'A vibrant and evolving field': New Cape art show meant to be viewed on a screen

Editor's note: Due to an editing error, an online headline misidentified the museum in this story. "Pixels" will be held at the Cape Cod Museum of Art.

Tucked away in the back gallery of the Cape Cod Museum of Art sits a collection of artwork, unlike the rest that fills the museum. Printed copies of the collection hang on the walls but the intended way of viewing the work is on a screen.

It's a new experience for attendees and the first juried digital art exhibition — titled "Pixels" — hosted by the museum in collaboration with the National Association of Digital Artists.

“There was a lot to consider because the museum had never done anything with digital art before and it was really out of our comfort zone,” Benton Jones, director of art, said.

'Pixels' debunks misconceptions of digital art

The idea for a digital art exhibition was conceived by museum staff and the National Association of Digital Artists around three years ago. The two organizations wanted to put forth an exhibition that not only displayed the diversity within digital art but also changed perceptions of the significance of digital art.

“I think when a novice comes into an exhibition that they think is going to be pixel-oriented, they think of old video game graphics or something that might be considered less artistic than what we have assembled here,” Jones said. “The thing I hear mostly from the folks that are enjoying the exhibition is that the quality, the resolution and the sensitivity are all on par with that of a painter or a sculptor in a traditional medium. I think we're, we're debunking some of those misconceptions.”

“Pixels” is on display through Feb. 11. Almost 200 pieces were submitted from 104 artists across the globe, but only 45 were selected by juror Nicki FitzGerald, digital artist and owner of iPhoneography Central.

The message FitzGerald aimed to convey through her selections was artistic diversity and the boundless possibilities of digital art.

“I wanted to showcase how digital artists, regardless of their level of expertise, can push the boundaries of creativity and offer fresh perspectives on the medium," FitzGerald, who is based in England, wrote in an email. "By including a wide range of styles, techniques, and subject matter, I hoped to demonstrate that digital art is a vibrant and evolving field that welcomes all forms of artistic expression.”

While most submissions consisted of photography, digital painting and digital imagery, six of the 45 consisted of video and animation submissions. Three winners, Barbara Braman’s “Gaia,” Benoit Moreau’s “Dream of the Wood City” and Thomas Haxo’s “Geometric Spatial Distortions,” were selected.

“I started asking myself … what I can do with it that can be different than what it is in terms of imitating life,” Haxo explained during a gallery talk for “Pixels” at the museum. “This is a thing that I can do that is not what you're supposed to be doing.”

The parameters for work were fairly small as artists were allowed to use whatever editing software — such as Photoshop or Procreate — and medium — such as photography or digital collage making — they liked.

“We wanted to make sure that we reached you know, every group of people that could possibly qualify for this exhibit,” Roberta Miller, executive director of the Cape Cod Art Center of which the National Association of Digital Artists is a membership organization.

However, after much deliberation, the use of Artificial Intelligence was ultimately banned.

“The question has always been, ‘Is that still your piece of artwork?’” Miller explained. “We decided that because of copyright issues that we were not going to allow artificial intelligence to play in this particular exhibit.”

Jones said, “There has to be some guide rails for whether or not somebody can own an image if they take a picture of somebody else's artwork and then display it as their own.

"For instance if somebody takes a picture of some graffiti outdoors would that be permissible or not? Those kinds of issues are very important when you're appropriating other artworks and combining them and making them your own.”

In terms of the exhibition’s timeliness, Miller said with so many people joining the National Association of Digital Artists and the digital art world as a whole, it’s important to showcase what is possible in the medium.

“From my point of view, it just seems that digital art is just coming into vogue,” she said. “It's important for us to present a balanced collection of pieces, showing examples of different ways in which you can create this digital art so people understand what it is that  is happening and what you can do with a different media.”

Overall, “Pixels” not only marks a new direction for the museum, but a reimagination.

“As a collecting institution, it opens up a whole new window for an institution that has a permanent collection because a lot of these digital artworks can be stored in the cloud or on a drive,” Jones said. “It really redefines what a museum collection can potentially be, and will be in the future.”

Cape Cod Museum of Art 'Pixels'and digital art workshops

“Pixels” is on display at the Cape Cod Museum of Art until Feb. 11. All pieces in the exhibition are for sale with the majority of proceeds going to the artist. To see the collection in person, visit the museum at 60 Hope Lane in Dennis. To see the collection online or for more information about “Pixels” visit www.ccmoa.org/pixels.

If digital art piques your interest, the museum is hosting two digital art classes in conjunction with "Pixels."

Join Rita Colantonio from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 13 for a demonstration on using Procreate on an iPad to turn a vintage photograph into a piece of digital art. Tickets are $12 for members, $20 for non-members and can be purchased online at www.ccmoa.org/events/2024-january-procreate-discussion-with-rita-colantonio/.

First-place winner Barbara Braman is hosting a two-day workshop on Jan. 20 and 21 about digital painting with Procreate. The first session, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 20, covers the app itself while the second session, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 21, goes deeper into the process of creating a digital painting. Tickets are $130 for members, $150 for non-members and can be bought online at www.ccmoa.org/events/2023-january-procreate-workshop-with-barbara-braman/.

Frankie Rowley covers entertainment and things to do. Contact her at frowley@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: What is digital art? Find out about it at Cape Cod Museum of Art.