Jazz may be dead, but art is alive

What can you do with a gum wrapper? Wad it up and throw it in the trash?

Or have you reached the level of folding it into a heart or a ninja star?

And what about those old tapes your mom has in the basement? Do the scratches on her favorite “Journey” tape inspire you in any way?

For Artist and Art Professor Bradd Skubinna, inspiration comes from everyday materials.

After hosting a gallery walk and panel conversation in the Meyer Health and Sciences Building last Tuesday, Skubinna’s exhibit “Jazz is Dead” will be featured in Boswell’s Corner Gallery from Feb. 16 to March 27.

Inspired by minimalism and music, Skubinna has mulled over the idea of the show for a while. Skubinna said he made oblique references to his father in past artwork and wanted to do an exhibit that referenced him and his interest in jazz more directly.

“The title is sort of a deflection, in a way; meaning that it is more about the fact that my father is dead, not that jazz is dead. But I do think [jazz being dead] is an idea that could be discussed or debated–maybe not very articulately by me, as I am no expert,” Skubinna said. “Sometimes visual art critics in the recent past have stated that ‘painting is dead,’ or at least not as important or relevant as it once was, so I was sort of playing off of that idea.”

After his father retired in 1988, Skubinna said he spent a lot of time taping jazz records onto cassette tapes. The 3 cases of cassette tapes in the exhibit were some of what he recorded. After his father’s death in 1990, Skubinna said he received the tapes along with a bunch of his father’s notes that accumulated while he recorded.

The tape collection is featured in the exhibit as well as other mixed media pieces. Some of the art in the gallery includes lemons organized in a corner of the room and a piece that looks to be made of duct tape and Reese’s candy wrappers.

“My work may consist of drawings, collages, assemblages, objects and installations. There may be objects arranged on the gallery floor. Once, I made some art using carbon paper,” Skubinna said in his artist statement. “Sometimes music is an underlying idea. Sometimes I reference artists whose work I admire. Sometimes I reference personal remembrances, obliquely. I enjoy a good title, though I do not claim to be adept at choosing them. I have a problematic relationship to content, otherwise known as meaning. Arranging things can be fun, and satisfying. Sometimes things are too controlled. That can be bothersome.”

Michael Horswill, fine artist and art instructor at NIC, explained that Bradd Skubinna was chosen to exhibit in Boswell Corner gallery because he is an accomplished professional artist with an extensive exhibition record.

“He is respected regionally for his unique use of materials and his capacity to transform spaces into visually rich and exciting environments… He’s an intelligent and engaging artist and is passionate about art,” Horswill said.

Horswill also hopes students will be inspired by Bradd’s unusual perspective when it comes to the materials used in the making of his work.

“He finds and collects things we often throw away and don’t think about. He gives the materials a new life and in doing so, inspires the viewer to look more closely at the world around them,” Horswill said. “This kind of work helps students to understand that the stuff of art is not always found in an art supply store but is ever-present in their lives. One just needs to wake up and be present.”

Art classes and individual students have taken journeys into the exhibit throughout the past weeks.

Although the exhibit is free and open to the public, many NIC students are found observing the unique exhibit throughout the day.

“I really like the giant pieces made out of wrappers. It was interesting to see things that usually have no meaning being turned into something of creative importance,” Caroline Allen said, 17, Art, Post Falls. “I didn’t feel awestruck by it, but I really liked seeing something different than what I normally see at an art exhibit.”

Skubinna wants students to know that going to college to pursue art can be important, but not necessary for all aspiring artists.

“The great thing about college is that it can put you into an atmosphere where people really care about art and art-making, and consider it important. Some aspiring artists just don’t seem to be interested in the ‘official’ history of art, as taught in most art departments–they find their inspiration from so-called alternative sources–comic books, graffiti, tattoo art, manga, etc., and that is fine. But I still think that a college art program can help those people too,” Skubinna said. “Most of the stuff that I’ve come across in the above-mentioned categories seems very conservative and academic compared to art history art (painters, sculptors, video artists, performance artists, installation artists). Of course ‘official’ and ‘unofficial’ art can, and does, cross-pollinate.”

Growing up in Spokane, Skubinna liked to draw. However, he didn’t decide to pursue art until he was 25. He said that nothing else interested him in the same way in college.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in studio art and art history from Eastern Washington University and a master’s degree at the School of Visual Arts, his art has been exhibited in Spokane, Seattle, New York City, Portland and British Columbia.

Skubinna currently teaches art at Spokane Falls Community College and Whitworth University.

“Jazz is Dead” can be seen at the Corner Gallery Monday-Thursday at 10 a.m.-4 p.m and on Fridays from 10 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.