Art professor Liz Nurenburg is showcasing her work in the West Gallery located in the Art Department. Being the only faculty member this semester to present her art, Nurenburg plans to continue working on her pieces that will soon be featured in a group show.
“I never look at my work as being finished, there is always a continuum,” said Nurenburg.
She did not have a love for art until she started taking classes in college. She graduated from Grand Valley with a B.A. in fine arts and design. After getting her degree in Michigan she came to Los Angeles to pursue her art career. She also received her Master’s in fine/studio art at Claremont University. Now, she teaches 3D design classes at CSUN.
Director of the Art Gallery Jim Sweeters selected Nurenburg to showcase her work.
“We all love Liz’s work. It is very interesting,” said Sweeters.
Nurenburg describes her work as props for interaction. With only five pieces on display, it became very hands on.
“Art is not just visual but, rather, physical and interactive mirroring life itself,” I believe this is the message that Liz’s work displays,” said Samuel Ramos, 22, a major in Mechanical and Civil Engineering.
Ramos said he enjoyed the piece called “Body Pressure with Wedges.”
“It shows me that art and in life we can have our tunnel vision and be focused but we also need to be open and aware of everything else as well,” said Ramos.
The materials she used include furniture, foam and anything in the house that is not being used. She said her props bring out a different style of conversation, creating intimacy in a public space.
“It is about getting people to interact and to be really present in their body and to have the mindfulness,” said Nurenburg.
In her conversation pieces, like the 2015 Courting Chair made from wood, foam, and vinyl was inspired by the Victorian Era’s Kissing Bench.
“[It was] a time when couples were not allowed to be alone together until marriage,” said Nurenburg. The courting chair represents quiet and intimate moments together.
In her other pieces, she explains that each has a different meaning depending on what the prop is. One is a head piece, another is made for three people but one person has to choose which one to talk to. Nurenburg also has one name the ear horn where she describes as a whisper piece.
“All of my work plays around with the waves in between feeling really comfortable with somebody and then feeling self-conscious and awkward,” she said.
For the generation becoming so digital she hopes that people take a moment to step back and reconnect. With the isolation, the convenience, and the constant multi tasking, she says we have to find the connection to each other or we will definitely lose out on something.
“Hopefully this sparks a trend not only in art but design. To understand the products we use so we can have a balance in life,” said Nurenburg.
This generation is living in a technological climate in Los Angeles where people are in their cars alone most of the time.
“Technology is so important and it makes a lot of parts in life so much easier but I think you also give up something when you’re giving up that possibility to just hug somebody or to be in the same space with them,” said Nurenburg.
