Gallery Opening Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.!

Please join us on Tuesday, October 20 at 6:00 p.m.for an opening reception in the University Art Gallery (OP 1114). There will be refreshments, and photographer Dana Fritz will be in attendance.

 

We have three new exhibitions that will run simultaneously until November 20, 2015:

Dana Fritz: Shaping Nature 

photography – in the main gallery

Shaping Nature includes two series by photographer Dana Fritz, Terraria Gigantica and Garden Views, in which the artist uses photography to investigate the ways in which humans display, represent, and shape nature in constructed and enclosed landscapes.

Anna Youngyeun: I feel funny, but I like it 

drawings and fibers – in the cube

Truman alumna Anna Youngyeun’s exhibition I feel funny, but I like it includes drawings and fiber arts installations that use humor, play, and tactility to address issues of bodily and racial shame.

Chandra DeBuse: Fair Shares 

ceramics – in the side gallery

In her show Fair Shares, Kansas City-based ceramicist Chandra DeBuse enlivens functional pottery with whimsical narratives.

 

Three Shows Open in the Gallery!

From Tuesday, October 13 – Friday, November 20, three new shows will on display in the University Art Gallery (OP 1114).  The opening reception will be Tuesday, October 20, 6:00 p.m.

  • Dana Fritz, “Shaping Nature” will feature photography in the main gallery.
  • Chandra DeBuse, “Fair Shares” will feature ceramics work in the side gallery.
  • Anna Younguen (alum, Studio Art), “I feel funny, but I like it” will feature drawing and fibers work in the cube.

As always, University Art Gallery events are free and open to the public.  We hope to see you at the opening or another gallery event soon!  For more information about the gallery, including hours and contact information please visit: http://www.truman.edu/majors-programs/academic-departments/about-the-art-department/art-gallery/.

Prof. Bohac retrospective open through October

As blog readers will know, the retrospective exhibition of Prof. John Bohac’s work will be up in the University Art Gallery through October 1, 2015.  Student Anna Lang (Communications major) wrote a great post for the University Art Gallery blog which is reprinted below.  We hope it serves as a great added inspiration to attend the exhibition!

John Bohac retrospective is now open in the University Art Gallery

Anna Lang

 

This exhibition presents the forty-five-year artistic journey of Truman professor John Bohac. A representative selection of over fifty works demonstrate how he has grown as an artist over his lifetime. The Retrospective exhibition includes paintings, drawings, manipulated signage, and mixed-media assemblages.

Professor Bohac has always shown natural artistic talent but describes his early outlook on art as very narrow. “I viewed art as a skill and that was the extent. My early pieces reflect that,” said Bohac. After taking a few art courses at Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University), his perception of art completely changed.

“I learned that art was so much more than just skill. There is a whole other dimension to it,” said Bohac. “Art involves a lot of critical thinking.” He spends a lot of time deliberating his pieces before, during, and after their production.

Today, Professor Bohac is a wry commentator on the history of modern art. He routinely reads art journals and studies contemporary art theories and criticism. His work is often influenced by this research. “Someone will write something that will make me think in a completely different way. I’ll think about it for a while, then I might even make some art about it.” Some of his pieces embrace art theories, while others poke fun at them.

Over the course of Bohac’s career, his works have been showcased in many exhibitions. He thought it would be interesting to include information in this exhibition about where his works have been exhibited in the past. “Having it exhibited is kind of akin to having written work published,” said Bohac. Each work’s label in this exhibition includes information about previous exhibitions in which the work has appeared and, in some cases, is accompanied by postcards and brochures from those past exhibitions.

Bohac looks forward to cultivating new works too ambitious to try to balance with a teaching career. “I’d like to work on some more labor-intensive pieces because I will have more time,” said Bohac.

Both Professor John Bohac’s skill and thoughtfulness are prevalent in his Retrospective exhibition. Each work of art represents a different stage in his development as an artist over the years, and together creates a rich but concise image of forty-five years in the art field.

John Bohac Retrospective opens Tuesday, September 1

The first exhibition of the 2015 – 2016 academic year in the University Art Gallery will look back at the work of Prof. John Bohac (Studio:  Painting) over his career at Truman State University.  The show will be up from Tuesday, September 1 – Friday, October 2 in the Gallery (OP 1114).  This exhibition presents the forty-five-year artistic journey of John Bohac (Professor of Art) who has served at Truman State University for twenty-five years. A representative selection of over fifty of Prof. Bohac’s work will trace his career from a young student of painting to a wry commentator on the history of modern art. His retrospective exhibition includes paintings, drawings, manipulated signage, and mixed-media assemblages.

The opening reception will be held on Tuesday, September 2 at 6:00 p.m.   As always, the reception is open to everyone and will include refreshments as well as a chance to congratulate Prof. Bohac.

We hope to see you there!

First day of classes!

SONY DSC

Thursday, August 20 is the first day of classes!  Welcome back to everyone, and best wishes for a great Fall 2015 semester.  We look forward to seeing you at lots of great Art Department events this year so check back here often to see what’s going on!

Majors Day Today!

Don’t forget Majors Day on Tuesday, August 18, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. in the University Art Gallery (OP 1114).  This is a day for all majors new to the Art Department (first-years, transfers, and others here this week) to meet the faculty and staff and learn more about the Department’s programs.  Students will also have a chance to meet with faculty in their respective areas (Art History, Studio Art, and Visual Communication) and have any advising questions answered as well.  There will also be treats and a good chance to socialize.  We’ll look forward to seeing everyone there!

Welcome, new students!

SONY DSC

Welcome to all new students:  first-year, transfer, everyone!  Those living in dorms will be moving in on Sunday, August 16 and starting Truman Week classes as well.  We are so happy that you’re all here and look forward to seeing you all both during Truman Week and in classes this fall.

Just as a reminder, Majors Day for the Art Department is Tuesday, August 18 from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. in the University Art Gallery (OP 1114).  This is a day for all new students to get to know the programs, faculty, and staff in the Department of their chosen major.  We look forward to seeing all new Art majors there!  Any questions, please e-mail art@truman.edu.

Welcome Back! (and Output Center Open House)

output 2

Although most if not all faculty have been hard at work this summer teaching, making art, doing research, writing, preparing classes, and/or doing a bit of relaxing too, Wednesday, August 12 marks the official start of meetings for faculty and staff on campus so welcome back to everyone.  Stay tuned to the blog for news about what faculty have been up to over the summer and about the exciting goings on in the Art Department!

We are particularly excited in the Art Department that tomorrow will be an open house for the new Output Center in OP 1250.  Please join us Wednesday from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. to learn more about this great new center and to congratulate Prof. Matt Derezinski and Prof. Rusty Nelson on all the hard work!

The Output Center will provide a range of services to faculty and students on various different platforms. Their services will include:  lamination; 3D printing; binding; large- and medium-format printing.  They also have 60” LG HD TV.

We hope to see you there or stop by another time to check it out!output 3

Printmaking Trip!

Senior Charles Cantrell (Studio:  Printmaking) shared this great information about a recent trip related to historic printmaking in Missouri:  “This past Fall semester, Professor Jim Jereb and I went to the Deustcheim State Historic Site in Hermann, Missouri where the Museum maintains houses and areas that have survived through the years and are used to recreate the past, which includes a house in which newspapers were printed complete with an Iron hand press. Professor Jim Jereb has been working with the museum in Hermann for a few years now recreating the print shop where the newspapers were printed, and fixing up the press to working order. This trip we took was to check the pressure settings on the press and begin to figure out any other pieces of furniture or equipment necessary to recreate the site realistically , which meant we got to print some copies of a poem written by an ancestor of one of the benefactors of the museum as well as a wood type poster that I had set up.”