University Communications and Marketing

MSUB student displaying art in national juried student exhibition

Exhibition is March 9-April 22 in Pittsburg, Pa.

University Communications and Marketing, 657-2266

Montana State University Billings art student, Jenna Livingston, was recently selected to participate in the 52nd Annual National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Juried Student Exhibition. The exhibit is on display March 9 through April 22 in Pittsburg, Pa.

Her art exhibit, Swollen Flesh, is made up of 40 hollow ceramic spheres, painted to mimic edema and old age, then bound in rubber bands. Swollen Flesh is about exploring binding of Human Flesh. Livingston shared she was interested in exploring tension against a soft supple surface, to find points of resistance and yielding in creating her art. Through varied degrees of tension, she explored different levels of confinement.

“In the assorted depths of surface treatment, I sought to replicate different flesh tones, and suggest diverse ethnic identities” she shared. “Swollen Flesh endeavors to create divisions within the flesh, to find hidden reserves of resistance.”

The Juried Student Exhibition is on display at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (PCA), located at 6300 Fifth Avenue in the neighborhood known as Shadyside. PCA exhibits the work of prominent and emerging contemporary artists. One of Pittsburgh’s foremost visual arts organizations focused primarily on the presentation of contemporary art, PCA shows work in various visual disciplines, providing a unique cross-section of contemporary art in one location. The ability to stage multiple exhibits concurrently involves programming that features both regional and national artists.

The 2018 NCECA Juried Student Exhibition was open to undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students enrolled in the United States of America.

Livingston shared her artist statement, “As an artist, I endeavor to create something with obvious surface interest, while remaining open to deeper interpretation. Art is often viewed very differently by those who only view it as a casual observer, than by those who participate in and wrestle with it. Simply, as an artist, I wish to make things that are accessible to Joe Blow off the street, or to the local Picasso.”

Livingston is a sophomore at MSUB, studying Art and Environmental Studies. She is involved in Art Club and EVO.

Photo credits: 1) A close up of Swollen Flesh; Ceramics, acrylic, and Rubber Bands. The Hollow Ceramic Spheres range from 2-5 inches in diameter. Weight: approximately 14 Lbs.;  2) Swollen Flesh in one of the many rooms of The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.