The University of California's Irvine School of the Arts Gallery and Research Center - Brief Article

Afterimage, Nov, 2000

October 17, 2000 marked the public opening of The University of California's Irvine School of the Arts Gallery and Research Center. The Donald R. and Joan F. Beall Center for Art and Technology, a 3300-square-foot gallery and research center for new media arts, focuses on the evolution of the relationship between digital technologies and the arts and sciences.

Named after the former chairman and CEO of the Rockwell International Corporation, and his wife, who contributed $1.5 million to the project, the Beall Center is "dedicated to furthering the relationship between technology and the arts, promoting the development of new art forms and combining digital technologies, engineering and computer science, and building public and scholarly awareness and understanding of these new art forms," according to Dr. Jill Beck, Dean of the UCI School of the Arts. The inaugural exhibit is entitled "SHIFTCONT: Computers, Games and Art" and features internationally renowned artists such as Janine Cirincione/Michael Ferraro (New York City) and Christa Sommerer/Laurent Mignonneau (France and Japan). Curated by UCI studio art faculty members Antoinette LaFarge and Robert Nideffer, the exhibition is on display until December 2 and includes a mix of networked pieces, installations and on-line works that examine how gaming and new technologies have altered social systems and creative practice.