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A University of Southern Mississippi student recently received the 2008 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center (ISC).
Bernadette Birzer, a senior fine arts major and native of the Philippines, was recognized by the ISC for her mixed media installation, “Portrait of U.S.” Birzer says the sculpture, composed primarily of store receipts, paper-maché and packaging material, depicts her concept of consumer culture in America. The backdrop of the installation is a 30-foot by 8-foot wall covered in receipts that Birzer had collected over several months from friends and slips saved from her own purchases. In front of the massive rippling hedge of receipts, several large deformed figures, which Birzer calls “consumers,” stand, slouch and loll in grotesque positions — a pungent message that illustrates the perils of people who are consumed by consuming. “I wanted the piece to show how consumerism has become this cultural phenomenon that has literally changed who we are,” Birzer explained. “So the whole installation is essentially a metaphor. The wall of receipts and the devolved, brash-like figures standing in front of it are metaphors for the consumerist society in which we live.” Birzer originally created “Portrait of U.S.” last spring as part of her senior project, a component of the Southern Miss fine arts curriculum that requires students to create a substantial body of art, which is displayed in a senior art exhibit at the end of the semester. Art and design professor Laura Prange, who served as chair of Birzer’s senior project faculty committee, watched the installation gradually unfold throughout the semester, offering guidance throughout the four-month-long project. As she mused at the final product during the senior art exhibition, Prange said she was engaged by the sculpture’s setting and design and found its metaphorical elements to be quite intriguing. “By the end of the semester, I was very familiar with all the parts of Bernadette’s project, and my colleagues and I felt it had tremendous potential to be expressive in all the ways she intended,” Prange said. “Yet, when I saw it fully installed, I was caught up in it not as a teacher or critic, but like anyone else — I was moved by its haunting beauty and disturbing, but important, message.” After reviewing the complete installation of “Portrait of U.S.,” Prange nominated Birzer for the 2008 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award. Birzer was among 401 nominees representing more than 160 colleges and universities across the world. The ISC jury, paneled by leading art figures Mary Ceruti, Dennis Oppenheim and Robert Roesch, selected Birzer’s “Portrait of U.S.” as one of 12 sculptures to be recognized with the award. In addition to the award, Birzer will receive several perks from ISC, including a biographic profile and photograph of her work featured in Sculpture magazine; inclusion of her sculpture in the yearly exhibition at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, N.J.; and a free one-year membership with the ISC. “Obviously, the most immediate benefit that I thought of when I was named for this award was what it would do for my resumé,” Birzer said. “But it’s also very gratifying to me to be able to actually have my work featured at one of the preeminent art venues in the world and to receive a one-year membership with the ISC, which provides me with a subscription to its Sculpture magazine.” After graduation, Birzer said she plans to attend graduate school, continuing to create sculptures and hopes to open her own gallery one day. “I would like to bring the type of sculpture that I do into the community and make people understand it … make them understand that art doesn’t always have to be a commodity — its commodity can be its message,” Birzer said. For more information, visit http://www.usm.edu/arts or contact Angela Kilcrease at 601.266.4988.
"Portrait of U.S."
About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities. In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world. Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss, with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.
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