Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 8/27/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Mike Anderson Jackie Smith, 20, an English major from Colorado, looks at a watercolor piece, "Retribution" by Jane Hofstetter, in the Black and White and Read All Over art exhibit on the second floor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

A spin has been put on the children's riddle, "What's black and white and red all over?" The answer can be found on the second floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

Allied Artists West, a local group of professional painters, created an exhibit described as "a visual response to the written news." In the exhibit, "Black and White and Read All Over," each piece of art is displayed along with corresponding articles that provided the artists' inspiration, according to the organization's Web site.

Junior English major Jackie Smith, who was exploring the library during a break in her schedule, said her favorite piece in the exhibit was a large pastel of an endangered primate.

The painting was contributed by local artist Deborah Matlack and titled "Orangutan At Home." Matlack said she chose this subject based on an article in the San Jose Mercury News about Happy Hollow Zoo and its effort to raise money for The Orangutan Conservatory by collecting unusable cell phones. According to the Mercury News, the zoo collected 11,000 phones, raising $13,000.

"Retribution," a watercolor painting by artist Jane Hofstetter, was inspired by an article about a mother dealing with the loss of her only child in the Iraq war. Hofstetter's picture stands in the forefront of the exhibit, showing a black background and two soldiers painted red with strings attached as though they were puppets.

Other pieces in the exhibit portray a variety of issues including stem cell research and local sports.

"I think it is a powerful way to communicate a step further," Smith said. "It definitely supports different ways to get the message across."

The exhibit has been in the King Library since Aug. 2 and ends on Aug. 31. Smith said she thought the exhibit will be interesting to other students and encourages them to see it because an appreciation for art is important.

The Allied Artists West Web site includes pictures of the art, additional commentary and the opportunity for students to acquire instruction provided by the featured artists.

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