MacArthur 'genius grant' recipient in residence at Myers School of Art

Camille Utterback, a pioneering artist and programmer in the field of interactive art installations and a 2009 recipient of a coveted MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, will be in residence Jan. 27-28 at the Mary Schiller Myers School of Art at The University of Akron.

Utterback will give a free public lecture at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, in the auditorium of Folk Hall, 150 E. Exchange St. Her work will be showcased in “Collider II: Camille Utterback,” a free exhibition Jan. 19-Feb. 27 in the Emily Davis Gallery, also in Folk Hall. Gallery hours are Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

UA's Myers Artist-in-Residence Program was established in 1998 to bring nationally and internationally recognized artists and designers to campus. During her two-day residency, Utterback will work closely with art students and faculty from throughout the UA Myers School of Art, including students in New Media, the school’s newest program.

Utterback uses digital technologies to create visually arresting works that redefine how viewers experience and interact with art in a technological age. Drawing upon traditional media such as painting, photography, and sculpture, she writes computer code that blends the interactive elements of each piece with her aesthetic vision. In her 1999 video installation “Text Rain,” made with Israeli artist Romy Achituv, the interface of video camera and tracking software allowed a viewer’s entire body to engage with text. As each viewer stood in front of the projection, their shadow interrupted the falling streams of seemingly random words. The words eventually come to rest on the outline of the viewer's body to reveal lines of a poem.

Popularly known as “genius grants,” MacArthur Fellowships are five-year, no-strings-attached  $500,000 awards to individuals who show exceptional creativity in their intellectual social, and artistic work and the prospect for still more in the future. The fellowships are designed to provide recipients with the flexibility to pursue their creative activities in the absence of specific obligations or reporting requirements.

For more information, call 330-972-6030 or visit the Myers School of Art.