La Voz

Issue date: 6/2/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Thomas Phan

The stunning De Anza College Student Art Show is now on exhibit through June 12 in the Euphrat Museum of Art in Room A 92.

The show stands as a testament to the quality and breadth of student talent boasted by the Creative Arts Division. On display are jury-selected works in ceramics, oil on canvas, photography, metalwork, digital illustration and more. Many of the works represent a cross-pollination of different art disciplines, resulting in a structured, coalesced mélange of mixed media.

"I prefer mixed media because it allows for more nuance in the expression of ideas," said art student Cristina Cantu-Diaz, who has two works on display at the show, one of which won an award. "The different textures, colors and surfaces create tensions, ambiguities and juxtapositions that contribute or enrich the concepts one may be working with."

Director of the Arts & Schools Program Diana Argabrite said, "The breadth of media disciplines also reflects well on the instruction offered in De Anza's visual art department. Using mixed media shows a willingness to explore and take risks."

Included in this year's list of winners is Cindy Lee, for a self-portrait, Jake Vu, for "The Golden Bowl," and Elizabeth Corona, for an untitled photograph.

Cantu-Diaz's work, entitled "A Bed for Cuauhtémoc," was another winner. It comprises a welded steel platform holding up a fabric mattress with silk roses on top.

"I was thinking of torture and how to create a piece that addresses the offensive reality imposed by the Bush administration," she said.

Cantu-Diaz gave credit to one of her instructors, Eugene Rodriguez, for her confidence in addressing social issues through her art. "His teachings have been [inspiring]," she said, "and ever since I have felt compelled to use my art as a political tool."

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