Geometric Complexions: Curated by Sergio Gomez. Picture in the background are paintings by Enrico Magnani, Italy. In the foreground is David Versluis’s “Tectonic Tower” at the Zhou B Art Center, Chicago. All photographs courtesy of Sergio Gomez, © 2017.
David Versluis talks about his work during the Artists Talk on April 28. A public reception will be held on May 19.
Geometric Complexions: Curated by Sergio Gomez. Pictured above are works by Ruben Aguirre and David Versluis’s sculpture titled “Boundless Spirit: A Steady Flame” at the Zhou B Art Center, Chicago.
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Geometric Complexions, a group exhibition curated by Sergio Gomez: The Zhou B Art Center / Chicago, April 28 - June 9, 2017
Saturday, April 2, 2016
David Versluis’s monoprint image is juror’s selection for the Orange City Arts Council’s regional art show promotional poster
Northern Lights
Monoprint: Block printing ink on paper
Image size: 6" x 8"
2015
Poster size: 8.5" x 11"
Poster design by Phil Scorza
David Versluis’s monoprint image was recently selected by the jurors for the Orange City Arts Council’s regional art show promotional poster.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
“I AM American” art exhibit on display in the Dordt College
The Dordt College Campus Center Art Gallery will feature an exhibition titled “I AMerican,” curated by artist Sergio Gomez, whose work was recently featured at Dordt. The show, which explores the meaning of being an American, will run from November 12 to January 3, with a reception scheduled for November 16, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Gallery Talk at 6:45 p.m. will feature Rikki Heldt, Instructor of Language Studies and Abby Foreman, Associate Professor of Social Work.
Gomez says that “‘I AM American’ tells the story of many of us. As a Mexican immigrant, now naturalized American, my story is part of the collective story of this great nation.”
“I AM American” is not an exhibition about immigrants only, however. Some of the artists in the show have been born in the United States and some can even trace their history back to the American Indians.
“‘I AM American’ aims to engage the viewer in a conversation about the complexities of the American experience,” says Gomez. Participating artists use a variety of styles, visual forms, symbols, and metaphors to provide a window into the multi-cultural experience and suggest an answer to the question: Who is an American? Some works directly approach the theme of identity while others delve into the American experience.
Participating artists include Joanne Aono, Cesar Conde, Agustina Diez Sierra, Paulina Gal, Mario Gonzalez Jr., Salvador Jimenez-flores, Michael Klaus Schmidt, Chandrika Marla, Janice Meister, Joe Milosevich, InJung Oh, Joyce Owens, Steve Prince, Sally Ko, Marcos Ray, and Eden Ünlüata-Foley.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
“We the People…” a typographic collage currently on display at Slocumb Galleries, ETSU
We the People… a typographic collage by David Versluis was selected for the 28th Annual Positive/Negative National Juried Art Exhibition. The exhibition titled “Minority Rule” is currently on display at the Slocomb Galleries at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee from 18 February to 8 March. Image © David Versluis 2013.
Versluis states, “Over the years, in some of my artwork, I’ve dealt with the theme ‘Minority Rule’ and all of these pieces are in the collage form. Interestingly, for this exhibition, I submitted this piece before President Obama used the ‘We the People’ refrain repeatedly in his second inaugural address.”
Slocumb Galleries and the Department of Art & Design at ETSU joined up with the college's Office of Multicultural Affairs, Black Affairs Association and Student Government Association to showcase this exhibition.
The juror, Michael Ray Charles, has a very impressive CV. Here are passages from the Slocumb Galleries website:
“‘Minority Rule’ is the theme of this year's exhibition, which features works in diverse media and perspectives—described by juror Michael Ray Charles as ‘nuanced artworks that reflect the complexities artists confront today.’”
The exhibition includes 38 artists from across the country whose work was selected into this year's exhibition.
Charles is an African-American painter based in Texas and one of the first in a group of artists showcased on “Art21,” a PBS series highlighting top artists of the 21st century. A 2003 article in “Black Issues in Higher Education” acknowledged Charles as one of the top future African-American scholars under 40. In 2000, he was a consultant on Spike Lee’s film, “Bamboozled,” and his work was included in the 2006 documentary “Race is the Place.”
Charles has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and as a juror for the Bush Artist Fellowship in St. Paul, Minn., and the Inaugural Biennial Underground Railroad Exhibition at Northern Kentucky University.Read More......
He lectures and exhibits nationally and internationally. Currently, Charles is a professor of art in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas at Austin.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Behrens and Versluis collaborative print selected for the Washington Pavilion Visual Arts Center’s First Juried Exhibition
David M. Versluis and Roy R. Behrens, Iowa Insect Series: Yellow Jacket,
digital collage–giclee print, 2012. Image copyright © David M. Versluis/Roy R. Behrens
A collaborative print by David Versluis, Sioux Center, Iowa and Roy Behrens, Dysart, Iowa was selected for the Washington Pavilion Visual Arts Center’s first national juried exhibition in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Art professor Behrens teaches graphic design at the University of Northern Iowa and Versluis teaches graphic design at Dordt College. The piece selected for recognition is from the “Iowa Insect Series” of 10 images, which were completed during the month of January, 2012. The collaboration was long distance and image files were volleyed back and forth while each artist added, subtracted or modified the image until both felt the print was finished and the series was completed.
The First Juried Exhibition runs from September 14 through December 2, 2012 in the Everist Gallery; the Opening Reception is September 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Some notes from the Juror, Megan Johnston:
The task of selecting only 60 works from amongst the 508 entered was very difficult. Many strong works were not selected in order to have a clearer curatorial intention, which will hopefully be evident in the show. In order to create an exhibition that had a voice or a story to tell, works were selected based on several curatorial themes that emerged from amongst the pool of submissions and not necessarily on individual pieces. Newer work was selected over older work in general.
Some of the curatorial thrusts that emerged from the pool of works during the selection process: an investigation of materials; politics; landscape; nature; and death. There is a strong visual leaning towards the natural world—themes and ideas, materials and construction, imagery and subject matter. The selection process went beyond the identification of works that were simply (even though highly) beautiful to look at or were well-executed and sought out works that contained multiple layers of narrative, were examples of interesting or non-traditional use of materials (or re-use of traditional materials) and/or had something to say in relation to sociopolitical, economic, or historical nuances.Megan Johnston is the director of curatorial affairs and interpretation for the Plains Art Museum, Fargo, North Dakota. Read More......
Thursday, September 6, 2012
“Look for deeper meanings in life and in art”: a report on artist Steve A. Prince’s visit to Dordt College, September 1-4, 2012
From a photo shoot of Steve A. Prince’s art exhibition at Dordt College. This photograph illustrates Steve standing next to Exodus: Bread from Heaven which is from the Old Testament series, 2012, 24 in. x 36 in., Linoleum Cut. Photos by Doug Burg.
Steve poses next to Job: Take me to the Water, also from the Old Testament series, Linoleum Cut. To the left is
Lamentations: Send your Rain, 2012, Linoleum Cut.
Student recollections (in their words) of quotes from Steve’s presentations:
- Be a Living Epistle
- Keep the light on!
- Be the Ecclesia — “the called out ones”
- MINE your business; dig deeper than the surface
- Confront life’s nastiness
- There are gaping wounds that need to be healed
- Old soil [the past] is doomed to be repeated unless addressed
- Your past may be stained but your future is untouched
Last Tuesday (9.4.12) Steve wrapped up his time at Dordt College as the First Mondays Speaker, visiting gallery artist, studio guest, and workshop leader. Steve has developed a reputation as an excellent and demanding teacher; he's continually producing artwork and commissions that have received international acclaim while managing a full schedule of gallery exhibitions, workshops, and lectures to audiences of all ages.
On Labor Day Steve spoke in the morning to a full house in the BJ Haan Auditorium and had his audience riveted. The afternoon was dedicated to a monoprint workshop with 18 participants. In the evening event Steve’s presentation was both powerful and profound. He went into more detail and deepened the themes of his morning lecture by showing a more complete body of his artwork. Steve is one of the finest storytellers I’ve ever heard and of great interest to me is the way in which he tells his narratives through visual art. Steve’s evening presentation was titled, “Second Line: The Art of Social Justice.” He began by showing a slide of one of his pieces in the Dordt exhibition titled, “Requiem for Brother John” and described the work which is based on the New Orleans funeral tradition of the dirge as a sad song for the one who has passed away. In Steve’s art the dirge is a metaphor for personal and communal sadness, corruption, and loss – the sad fact that things are not right in the world.
Then as a sure sign of hopefulness Steve followed his “Requiem” piece with the next piece called, “Second Line: Rebirth” in which he described the contrast as “cathartic”. In the New Orleans funeral tradition, after the mourning has taken place, the processional continues as a “Second Line” and becomes a celebration of the life of the one who has passed away. In the afterlife the person's life is made new and he/she is reborn. In Steve’s artwork, the “Second Line” is a metaphor for purification, liberation, and cleansing.
In several ways the themes of the “Dirge” and the “Second Line” are foundational metaphors in most of Steve’s work. His work is intense and challenging, symbolized by very strong black and white contrasts; every aspect of the compositions is full of meaning.
Steve has had a very positive impact on each community that he's been a part of and on those who view his work, as well. His artwork conveys the impact of the New Orleans storytelling tradition. Steve speaks sincerely from his heart and is genuinely interested in making the world a better place to live. Steve's abilities and talents are amazing and we were very fortunate to have him on campus.
Steve Prince’s visit to Dordt College was sponsored by the Andreas Center for Reformed Scholarship and Service. Read More......
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
“Spirit Lake Iowa Fish I” wood engraving selected for the national “Printed Image IV” biennial exhibition
David Versluis, Spirit Lake Iowa Fish I, Wood engraving, 3 inches x 5 inches, 2009-10
Printed on a Vandercook Proof Press. Image © David Versluis, 2012
We’re please to announce that a wood engraving by David Versluis was selected for recognition in the national juried exhibition, Printed Image IV. The small engraving took Versluis about 25 hours to complete. The exhibition will be hosted at the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, Topeka, Kansas, from November 16–December 28, 2012. In previous years this exhibition has been held at other venues such as Washburn University, Topeka.
This original print which is a piece from the Spirit Lake, Iowa Fish Series, responds allusively and metaphorically to the primordial fish as a unique creature symbolizing creational care. In addition, this image becomes a simile of Gyotaku, the Japanese art of fish-printing.
The Printed Image is a national, juried printmaking competition, which features new and experimental work from artists around the country and supports artists working in hand-pulled print media. The exhibition is an opportunity to view the latest trends in printmaking.
This year’s juror is Yuji Hiratsuka who currently is on the art/printmaking faculty at Oregon State University. Hiratsuka received his B.S. in Art Education from Tokyo Gakugei University, his M.A. in Printmaking from New Mexico State University, and his M.F.A. in Printmaking from Indiana University.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
René Clement portrays the heritage of Orange City, Iowa in a book and exhibition
Above: Cassie (Huizenga) Baker dressed in costume and wrapped in the American flag as the Orange City Tulip Festival Queen, 2006. Photograph © René Clement, used with permission. In the upper right, René is shown speaking about his project in Dordt’s gallery during the show reception (photograph courtesy of Jordan Edens). The Promising Land exhibition is on display this summer at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa (installation view). The exhibition, which initially coincided with the Orange City Tulip Festival, has been partially funded by a grant from the Netherlands Consulate General in New York.
Promising Land is a book by award-winning photographer René Clement picturing residents of Orange City dressed in old-world Dutch costumes, shown in a variety of situations from satirical to traditional studio portraits. René says: “I started [the project] with portraits. I was fascinated with how beautiful their clothes were.” In addition, Clement’s portraits reflect the influence of the seventeenth century Dutch Master, Jan Vermeer (reference Girl with the Pearl Earring). The black background and chiaroscuro effect of each portrait is reminiscent of the Italian artist Caravaggio whose style influenced many artists associated with the so-called Golden Age of Dutch art in the 1600s. An interesting side bar note is that Clement’s photographic images perhaps correlates with Vermeer’s supposed interest in camera obscura.
An exhibit of 37 of his photographs will be at the Dordt College Campus Center Art Gallery in Sioux Center May 12-July 24. The gallery is open 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Sioux City Journal did a very nice feature article about René, his book project, and mentions the show at Dordt.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
An AIGA visitor: Paul Berkbigler
Copyright for artwork and poster belongs to P.Berkbigler Design & Illustration © 2011.
The amazing Paul Berkbigler will be visiting Dordt College. As Paul says, “to talk about his life on the lamb as an escaped designer and illustrator working independently in the Midwest on projects across America. This event will offer you insights about the brave new world of working virtually from somewhere awfully close to your own living room.”
Join us in the Department of Art and Design Lobby from 4–5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, January 12 for an open Q&A session. This will be a chance to hear about how AIGA can directly help you.
Paul is a full-time, independent owner, proprietor and general honcho at P.Berkbigler Design & Illustration, which is based in Lincoln, Nebraska. Berkbigler also serves as Director of Education for AIGA Nebraska. His prior lives include: working at Studio X, a small design and illustration firm in St. Louis, Missouri, earning an MFA in graphic and interactive design at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and serving as a full-time professor of design & illustration at Concordia University, Nebraska.
His professional specialties include layout & design, interactive media conceptualization, planning and implementation, motion graphic planning and creation, copy writing, play writing, editing, critical analysis, visual communication research, digital and hands-on illustration, printmaking and print process familiarity.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The Dutch newspaper “Trouw”: René Clement
3 December 2010: Dutch newspaper Trouw had a spread featuring pictures and an interview with Dutch documentary photojournalist René Clement. René, who’s based in New York City, is working on a book publication of his Orange City, Iowa photographs (see an earlier shout-out on this blog). Last month The Des Moines Register also highlighted Rene’s work in an article titled “Dutch photographer turns lens on Orange City.”
This week we received word from the Netherlands Consulate General in New York that they awarded Dordt College a grant of $3,700 to help fund the publication of Rene’s book and a print exhibition of his work this summer in the Dordt College Campus Center Art Gallery.
The clean look and feel of Dutch newspaper layout and graphic design seems ingrained in Holland’s culture. Notice the photograph of Sinterklaus on horseback, which is a reminder that we’re quickly approaching Saint Nicholas’ Eve (5 December). A traditional gift to those who have been "good kids” the past year is a chocolate letter (very appropriate for lovers of typography).
A chocolate letter “S” with packaging by Droste.
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