating the legendary collaboration of Blue Note co-owner and photographer Francis Wolff and graphic designer Reid Miles, the WCSU exhibition’s opening reception will feature a live rehearsal performance by a jazz quartet that will be digitally captured by multiple photographers shooting the session. A photo editor on site will download and select images from the shoot that will be sent to three work stations at the Gallery where graphic designers will create artwork in the 12-by-12-inch album cover format. The resulting cover designs will be ready before the close of the reception for electronic display, printing and exhibition.
The exhibition will draw from the unique look and branding that the Blue Note label gained from its association with Miles, who designed covers for the record company from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. All musical performance, photography, graphic design and production will be done by WCSU students. The student artists will be supported by university faculty including Catherine Vanaria, associate professor of Photography and chair of the Art Department; Jamie Begian, associate professor of Music and co-coordinator of Jazz Studies; and Kenneth Scaglia, assistant professor of Art.
“Through digital technology, a process that took weeks to complete in the past will happen in minutes,” Begian observed. “The result will be a gallery opening featuring a whirlwind of live music, live photography and live graphic design.”
For more information, contact the Department of Art at (203) 837-8403 or the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.