To art student Edson Martinez, the opportunity to have a major work displayed at his college alma mater is an honor he looks forward to sharing with future generations.
“As I keep on going with my career, I can always come back to see one of the first pieces that I worked on, as a mural, to show my kids’ kids,” he said.
Under the guidance of painting instructor Rebecca Guzak, Martinez and 10 other student artists created the large-scale piece entitled “Rain of Gold 2013: Indigenous Wisdom” that took first place at the 2010 Student Art Exhibition in April.
The 6-foot-by-nine-foot canvas is now on display by the administrative offices within the campus library, as requested by Cerritos College President Linda Lacy.
“When several students can combine their work to produce such exceptional art, the effort should be noted,” Lacy said.
The mural hangs on the wall facing the office of Dean of the Cerritos College Library and LRC Carl Bengston.
“I certainly enjoy having art displayed, and if I ever have the opportunity to display student art, that would certainly be my preference,” Bengston said.
James MacDevitt, director and curator of the Cerritos College Art Gallery, aims to one day bring Bengston’s suggestion to life by establishing a permanent collection of art work for the college.
“That’s certainly my hope— it’s a dream. I don’t know that it necessarily will come to reality; I don’t know that it will come to reality any time soon, but I’m working on it,” MacDevitt said.
While in the early stages of planning for a permanent collection, MacDevitt envisions a structure that resembles that of the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College.
“ELAC has been the springboard for a number of well-known, LA-based artists, particularly from the 70s ,” MacDevitt explains.
“The director of the art gallery at the time was prescient enough to collect the student works that are now some of the earliest representations of what those famous artists were producing in their earliest stages of development,” he adds.
Lacy approves the suggestion to immortalize students’ achievements by displaying their work on campus.
“I would support other student art to be featured around campus, and I would also like to see an expansion of a permanent art collection,” she noted.
MacDevitt presumes that if the college ever adopts a permanent collection, the student mural will become its first piece.
“There are things we need to do before we could actually consider the ‘Rain of Gold’ piece a part of our permanent collection,” MacDevitt adds.
“In the end we’re gonna have to sign official documents and that sort of thing, but I think we’re moving in that direction.”
Guzak considers the mural’s installation the crowning achievement of her career.
“The story behind this painting– it just keeps going on and on– so I’m really happy about the whole thing,” she said.
