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updated October 16, 2009
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Works by 24 Valley Artists Showcased in Fall Exhibition
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The results of the many inspirations behind some of the Wabash Valley’s most
creative artists are being displayed this fall in one of the largest
exhibitions ever featured at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
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Featuring Local Artists: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's
fall art exhibition features selections from a variety of Wabash
Valley artists, including Rose-Hulman Professor John Gardner's
"Headless Saint" (top, left), Alexandra McNichols's
"One Persian Woman" (top, right). Susan Tingley's "Self
Portrait in Subway" (bottom, left)
and Mike Swagerle's "Abe Winkin" (bottom, right). |
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A special fall exhibition by Terre Haute’s Halcyon Contemporary Art Gallery
spotlights more than 100 paintings, drawings and photographs by 24 area
artists. The artwork covers the top two hallways in the college’s main
classroom building, Moench Hall. The exhibition is free and open to the
public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and all of the works are available
for purchase.
Artists represented are Karen Bekkering, Rod Bradfield, Christy Brinkman,
Philip Dees, David H. Erickson, John Gardner, Edward Gillum, Peggy Hines,
Ricardo Hutchins, Martha Kaplan, Mary Kramer, Fran Lattanzio, Rebecca Lynch,
Alexandra McNichols, Diane Mann, Nancy Nichols, Petra Nyendick, Evie Ogborn,
Simon Peterson, Stephanie Standish, Mike Swagerle, Michael Tingley, Susan
Tingley and Crystal Vicars-Pugh.
Many of these artists are planning to attend an exhibition opening reception
on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 4:30-7 p.m. in Moench Hall.
“The many professional artists who have contributed their works to this
exhibition demonstrate the high level of artistry currently available in the
greater Terre Haute area,” stated Steve Letsinger, Rose-Hulman’s coordinator
of arts programming and art curator. “The wide range of subjects and styles
featured in the exhibition, from lyrical to profound to humorous, offer
something for everyone to enjoy. We are fortunate to have such great talent
available to us.”
The ethnic diversity of Terre Haute is featured in McNichols’ photographic
sculptures, an interesting concept in which black and white photographs are
printed on the flat surface of natural stones (onyx, scrabo and marble)
using a liquid photographic emulsion hand applied in the dark room. The
unique textures, colors and patterns of each stone intermingle with the
image to give meaning to personal roots and boundaries.
“Each stone tells a story that the observer has to discover,” McNichols
states. “Each person has been petrified in time and motion as a sculpture.
And in some cases, as with the translucent green onyx, the stones can also
be displayed against the light and viewed like stained glass.”
Hines used scriptural text as a framing device as she interweaves art and
life to create watercolor paintings with substance in the exhibition. The
titles of her five colorful works on display include “Eastern Morn,” “Full
Bloom” and “Fourth Day.” She has received mixed reactions to the melding of
scripture and art.
“Some have found it distracting. Other found it evangelistic,” Hines states.
“My goal was neither, but rather to complete my thought. My sense is that
‘Fourth Day’ was more successful in integrating the text with the
composition. Each of these pieces led me to new discoveries.”
Gardner, an associate professor of Spanish at Rose-Hulman, shares his
discoveries of life’s novelties in six photographs from his “Look What I
See” collection. He carries a camera while walking throughout Terre Haute,
looking for inspiration in windows, marks in the road, the shape of the
shadows and other offerings.
“Some days I walk and see nothing at all. It must be there, but it’s not
mine to have just now,” he states. “Sometimes a spot I’ve crossed a half
dozen times suddenly shows me something full of quiet beauty, but now here
it is, so I take it while it’s there . . . There have been long afternoons
–- not many, but that’s so I can remember them all -- when the city opened
itself like a sprouting seed and gave me miles of sad, wonderful beauty,
waiting to be looked at, waiting to be seen.”
Other artworks featured in the exhibit include Petra Nyendick’s exploration
of patterns, symbols and shapes in his geometric “Off the Grid Series”; Mike
Swagerle’s use of gags, puns and visually interesting graphics in such
prints as “Abe Winkin” and “Ponzi”; Philip Dees’ three-dimensional drawings
which strive to soar past the mundane; Susan Tingley’s paintings that
capture natural, spontaneous scenes of the randomness moments of a person’s
life; Christy Brinkman’s pencil and charcoal drawings on paper of surreal
shapes that interpret the comparison of positive to negative space and
lightness to darkness; and four photographs from Ricardo Hutchins’ series
that examines Gulf Coast areas damaged by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike.
The Halcyon Contemporary Art Gallery, located on downtown Terre Hatue’s Arts
Corridor adjacent to The Sheldon Swope Art Museum, promotes local and
regional artists, and strives to become a leader in the exhibition of
contemporary visual art. It encourages experimentation through the
presentation of new works by emerging and established artists. The Rose-Hulman
exhibition reflects current issues and practices in the visual arts and
enhances the cultural enrichment of the Wabash Valley.
Special guided tours of the exhibit can be arranged by contacting Letsinger
at (812) 877-8452 or letsinge@rose-hulman.edu.
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EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Artists’ Reception
“Halycon at Rose-Hulman”
Thursday, Oct. 22 – 4:30-7 p.m.
Moench Hall, Top Two Floors
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
This exhibit features the over 100 art works by 25 area artists affiliated
with Halcyon Contemporary Art Gallery of Terre Haute.
Exhibiting Artists: Karen Bekkering, Rod Bradfield, Christy Brinkman, Philip
Dees, David H. Erickson, John Gardner, Edward Gillum, Peggy Hines, Ricardo
Hutchins, Martha Kaplan, Mary Kramer, Fran Lattanzio, Rebecca Lynch,
Alexandra McNichols, Diane Mann, Nancy Nichols, Petra Nyendick, Evie Ogborn,
Simon Peterson, Stephanie Standish, Mike Swagerle, Michael Tingley, Susan
Tingley and Crystal Vicars-Pugh. |
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