Rockland Center for the Arts

video still by Ron Rocco

exhibit archive

Digital and Beyond is an overview of contemporary works by multi-disciplinary artists who use computers and digital technology as an integral part of their creative process. All have come from traditional artistic disciplines or scientific and mathematical careers to embrace the new technologies that have influenced their work and artistic expression.

The show includes the work of twenty participants, including painters, sculptors, photographers, architects, glass and video artists.

The participating artists are ::
Nancy Dwyer, Scott Frish, Frank Gillette, Shalom Gorewitz, Michael James, Germaine Keller, Grace Knowlton, Robert Michael Smith, Michael O'Rourke, Michael Rees, Ron Rocco, Page Simon, Josh Simpson, Robert Smith, Kenneth Snelson, Kjeld Tidemand Johannessen, Carl Van Brunt, Yauger Williams, Michael Zansky.

October 10 - November 21, 2004
Curators Ned Harris & Bob Fisher

Opening Reception ::
October 10th, 1 PM-4 PM

We have selected the following artists for web representation ::

Ron Rocco ::
"Buddha Meet Einstein
at the Great Wall"
video still 8" x 10"

Ron Rocco's early career and education was focused on sculpture until he discovered the possibilities of exploring new territory with emerging technological advances. In a post graduate program at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT he perfected the tools to launch him on an acclaimed career in on-the-edge video works such as "Buddha Meets Einstein at the Great Wall", which will be included in the exhibition. The video was a collaboration with the choreographer Mel Wong presented at the Asia Society that explores the eastern and western cultural perception of time. "The Enigma of the Natural World", originally an installation shown at the Brooklyn Museum, will be exhibited as prints. The work is indicative of the multi-leveled directions his art has taken.

Goddess on Earth
Ron Rocco majored in sculpture at SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY after graduating from Fordham University in 1972. He was accepted into the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT in 1983. His work has been shown at the Guggenheim Museum in NY, the Katonah Museum, the Newberger Museum, Vassar and Bard Colleges, P.S. 1 Museum, The Japan Society and venues worldwide.

Robert Michael Smith ::
"Ephefiancybergin"
stone 6'x4'x4'

Robert Michael Smith constructs both virtual and actual basic archetypal forms from nature that he uses to build what he terms "alien abstract worlds". Shown in this exhibit is "Arm Phen", a manipulation of natural organic shapes using digital technology and rapid prototyping machinery.

Goddess on Earth

Robert Michael Smith is well known for his computer-generated sculpture as well as for his respected technical standing in the field of 3-D computer visualization and animation, web design, and computer graphics. He is the webmaster for the International Sculpture Center and President of the Sculpture Guild, and has exhibited his own sculpture throughout the world. He has taught at Pratt Institute, School of Visual Arts, the New School for Social Research, Parsons School of Design, and other universities throughout the United States. He currently serves on the faculty of New York Institute of Technology's Fine Arts Department. He has lectured and written widely on the subjects of 3-D design and digital technology for sculpture.

Michael O'Rourke :: Goddess on Earth
September 2001 (detail)
digital mural 10"x60"

Michael O' Rourke fits the profile for this exhibition by having beginnings as a sculptor before discovering the potential of digital technology. Selected is work that reveals his mastery of the art of the collage combined with his knowledge of the computer's capability. Two sides of his personality are depicted-the private, contemplative self-portrait, contrasted with public arena murals of people in constant flux with their environment. As a teacher and writer he has been in the forefront of computer animation and technological advances.

Michael O' Rourke is an artist, author, educator, and Professor at Pratt Institute in New York City. His digitally generated artwork has been exhibited worldwide since 1983. Venues include the Kennedy Center for the Arts (Wash, D.C.), the Musee d'Art Moderne (Paris), the Isteban Museum (Tokyo), the Varna Animation Festival, the Zagreb Animation Festival, the SIGGRAPH Conference, and many others. He is the author of "Principles of Three-Dimensional Computer Animation", which has been translated into Japanese, Korean and Chinese editions. At the world famous NYIT Computer Graphics Lab in the 1980's, he worked with many of the pioneers and inventors of 3D computer imaging and animation. He holds an M.F.A from the University of Pennsylvania, and an Ed. M. degree in education from Harvard University.

Michael Zansky :: Goddess on Earth
Landscape 1
digital print 55" x 36"

Michael Zansky embraces computer technology after having established a reputation in other mediums. His career is a study of a temperament on a continuous journey searching for new outlets of expression. His work has moved from visionary paintings to wooden sculpture and recently to his free-standing kinetic works involving motors, light sources and ambiguous objects. For this exhibit Zansky is currently using digital photography to record the real world which turns surreal with his usage of lenses and computer manipulations.

Michael Zansky's work was recently on view at Exit Art, New York, the Aldrich Museum, Connecticut, and the Norton Museum of Art, Florida. He has exhibited in New York at White Columns, The Drawing Center, and is the subject of a forthcoming essay by Thomas Mc Evilley. Mr Zansky has exhibited at the Slought Foundation in Philadelphia, and at the Briggs Robinson Gallery in New York. Mr Zansky is represented by Universal Concepts, NYC.

Goddess on Earth Kenneth Snelson ::
Landscape 1
digital print 55" x 36"

Kenneth Snelson's four decade long open-ended multimedia work "Atom 1" was developed using digital technology and rapid prototyping equipment. It depicts the individual electron shells within the atomic structure as a geometric construction comprised of circular forms.

Kenneth Snelson is internationally recognized for his massive and complex sculptures constructed from stainless steel tubes and cables that are arranged in tensile configurations. His work is represented in many of the major museums of the world including the Whitney Museum, the Dallas Museum, the Hiroshima Museum and the sculpture gardens in Washington, DC, among many others. He also is known for his exhibits and publication of panoramic photographs. For the past 40 years, he has been deeply involved in an art project dealing with the structure of the atom using computer graphics, 3-D modeling and narratives. He lives and works in New York City.

Gallery Information ::
Gallery Hours are weekdays from 10:00am to 4:00pm and weekends from 1:00 to 4:00pm. The gallery is closed holidays. Admission is free or by suggested donation.