GVSU Art Gallery

Winter 2012 -

Regionalism and the Art of the WPA: Selections from the Muskegon Museum of Art
January 16 – March 23, 2012 - The Regionalist art movement reflects a distinct period in U.S. history, including the efforts by artists to define a uniquely American style. This concentration on a specific geography and culture would emanate, in its purest form, from the American Midwest of Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, and Grant Wood. Regionalism and the Art of the WPA included works by these and other artists who drew their inspiration from their immediate surroundings, both rural and urban. In a collaborative endeavor between GVSU and the Muskegon Museum of Art, the Art Gallery hosted this exhibition of more than 40 works drawn from the MMA’s collection. The collaboration was in conjunction with the MMA’s hosting of 1934: A New Deal for Artists, organized and circulated by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., and scheduled in Muskegon for February 16 through May 6, 2012. A series of interdisciplinary programs were planned for students and the public at the GVSU Art Gallery, the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, and the Muskegon Museum of Art.

BFA Exhibit:  PHASES
Monday, April 2 to Thursday, April 5, 2012 - Samantha Dains, Randi Ford, and Maria Schultz are three Illustration majors that came together to display their work. Their BFA show, Phases, was a culmination of years of exploring their talents and interests. A wide variety of subject matter and media attest to the versatility of Illustration and ensure that something that spark everyone's interest.

BFA Exhibit:  Dulcee Boehm, Rachel Kauff, Mili Thibodeau
Monday, April 9 to Thursday, April 12, 2012-This BFA exhibition included the work of Dulcee Boehm from Visual Studies, Rachel Kauff from Printmaking, and Mili Thibodeau also from Printmaking.  The show had variety of projects and media, exploring issues related to the body, food and landscape.

Fall 2012 -

Putting It All Together:A Collaboration Between Ann Baddeley Keister, Patricia Nelson and Patricia Clark
Friday, August 24 –Friday, September 21, 2012 - Contemporary, mixed-media textile collage and jewelry collaborations by artists Ann Baddeley Keister and Patricia Nelson was showcased. The exhibition also included written work by Patricia Clark, Grand Valley State University Poet-in-Residence and Professor of Writing. Baddeley Keister is Associate Professor of Art at Grand Valley State University and Nelson is Professor of Art in Metalwork at Ball State University in Indiana.

Fall Arts Celebration - Forged in Metal: Deshi/Shisyou Mentee/Mentor
Thursday, October 4 – Friday, November 2, 2012
Opening reception: Thursday, October 4, 5-7 p.m.  - Forged in Metal: Deshi/Shisyou Mentee/Mentor was a showcase of jewelry and metalsmithing work from a selected group of Japanese students and their mentors from Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry, Tokyo. This inspiring exhibition was curated by Renee Zettle-Sterling, Associate Professor of Art and Design from Grand Valley State University, and James Bove, Associate Professor of Art at California University of Pennsylvania. Forged in Metal will shed light on a trusted and profound relationship whose impact is felt for a lifetime: the mentee/mentor relationship.

BFA Exhibit - Humanness:  Necessity/Response
Monday, November 12 - Thursday, November 15, 201 - Maggie Vance and Anna Fry exhibited their installation art.

School of Communications-Senior Thesis Photography Exhibition::  TESSELLATION
Monday, November 26 to Friday, December 7, 2012 - You were invited to experience Tessellation, a photographic exhibition hosted by the School of Communications.  The exhibition merged the unique vision developed by fifteen photographers in a collaborative showcase of their thesis work.  Contributing artists were:  Jillian Bowes, Elizabeth Brown, April Galbreath, Rachel Iturralde, Kaitlin Kaurich, Corinne Keener, Alissa Krumlauf, Kimberly Miller, Amber Olsen, Maggie Overbeek, Connie Pulliam, Jasmine Smith, Christina Sorto, Jesse Weinkauf, and Gina Zylstra.

 

Red Wall Gallery

Spring/Summer 2012 -

The Asafo of Ghana: A Life History of an Asafo Flag Dancer
Monday, May 7, 2012– Wednesday, September 19, 2012 - This ethnographic photography exhibition by Amy Masko, Assistant Professor of English at Grand Valley State University, was the result of her research project investigating the life of Nana Otu, a young Fraanketanyi, and a flag dancer in Asafo No. 1 Company in Cape Coast Ghana. Historically the Asafos served as militia groups. Today the groups perform exclusively as part of spiritual rituals.

The photographs illustrated the life of the Asafo. The exhibit highlighted the Fetu Afahye Festival, a harvest festival held in Cape Coast every August. The Asafo play a significant role in this festival, holding spiritual rituals to bless the lagoon for bountiful fishing, burning cleansing fires to clear negative spirits, and holding drumming rituals to communicate with the ancestors.

Winter 2012 -

Saudi Arabia: 1946-1954: Photographs by Ilo Battigelli
Monday, January 9 to Thursday, March 1, 2012 - Little was known of this area at the time when Italian photographer and explorer Ilo Battigelli traversed the deserts and villages of the Eastern shores of Arabia. The images included rarely seen photographs depicting social and economical life and documented an important phase in the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The photographs themselves are not just of a political nature but also depict artistic beauty in the expressions of those photographed on historical occasions. Battigelli who died in 2009 was a master photographer with an eye for detail and personal touch in his landscapes and portraits.

FOCUS: Photography Program Student Exhibit
Saturday, Mar 10 – Thursday, April 26, 2012 - Selections of student work from the various class levels in the Photography Program

The Photography major at GVSU offers student-centered production and theory courses aimed at developing liberally educated image-makers able to adapt and thrive in a variety of professional and creative environments. Students engage the medium from historical, theoretical and sociological points of view in order to become thoughtful about the way images operate as cultural objects, are read by audiences, and impact the world around them.

As with any Art, the mastery of photography requires an understanding of the medium’s visual language, proficiency of technique, intellectual curiosity and personal vision, as well as dedication and practice. Students in the photography program integrate liberal and professional education, combining technique with an understanding of visual communication and ideas that emanate from an authentic sense of self. The individuality and integrity of the photographer are essential grounds for success as an artist and the self-governance requisite of any professional.

These images represented the growth of students as they completed the program, from their beginning in Photography 1 to advanced independent work culminating in the Senior Thesis images and paper.

Fall 2012 -

GVSU and Kingston University:  25 Years of Cultural and Educational Exchange
Monday, September 24 – Wednesday, October 31, 2012 - The partnership with Kingston University dates back to 1987 and has been one of Grand Valley State University’s most successful cultural and educational exchanges.  Recent program participants provided these images from their sojourns abroad. Viewers experienced the essence of this exchange by walking through this photographic collection of iconic images that highlight the creativity and enthusiasm of our study abroad students. Some of the images represent well-known places in the United Kingdom, which are visited by students, faculty, and staff as part of the British Life and Culture course offered each semester.  Many of the other images are of Kingston-Upon-Thames, which represent a few of the sights that help illustrate those memorable, everyday places.

Building on the Land: Works by Lorelle Otis Thomas
Monday, November 5 – Wednesday, December 5, 2012 - When Lorelle Otis Thomas, Professor of Graphic Design and Illustration at Grand Valley State University, began this new series of paintings, she realized she had a problem. Her reference photo had not adequately captured the shape of one of the subject buildings she intended to paint. Since it was not possible to travel back to the original site of the building, she used Google Maps Street View to capture the view she sought. This added a surprising new dimension to her work.

This series of artwork revealed the artist’s physical and virtual discovery of architecture and landscapes across the United States. The pieces reflected her love for architectural design and a new found appreciation for early American architecture and the organic and available materials used in their creation.

 

West Wall Gallery

Winter 2012 -

Tjukurrpa: Aboriginal Dreamtime Paintings, Works from the Grand Valley State University Permanent Collection
Monday, January 9 to Saturday. April 28, 2012 - A selection of  Australian Aboriginal paintings created as part of the ceremonies celebrating Tjukurrpa or Dreamtime.  Tjukurrpa can be interpreted as an embodiment of creation that gives meaning to everything for the Australian Aboriginal people. It establishes the rules governing relationships between the people, land, animals and all things organic, inorganic and spiritual existing in tribal territories. These relationships, their details and stories are the inspiration of the Tjukurrpa paintings.

Fall 2012 -

Armand Merizon: Gifts and Works on Loan From Bette and Bernon Young
Friday, August 24 - Friday, December 7, 2012 -Armand Merizon (1920 – 2010) was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and spent his early childhood in Grand Rapids. He began painting at the age of fifteen.  Over the course of his 70-year career, Merizon painted with rigorous dedication despite the hardships of the Great Depression, personal financial destitution, and the physical maladies of macular degeneration, cancer, and arthritis. He was an inspiration to all who knew him, and left a legacy of creativity, integrity, and perseverance. Merizon’s drawings and paintings can be found in the collections of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Calvin College, and Grand Valley State University, as well as numerous other public and private collections.

“I hope I can leave something that is not just interesting or challenging, but that gives people a lift . . . on the one hand joy and on the other hand reverence.” - Armand Merizon

 

Thornapple Gallery

Winter 2012 -

PIC's Pics: A Study Abroad Photo Contest
Monday, January 9, 2012- Friday, April 27, 2012 - Selections from The Padnos International Center’s first PIC Pics: A Study Abroad Photo Contest. All GVSU students who studied abroad within the last three years were invited to submit their photographs in the following categories: 'Where is your Classroom?' 'Get Lost' 'Social Issues' 'Send me There!' 'The Great Outdoors' and 'Celebration, Tradition, & Ritual.' The winning images were selected by public vote and became part of the GVSU permanent art collection.

Fall 2012 -

Tjukurrpa: Aboriginal Dreamtime Paintings, Works from the Grand Valley State University Permanent Collection
Monday, January 9 to Saturday. April 28, 2012 - A selection of  Australian Aboriginal paintings created as part of the ceremonies celebrating Tjukurrpa or Dreamtime.  Tjukurrpa can be interpreted as an embodiment of creation that gives meaning to everything for the Australian Aboriginal people. It establishes the rules governing relationships between the people, land, animals and all things organic, inorganic and spiritual existing in tribal territories. These relationships, their details and stories are the inspiration of the Tjukurrpa paintings.