Dalia Cornejo once thought she should be practical and pursue a career such as teaching. She even had a role model. As a teenager, she admired an uncle for being the only one of 11 siblings to earn a college degree and for becoming a professor. But a different calling beckoned. “I feel like I have to create something everyday,” she declared. “I always liked to draw and paint. … but I wasn't sure I could make a living at that–living in Mexico.” Try as she might to stick to her original plans, a series of events unfolded that led to her passion, and in May the double major graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Design and Spanish Literature from California State ... Read More
Art Gallery
Exhibitions at University Art Gallery Draw Attention to Environmental Issues
A series of exhibitions revolving around environmental issues will be on display at the California State University, Dominguez Hills University Art Gallery from January 30 to March 26. Central to the series is the exhibit “Lost and Found: A North Sea Collaboration–Carl Reed and Thomas Claesson,” featuring found object art derived from materials discovered on islands lying off the west coast of Sweden. When Carl Reed, a sculptor who has worked for years with found objects, meet Thomas Claesson, a Swede who had an enormous collection of “lost” objects–items that have washed up on shore, been abandoned or unearthed, or acquired through inheritance–the two sensed the potential to realize an ... Read More
Day of the Dead: A Lively Celebration
An altar adorned with papel piccado (festive cut tissue paper) sits strewn with candles, edible calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls), fishing rods and lures, potato chips, hard liquor, and a pack of cigarettes. But fishermen haven't snuck into church for late night fun. This altar, or ofrenda, was constructed at California State University, Dominguez Hills for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in honor of the late Rodney King. In years past, alumna and former staff member Victoria Almeida (Class of '92, B.A., fine art) has made private tributes to loved ones, but she constructed this ofrenda as part of a “Day of the Dead Altars” exhibit being displayed concurrently with the national ... Read More
Life and Art a Work-In-Progress for Alumna Jeanne Allen
Artist, retired teacher, and California State University, Dominguez Hills alumna Jeanne Anderson Allen (Class of '82, M.A., humanities) has always found a way to keep following her passions. One of those ways, which led her to CSU Dominguez Hills, was putting a slew of extra units to use – in the form of a master's degree. “As a teacher, you're always going to class to get something that's required here or there. So, I added up all these units I had and I thought I should utilize this and make it into something that's worthwhile for me,” recalled Allen. “I thought the humanities program at Dominguez would be ideal because I like literature, art, music, religion and history. The ... Read More
Students and Faculty Show Work at American Museum of Ceramic Art
California State University, Dominguez Hills senior studio arts students Luis Avalos and Marco Cabrera, along with assistant professor of ceramic arts Jim Keville, have been selected to exhibit their ceramic art work at the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) in Pomona. The exhibit “KilnOpening.edu 2012,” which showcases ceramic works of Southern California instructors and their students, opened with an artist's reception on April 14, and will continue through June 30. For the selection process each student was allowed to submit one piece and each ceramics professor could submit up to three pieces. The pieces submitted by Avalos and Cabrera (whose entry is actually a pairing of two ... Read More
