The Frost Art Museum Presents
2010 Aesthetics & Values Exhibition
An art exhibition curated by the FIU Honors College Students

The Patricia & Philip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University (FIU) along with FIU’s Honors College students announced the featured artists for the fifth annual Aesthetics and Values Fine Art Exhibition (A&V). This event, free and open to the public, opens March 9, 2010 at The Frost Art Museum located at 10975 SW 17 Street, Miami, FL 33199, with opening reception to be held March 24, 2010 from 6 – 9 p.m.

“This is a wonderful collaboration between the Frost Art Museum and the Honors College students,” said Director Carol Damian. “Students are able to curate a show and learn how to work within the confines of a true operational museum.”

“Aesthetics & Values’ move to the Frost Art Museum is an opportunity and challenge for the student-curators. The museum setting offers greater exposure and a more formal environment for the exhibition. It, therefore, also creates higher expectations. The group of participating artists demonstrates that the student-curators have embraced this challenge,” Professor Bailly added.

The A&V 2010 exhibition will feature the works of Bhakti Baxter, Xavier Cortada, Guerra de la Paz, Richard Haden, Bert Rodriguez, Gerry Stecca, TM Sisters, Frances Trombly, Wendy Wischer, and Ricardo E. Zulueta. This year, several of the artists featured will be making works specifically for the exhibition.

“We will create a site-specific sculptural work inspired by the environment in which it will be displayed and a general consensus amongst the students and ourselves in which we agreed to produce a suitable piece that engages dialog with its surroundings. We invited the students to visit our studio to view finished work and discuss their curatorial choices in order to get a feel for their expectations and also for them to have a better understanding of our creative process, decision-making and the range of subjects we address. As a result we mutually concluded in developing a new work of art for this exhibit,” said internationally-acclaimed Guerra de la Paz.

The A&V students not only curate their exhibition, but they become immersed within the art community. The Aesthetics & Values 2010 exhibition is the culmination of an Honors College seminar, taught by artist and Honors College Fellow John Bailly, which examines the role visual art plays in the social and cultural dialogue of controversial issues. The annual exhibition provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their resourcefulness and creativity through the research, curation, and organization of an on-campus exhibition of contemporary Miami artists.

“My participation in the Aesthetics and Values Exhibition Project has proven to be a wonderful experience in many ways. The energy and enthusiasm of the students is truly amazing and I always look forward to their unique insights into the artists, artwork and art community. This is a proven success story of providing an educational experience, integrating communities and initiating lasting connections,” said artist Wendy Wischer.

“Being a part of the Aesthetics & Values class is an amazing opportunity. Being able to work with Miami based artists and the Frost Art Museum curating such an exhibition while being a non-Art major is something that very few people have the privilege of doing and I am extremely glad I can be one of them,” said Lien Hernandez.

The A&V Exhibition has also garnered national recognition. Since 2007, A&V students have presented the project at the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference. After learning of A&V at NCHC, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will be organizing their own Aesthetics and Values Exhibition in the Spring 2011.

This year the A&V show will host its opening reception during The Frost Art Museum’s popular Target Wednesday After Hours series on March 24, 2010 from 6 to 9 p.m. Target Wednesday After Hours is designed to complement The Frost Art Museum’s exhibitions and give visitors the chance to meet contemporary artists and engage with controversial art, live music, talks, films, dance, and performance art. The event is free and open to the public.

About Aesthetics and Values
The Aesthetics and Values seminar, taught by artist and Honors College Fellow John Bailly, examines the vital role visual art plays in the social and cultural dialogue surrounding controversial issues. It investigates how artists have challenged or enforced authority by creating new aesthetics. It further explores how art is used to initiate, accelerate, or combat social change. Website: http://www.avexhibition.org

About The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University
The Frost Art Museum opened its current 46,000-square-foot state of the art building in November, 2008. Over 30,000 people have visited The Museum in its new building since its opening in November, 2008. Admission to The Museum is always free. The Frost is an AAM accredited museum and Smithsonian affiliate and is located at 10975 SW 17thSt across from the Blue garage and adjacent to the Wertheim Performing Arts Center on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m. Closed on Mondays and most legal holidays. For more information, please visit thefrost.fiu.edu or call 305-348-2890.