Venture Art Exhibit @ Universe City (Ogden: Aug 6 - 21)

WHO: Universe City
WHAT: Venture Art
WHERE:2556 Washington Boulevard, Ogden UT
WHEN: August 6-21, Fridays: 5:00-8:00 pm, Saturdays: 1-6:00 pm

Universe City, in conjunction with Ogden’s FirstFriday Art Stroll, opens an exhibit poster portraits created by students completing the "Venture" program, a partnership between the Weber State University Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities and the Utah Humanities Council. Gallery hours are Fridays: 5:00-8:00 and Saturdays: noon-8:00 or by appointment. Private appointments can be made by calling Benjamin Jennings, 801 458-8959 or benjaminjennings@mac.com.

The purpose of this month's show, in addition to exhibiting the work of Venture students, is to bring the program to the attention of the general public and to assist in recruiting students for the coming year. More at http://www.utahhumanities.org/Venture.htm

Students taking the Venture Course in the Humanities in 2009-10 created portrait posters of each other using a combination of interviews and graphic/digital art displays. The project was designed to teach Venture students how to convert interviews into artistic portraits using the basic design principles being taught in the art history section of Venture. The portrait displays were shown at Venture graduation this April and now as a public art exhibit at Universe City. The work is used to promote the Venture outreach project of the College of Arts & Humanities, provide an art experience for the Ogden community, and introduce the public to some of Ogden’s immigrants/residents in an aesthetic, informative way.

Under the direction of Shannon Butler, Venture students created the portraits of each other by completing oral interviews and selecting material from writing portfolios that communicate unique stories and characteristics about each person. Under the direction of Elizabeth deWitte, students studied basic design principles they applied to their graphic art displays. Under the direction of the visual arts department, students attended three workshop sessions in basic graphic design education with Jeremy Stott, WSU visual art instructor and manager of the digital lab (March and April 2010).

Fall 2008 launched Ogden's Venture Course in the Humanities, a higher education outreach project for Ogden's low-income adults who lack the financial and personal resources to further their education. A nine-month college level course, Venture is designed to help students gain confidence in their academic and social abilities and, in turn, realize personal goals for improving their life's circumstances.

The Venture Course curriculum offers 22 hours of instruction in each of the following content areas: literature, critical writing and thinking, art history, American history, and philosophy for a total of 110 class hours. Participants can earn ten college credits upon completion, which may jump-start some toward further college studies.

Venture is a partnership between the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities (A&H) and the Utah Humanities Council (UHC). Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership (OWCAP) provides space where five WSU faculty teach the course's five content section offerings two evenings a week. Eighteen students graduated from Venture in April 2009 and 20 in 2010.

Recruitment for 2010-11 is now underway through direct contacts with many of Ogden's nonprofits (Ogden Adult Education, Job Corps, OWCAP, YCC, Headstart). The first 20-25 qualified applicants will attend Venture next Fall and Spring semesters.

For more information about the art and the Venture program contact Shannon Butler: sbutler@weber.edu or 801-725-1200
For more information about University city: 801 458 8959 or benjaminjennings@mac.com