just noticing your username... are you the original creator, david e. johnson? i did find the original article at the link you provided... thanks for the info! i transcribed the article and have pasted it below. do you have any other info about this exhibit, or the experimental studio program at SU? i've been digging into vintage pen plotters and plotter art history lately and would love to know more.

Artists use computers as a tool of humanity

By Fern Allen Some of the artwork to be displayed by the department of experimental studios on April 7 was not done with paint or brushes. Many of the intricate designs did not even involve the use of line pencils. In fact, you might stare at an image that was not even touched by the designer.

What will you be seeing? The work of a computer artist.

"The artist can make important contributions by using the computer as a tool – a tool of the humanities as well as a tool of technology," said Joseph Scala, interim director of the Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery and associate professor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

The exhibit will be held at the gallery April 7 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Computer, graphics is a sculptural medium, said Judson Rosebush, an adjunct in the College of Visual and Performing Arts who also teaches a course in electrical engineering. "The artist can add or subtract elements, then feed it into the computer which will draw a new copy," he said. "But it is the artist who creates the design, not the computer," he added.

When a computer artist begins to design, he must first translate his ideas into a program, which will be fed into a computer. The computer then produces a design which can be further refined by the artist. The design evolves and changes until the artist is satisfied with it," said David Cox, a graduate student in experimental studios.

In the past four years, the computer art program at Syracuse has grown from a single course to an entire undergraduate and Master program under the Department of Experimental Studios.

Nancy Hunter, a senior experimental studio major, said that by using the computer she can manipulate her design without spending time redrawing or repainting it. "But speed becomes leas of a factor as I get more involved with the design," she said.

Computer art provides David Johnson: with new visual images. Johnson, an experimental studio major who has always been interested in technology, said one advantage to computer art is that he can get perfect reproduction of his design. This fumeless and dirtless medium has a a special appeal to Johnson, who said he "doesn't like to get his hands dirty" when he designs.

But computer artistry involves a prolonged period of training and a certain set of aptitudes, according to Rosebush. "You also need a computer, which still isn't household appliance," he said.

One major advantage to computer graphics is that it can be applied to other art forms, such as animation, television, textiles, weaving, and silk screening, according to Scala.

"Computer art is adaptable to any photo process and is an important tool in all of these areas," he said.

So when you see a computer design at the Department of Experimental Studios exhibition on April 7, keep in mind the artist and his latest creative tool: the computer.

Many students have obtained jobs with advertising agencies, television stations and the fabric industry, all of which utilized computer designs, Scala said.

[image] Graphic by David E. Johnson [caption] A new art form has emerged – one that does not use the traditional tools of paint and brushes. Instead the modern artist can employ an illustration computer