Artist duo’s senior exhibit debuts in virtual 'walk-through' show

On Sunday, May 16 at 6 p.m. the Art+Design Department’s Brandstater Gallery will host an online reception on Zoom video conferencing and a virtual ‘walk-through’ of an exhibit titled “Warp” featuring works by senior artists Blake Walker and Jackie Hernandez. The students will present and discuss their creative works which focus “on perception and how external and internal forces shape how we understand the world,” the duo said in an artists’ statement. Hernandez is earning a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in fine art and graphic design, and Walker is completing a BFA in graphic design and a Bachelor of Science in business administration/marketing.

Attendees of the online reception and exhibit will be escorted through a 360-degree virtual presentation of the physical installation at Brandstater Gallery with voice narration by the artists followed by individual slide presentations in which each artist describes their work. The event will conclude with an audience Q&A. 

Walker will exhibit five or six pieces which he has been working on since April, some of which took form as ideas years in the past. The series includes a 6-foot-by-6-foot mural titled "Swarm." The artworks involve drawing, photography, design, sculpture, film and screen printing. “I try to weave graphic design through all the pieces through the compositions that I use,” Walker said. “… For me it was an exercise in trusting my own creative instinct that I have slowly built over time and making quick, calculated decisions on process and form.”

His work for the “Warp” exhibit focuses on the overwhelming deluge of information flooding through society as the nation and world has reeled over the past year from an onslaught of crises and contentious events.

“What was relevant? What was true? Who to believe? What mattered and why did it matter? These were all questions I felt completely lost in,” said Walker. “Between COVID-19, The 2020 presidential election, and global issues surrounding the social-political unrest that is happening around the world, this is what drew me to make the pieces within “Warp.” I wanted to use my creative voice to help people confront and reevaluate what has happened and what is actively happening. “Warp” to me fits that theme and narrative and it also happened to fit Jackie's narrative that she wanted to share.”

Hernandez will display six creative pieces in “Warp” which she completed during spring quarter. They derive from her own experiences as well as observations of her surrounding world and delve into cognitive misinterpretations that can arise from traumas and extreme hardships which then lead to negative thoughts and emotions. “As our minds become disordered, our perception of self and the world around us becomes warped,” she states. “In this body of work, I highlight areas that can cause cognitive distortions such as addiction, mental disorders, medications, and traumatic experiences. My work reflects the internal struggle against my mind and journey to free myself of the cognitive distortions and delusions in my head.”

While working in various campus departments and roles during their college careers, both Hernandez and Walker have won multiple awards from the Inland Empire American Advertising Federation, Walker for work in packaging design, publication design and photography, and for Hernandez five awards that included a gold in the student category for an illustration that also garnered a silver award at nationals. Hernandez was also recognized with a “Best Drawing & Painting” award in 2018 and “Best Digital Illustration” in 2019 during the annual Art+Design department student show.

Hernandez, a Riverside native, is double-majoring in graphic design and fine art, and minoring in biology. Her creative roles have included serving as web editor for the on-line journal “The Roadrunner Review.” She has also used her skills in graphic design and web design to help nonprofit organizations through paid internships.

“I just have a deep love for biology, science, and nature,” she said. “I wanted to major in environmental science but La Sierra stopped offering that degree so I opted for the minor simply because I like learning about biology. I also thought I could possibly pursue the sciences more post-grad.” 

Hernandez’s career goals following graduation involve continuing to work in the graphic design industry, pursuing personal projects and selling her art. She is inspired by many different artists in a variety of mediums, including sculptor Johnson Tsang and artist Miles Johnston. 

Walker, a resident of Moreno Valley, currently works in a freelance creative role carrying out rebranding and design projects for C3 Initiative, a nonprofit that focuses on preparing minority youth for tech jobs. He desires to work in a design position exploring publication, packaging or brand design with the goal of one day moving into an art director’s role. “Everything I want to do in the future is in the hopes of bettering humanity through well-thought ideas and design,” he said. “I would also love to teach classes from time to time and help others understand the wonderful world of creativity, art, and design.” 

Noted Walker, “I always think of Nina Simone's Quote ‘An Artist's duty is to reflect the times.’ When I read that quote … it immediately became a core element in my creative ethic. It was and is my favorite definition of what art is and what art will always be about. Reflecting the times.”

Attendees may join the May 16 Zoom artist reception at https://bit.ly/3bmNEh3 and may also find the link in the gallery’s @brandstatergallery Instagram profile. The “Warp” exhibit will run through Friday, May 21 in the gallery and will be available for viewing in the 360-degree virtual platform at lasierra.edu/brandstater.

A second senior art exhibit titled “Anima” displaying the work of six graduating artists will be held May 30 – June 14. An artists’ reception and virtual walk-through exhibit will be held at 3 p.m. the day of the show opening on the same respective Zoom and gallery links above.

“The past year of online learning was not what any of these seniors expected while finishing their degree, but I am delighted with the exciting creative work they produced for this exhibition,” said gallery director and assistant art professor Tim Musso. “Both upcoming exhibitions represent the first time a physical installation of artwork in the Brandstater Gallery will be concurrently exhibited on the university's website as a virtual walk-through experience.”

For further information contact the Art+Design department at 951-785-2170 or email art@lasierra.edu.