Sanda Iliescu in the News

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Symposium and Book Signing, "Beauty on Shared Ground"

The University of Virginia Art Museum and the U.Va. School of Architecture will host "Beauty on Shared Ground," a symposium that celebrates the recently released book "The Hand and the Soul: Aesthetics and Ethics in Architecture and Art," a volume of essays edited by U.Va. professor of art and architecture Sanda Iliescu. The symposium, which takes place April 16, is being held in conjunction with the special exhibition "The Hand and the Soul: LeWitt, Slutzky and Iliescu," which runs through April 23. Rooted in the work of architects at the University, who have contributed many of the book's essays, "The Hand and the Soul" (The University of Virginia Press, 2009) has been hailed for its eloquent critique of contemporary art and design. The symposium begins at 5:30 p.m. in Campbell Hall, room 153, with an introduction by Architecture School Dean Karen Van Lengen and Iliescu's presentation, "Why 'The Hand and the Soul'?" Several contributing writers will then read brief passages from the book's essays. A question-and-answer session will follow, with U.Va. Art Museum director Bruce Boucher giving concluding remarks. Writers scheduled to speak at the event include Joan Ockman (Columbia University), Thomas Berding (art and art history, Michigan State University), and U.Va. faculty Howard Singerman (art history), Robin Dripps (architecture), William Sherman (architecture), Timothy Beatley (planning), Phoebe Crisman (architecture), Iliescu (art and architecture) and W.G. Clark (architecture). A reception and book-signing event follows at the museum. Parking for the event is available at the Culbreth Road Garage.

Friday, February 6, 2009

"The Hand and the Soul" Exhibit Opens

[by Jane Ford, UVa News Services]
"The Hand and the Soul: LeWitt, Slutzky, Iliescu" opens Friday at the University of Virginia Art Museum. Sentence 28 from Sol LeWitt's seminal "Sentences on Conceptual Art" (1969) reads: "Once the idea of the piece is established in the artist's mind and the final form is decided, the process is carried out blindly. There are many side effects that the artist cannot imagine. These may be used as ideas for new works." Robert Slutzky defines similarly his aesthetic foundation in "Transparency," a book he co-wrote with Colin Rowe. Under his theory, "the transparent ceases to be that which is perfectly clear and becomes instead that which is clearly ambiguous." LeWitt's and Slutzky's assertions of artistic process are central to "The Hand and the Soul: LeWitt, Slutzky, Iliescu," an exhibition that includes LeWitt's "Wall Drawing #394," three of Slutzky's translucent and dynamic canvases from the late 1990s and Sanda Iliescu's "Poem Drawing (A Little Less)," wherein she writes, erases and rewrites Wallace Stephen's compelling poem "Anglais Mort a Florence." Also included in the exhibition are collages Iliescu produced while editing her soon-to-be-released book, "The Hand and the Soul: Aesthetics and Ethics in Art and Architecture." Using discarded drafts from the manuscript, scraps of brown paper bag and other forms of detritus, Iliescu sews, glues and constructs her surfaces to produce work that rivals the monumentality of those produced by LeWitt and Slutzky. In each artist's imagery, rational order gives rise to serendipitous glimpses of humanity in a dialogue about form, format and social context. According to curator Stephen Margulies, the exhibition questions the logic of excessive rationality. Central to this exhibition is the notion of instruction. Slutzky and LeWitt were Iliescu's mentors, and in preparing for the exhibition, Iliescu mentored her own students in the creation of LeWitt's wall drawing. Although guided by a set of principles laid down by the late artist and translated at the University by Roland Lusk, one of LeWitt's assistants assigned to recreating his drawings, the sense of improvisation pervades the exhibition. Iliescu will discuss her work in relation to that of LeWitt's and Slutzky's in a Gallery Talk on Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. The museum's Final Friday reception will follow. Complimentary parking is available in Culbreth Road Garage. "The Hand and the Soul: LeWitt, Slutzky, Iliescu," which runs through April 19, is made possible with the support of the U.Va. Art Museum Volunteer Board, Arts Enhancement Fund and Arts$.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Faculty, Students, and Alumni Artists Work to Align "The Hand and the Soul"

A team consisting of ten faculty, students, and alumni have spent the last several days at the University of Virginia Art Museum employing steady hands in preparation for the installation of "Wall Drawing #394" by American conceptual artist Sol LeWitt (1928-2007). Like many of his murals, the drawing is meant to be repeatedly replicated by teams of artists closely following LeWitt?s written instructions. The piece will be displayed at the museum in an exhibition opening next month, "The Hand and the Soul: LeWitt, Slutzky, Iliescu? (February 6 to April 19). LeWitt has been in the national news recently upon the November, 2008 opening of a 27,000 sq. ft. exhibition of his wall drawings at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. "Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective," a collaboration between the Yale University Art Gallery, MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), and the Williams College Museum of Art will be on display for 25 years. Organized by Sanda Iliescu, associate professor of architecture and art, and led by Roland Lusk (Col?01), a LeWitt assistant who has traveled to U.Va. to assist with the installation, the LeWitt drawing to be displayed here has been divided into ten equal portions ? one series of 30 square blocks per team member. The first step in the process was to create a grid in pencil on the wall, using as straight a line as possible. Afterwards, the artists began to form concepts for each section, ?Each of us used our own method of determining our particular composition. [Students] then put all our compositions together to create a master map using Rhino 3-D Modeling,? said Iliescu. The team consists of Iliescu, Lusk, and the following students and alumni: Patrick Costello (studio art); Lauren Hackney (architecture); Erin Hannegan (BSArch?02, MArch?08); Maggie Hansen (architecture); Tom Hogge (architecture); Hana Kim (BSArch?02, MArch?08); Evans Martin (landscape architecture), Rachel Singel (studio art) and Supriya Sudan (architecture). Work continues on the mural, with plans to complete it this week. Iliescu is thrilled by the process and has found deep meaning in working hands-on with LeWitt?s simple lines: ?We are now proceeding and the deep black lines are lovely; but even more lovely is the contemplative, intensely aesthetic experience of making them. I never expected this. Making a LeWitt line is such a rewarding experience. I try to keep the line looking consistent and flexible at all times. I work with the texture of the wall gradually, the line darkening only very slowly. But I love the in-between stages of the line because it so beautifully mirrors the tactile quality of the wall. It is as if I am listening to the wall...,? she said. A symposium will be held on April 16 and a book edited by Iliescu, "The Hand and the Soul: Aesthetics and Ethics in Architecture and Art," will be released by UVa Press this spring.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

"Old School, New School: University of Virginia" - Architect Magazine

Source: ARCHITECT Magazine Publication date: November 1, 2008 By Vernon Mays When Karen Van Lengen arrived at the University of Virginia (U.Va.) in 1999, the School of Architecture she joined as dean was full of talented people and fresh ideas. But the building it occupied, Campbell Hall, was sorely lacking in space for reviews, classes, and staff. The four-story concrete-and-brick facility, which was designed by Pietro Belluschi and opened in 1970, had been criticized by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. "There was a huge accreditation issue," Van Lengen says. "I had to do something about it immediately." Even perceptually, the physical environment was lifeless. So, launching an initiative called "Campbell Constructions," Van Lengen seized the opportunity to upgrade the building. Instead of hiring a name-brand outsider, her stratagem was to provide design opportunities for the U.Va. faculty. Starting with a rather modest gallery renovation, Van Lengen quickly moved on to bigger projects. A feasibility study by Bushman Dreyfus Architects, of Charlottesville, set the stage for three larger-scale projects?two additions and a new landscape plan. [for complete article, follow link to Architect Magazine]

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Sanda Iliescu's Work Featured by The Feminist Art Project

Sanda's Iliescu's "Collages and Drawings" exhibition at the Rowan University Art Gallery is the featured art event on The Feminist Art Project website for this month. From the website: "The Feminist Art Project is a collaborative national initiative celebrating the Feminist Art Movement and the aesthetic, intellectual and political impact of women on the visual arts, art history, and art practice, past and present. The project is a strategic intervention against the ongoing erasure of women from the cultural record. It promotes diverse feminist art events, education and publications through its website and online calendar and facilitates networking and regional program development throughout the U.S."

Friday, July 18, 2008

Assoc. Professor Sanda Iliescu Directs "Fun Bus" Public Art Project

[by Jane Ford, UVa News Services] The Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department will soon have a new Fun Bus to transport young people to plays, concerts, art, science, nature-related and other cultural, educational and sports events throughout the year. Elementary through high school students attending Charlottesville Parks and Recreation summer camp are participating in the public art project led by two local arts organizations: The Piedmont Council for the Arts and The Bridge / Progressive Arts Initiative. The campers helped design the art and will assist in painting the bus. Sanda Iliescu, U.Va. associate professor of art and architecture, spearheaded the design scheme for the bus that combines visual elements of natural and urban life and summer educational camp workshops working with local artists John Bylander, Mike Parisi and Isabella Scott. The team engaged campers in workshop exercises based on themes of nature and the lessons learned by shared experience through collaboration. Iliescu and other artists met with campers in multiple sessions over a three-week period. The aim was to allow the campers' creative ideas to have an impact on the final design for the bus. To this end, Iliescu designed two hands-on workshops and Bylander designed one bus art exercise. Campers explored natural forms in Iliescu's "Blades of Grass" workshop. The collected blades of grass, which campers gathered from nearby fields, were used to inspire their drawings, which will be incorporated in the decorated frieze or band running just below the bus windows. In the workshop, campers also learned about color and composition and developed their powers of observation. Iliescu also infused an abstract component into the lessons. Just as a field of grass is composed of millions of blades, all contributing to the overall effect, each camper's work contributes to the overall design, she said. "The field concept can be a metaphor for democracy ? a community of individuals in which each citizen had equal rights and responsibilities." In a second workshop, Iliescu designed exercises based on geometry. "What's My Height?" engaged the campers in lessons of measurement as well as collaboration. Activities required them to work together both in decision-making and in practical exercises in which they were required to hone their skills in estimation as well as accuracy in creating and exploring geometric shapes. For part of the exercise, campers recorded their own height and foot length, which will be incorporated in the final bus design along a low horizontal band and will act to signify their contributions. In Bylander?s exercise "Color Our Bus", he asked kids of all ages to create colorful designs on architectural drawings of the bus created by Parisi, a recent graduate of the School of Architecture. These kids? designs are digitized and printed as decals on the interior soffit of the bus. "I just love working with these kids, making art and at the same time teaching them something," Iliescu said. The whole project is an extension of her exploration of aesthetic and ethical ideals, which she teaches at the University in a course on painting and public art. In my academic endeavors I have explored the connection between "'good form' and form that in some way contributes to 'the common good,'" Iliescu said. The design team will lead community members and campers in painting the bus July 12-17 outside Carver Recreation Center at 233 4th Street, N.W. The Fun Bus will be unveiled on Friday, July 18, at Pen Park from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and at McIntire Park from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m., during Parks and Recreation's summer camp fun day. An exhibition of drawings, photographs and studies related to the project will be exhibited at The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, 205 Monticello Road from August 1-3. An opening reception will be held Friday, Aug. 1, 6-8 p.m. The exhibit will be on display daily from noon to 3 p.m.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Four Faculty Members Receive Promotions from U.Va. Board of Visitors

At the University of Virginia Board of Visitor's meeting last week it was announced that the following four School of Architecture faculty members are receiving promotions: Michael Bednar is promoted to Professor of Architecture; Phoebe Crisman is promoted to Associate Professor of Architecture; Sanda Iliescu is promoted to Associate Professor of Art and Architecture; and Louis Nelson is promoted to Associate Professor of Architectural History. Congratulations to our talented and dedicated faculty!

Friday, September 29, 2006

Faculty Members Collaborate on Public Art Project High Above the Elizabeth River

Assistant Professor of Architecture Phoebe Crisman and Assistant Professor of Art and Architecture, Sanda Iliescu have collaborated to create three enormous yellow banners made from plastics that will hang from the silos beginning on October 19. For the past two years Crisman, whose professional work combines architecture and urban planning, has collaborated with a task force to develop a sweeping revitalization plan for the heavily polluted Money Point area.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Beta Bridge: 271 Words

Asst. Professor of Architecture and Art Sanda Iliescu organized today a public art project to paint the words of Lincoln's historic Gettysburg Address on the Beta Bridge of Rugby Road. The project invites 271 passersby to each paint one word of the address on the bridge, in an artistic statement meant in part to take postive action against the recent racially-motivated and homophobic postings on the bridge and elsewhere on Grounds. Approximately 40 students at the School of Architecture are serving as volunteers today to assist the public. Also, several groups of children from the nearby Venable School are participating as part of their studies of Abraham Lincoln and early American history.

Related stories:
Charlottesville Daily Progress
Richmond Times Dispatch

Thursday, April 15, 2004

Two Professors Receive University Teaching Awards

Asst. Professor of Art and Architecture Sanda Illiescu and Assoc. Professor of Landscape Architecture Elizabeth Meyer have both been named as recipients of University Teaching Awards. This is the fourth consecutive year that the Architecture School has sponsored successful candidates.