Art enthusiasts took part in a true rock experience yesterday via the world of Warhol, with free admission to the exhibit Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms. Warhol First Sunday's have taken place since September 2008. During the event some aspect of the artist's life or creative process is shown through a variety of workshops and activities. The theme of this fourth installment of Warhol First Sunday's, titled POP ROCKS, explored Warhol's life and his influence on legendary rock bands such as the Velvet Underground and the Rolling Stones.
Warhol was always interested in pop culture and played with every avenue of creative expression that depicted the pop and rock phenomenon of the 1960s and '70s.
Jean Pittman, educator for youth programs at the Wexner Center for Arts, said this exhibit shows the widest range of Warhol's works from books, album covers, print-making and magazine publishings. She said the exhibit should be particularly appealing to teens and youth because it encompasses issues they can relate to.
"Warhol grappled with so many of the things that youth are battling with today," she said. "Things such as identity, celebrity culture, how to make money … these are things that he showed in his work and in his life."
Although Warhol's works can provoke and inspire youth, teens are not the only ones who appreciate the mastery of his creative genius.
Pud Baird, an OSU alumnae, said she enjoyed the exhibit, although she had no previous idea of Warhol's work.
"It opened my eyes to things that I would have thought were mundane," she said. "We're lucky to have something as big as this here at OSU."
Pittman further explained that the feature that sells the exhibit is the extensive amount of film and video available, which has never before been released to the public.
"This exhibit is so unique because there is a lot of film and media that can usually only be seen by researchers or accessed through archives," she said. "The items we have on display make this is a truly rare opportunity for avid Warhol fans."
Despite the visual appeal of Warhol's work, Pittman says it was his message and passion that make him such a remarkable and memorable artist. She said he showed that art is not just what is seen in museums and galleries, and he broke down the barriers between the big art world and everyday life. His vision questioned consumerism and redefined answers to "where does art live?"
"Warhol did not separate art from reality, instead he saw everything as a piece of art in itself," Pittman said. "Things such as a can of soup, which many people would consider to be mundane, would be transformed into a piece of art."
In order to convey this theory, visitors Sunday were able to express their creativity in everything pop by taking part in activities such as silk-screen printing and creating album covers. By allowing this, coordinators hoped that participants would be able to better understand and appreciate the full range of Warhol's vision.
Participants were also asked to bring a non-perishable food item to draw, then the food was placed in grocery carts to be delivered to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
The finale to the exhibit will take place on Feb. 1. The theme will be titled "Over and Over and Out" and will focus on Warhol's use of repetition in his work.
Lisa Scott can be reached at scott.917@osu.edu.
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