Envisioning the Future

by Danielle Vanaman '06

What will future generations remember about our culture? According to an exhibit created as part of the the Envisioning the Future project, it may have more to do with our reliance on computers and fast food than on any of our modern advances or achievements.

Envisioning the Future, a “unique interdisciplinary project to imagine, create and exhibit diverse images of the future,” is led by artist Judy Chicago and photographer Donald Woodman. The pair worked together to train 9 facilitators, who in turn collaborated with 70 other artists to create a vision of the future using painting, sculpture, installation, photography, digital media, and performing arts.

One of these facilitators is Bill Catling, an art professor at APU. He worked with a team of ten artists, including APU alums David Carlson and Lucien Saxton, to create a unique sculpture exhibit. “We created a Museum of Earthian Culture,” Catling said. “It’s from the perspective of people in the future, looking back on remnants from our culture and trying to figure out what they mean.”

David Carlson '98 contributed to the museum by making giant recreations of board games such as Operation and The Game of Life. “Working together on the museum allowed us each to create our own work, but to put it all together as a collaborative effort,” Carlson said. “Our team worked together in such a cohesive way that it was really a joy to be a part of the project.”

The Museum of Earthian Culture was open January 10-February 29 in the Azusa Pacific University Annex on South Main Street in Pomona. For more information, visit www.envisioningthefuture.org.