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After a weeklong presence at PCC, artist Daniel Joseph Martinez wrapped up his stay during a ceremony on Friday, where he donated a piece to the collection of Artist in Residence work to commemorate his stay and influence on art students.Alex Kritselis, dean of visual arts and media studies, believes that this year’s program, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, was very successful.

“Every year the visiting artist brings something quite unique and different,” Kritselis said. “Every [year] is quite remarkable,” he added.

The Artist in Residence program is quite unlike anything else at PCC, said Kritselis.

Kritselis knows that the PCC community recognizes that something special happens during this week, causing students to question their very purpose and to seek out how to make their mark on the world.

Kritselis believes that the two most important days in a person’s life are when they are born and when they leave this world.

“What happens in between those two days is really what matters,” he said.

Kritselis knows that Martinez’s presence inspired, transformed and stirred an awakening inside those students whom he touched in his week at PCC.

“The Artist in Residence program encourages students to ask themselves how they are going to manage the time in between the two points,” said Kritselis.

President Mark Rocha feels that the whole week was a life-changing event.

“What Daniel comes to do, is for a moment, which is what great art does, is make us feel comfortable to challenge our assumptions,” Rocha said.

“It’s been said that we are all afraid, and that none of us are afraid enough,” he added.

Rocha feels that what Martinez does with his great body of work, is help us to seek the truth as an antidote to that fear.

“That is what Daniel has brought this week. The gift he is giving us is not just a piece of his work. He is giving [PCC] the most precious gift an artist can give, and that is a part of his soul,” Rocha said.

Martinez donated a piece made from 100-year old, hand-cut, wood block letters that were then pressed into the board that simply read, ‘The world is hollow and I have touched the sky’.

“Martinez asks for nothing in return for his gift,” said Rocha, “Except for everyone to pursue the truth and be true to what you are.”

Martinez was amazed with the level of skill of the students he worked with.

“I pushed them up to the level of what it means to move up with one’s intellect and one’s skill by obtaining the knowledge and the independence that is necessary to do that,” Martinez said. “The class was extraordinary.”

Kritselis urged students to learn from Martinez and find the means to do [their] work in a way that not only expresses what they want to say, but also the moment in time that they are in.

Graphics Design major, Abe Chuang felt very moved by the whole week. “This was a great choice for the Artist in Residence,” Chuang said.

“It was good for a lot of people to hear about how the real art world is going to be,” he said.

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