Author: Art Department

Posted on by Art Department Art History, Uncategorized

Museum Studies Students Visit General John J. Pershing’s Boyhood Home

Recently the Museum Studies class taught by Dr. Sara Orel took an afternoon trip to visit the General John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historical Site.  General Pershing is an alumnus of Truman, then the Missouri State Normal School, which he attended for two years before leaving for West Point.  While at the museum, students had an opportunity to view a variety of types of display settings, from the historic home itself, set up to look as it would have in the 1870s and 80s, a small schoolhouse that serves as the primary display space for the museum’s collection of objects, and the new museum building, which is in the process of renovation and will provide a much-expanded space for both permanent and changing exhibits.

Denzil Heaney, Administrator and Curator of the General John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site in Lacelede, Missouri, discusses the array of World War I poster images on display in one of the exhibition spaces at the site. Truman students shown are, from left to right, Rachel Pozzo, Anthony LaMarche, Luke Edwards, and Victoria Loos.

Denzil Heaney, Administrator and Curator of the General John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site in Lacelede, Missouri, discusses the array of World War I poster images on display in one of the exhibition spaces at the site. Truman students shown are Rachel Pozzo, Anthony LaMarche, Luke Edwards, and Victoria Loos.

The host for the visit was Denzil Heaney, administrator and curator of the site.  His enthusiasm and flair for storytelling and the importance of the site were quite inspiring for the students, who subsequently prepared exhibition proposals to take advantage of the new museum space.  There are exciting opportunities for Truman collaboration with the Pershing Historic Site, a state park that attracts thousands of visitors from around the world every year.  The current interest in the centenary of the Great War means the number of visitors will only continue to increase.

 

Truman’s quickly-growing Museum Studies program, still informally structured but with a strong track record of graduate school and job placement, provides internships across the state of Missouri which are available to students of all majors, including Art History, Studio Art, and Visual Communications, but also students in fields including Anthropology, History, Communication, Biology, Chemistry, and many others..

If you are interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary program in Museum Studies at Truman, contact Dr. Sara E. Orel (orel@truman.edu) for more information.

The view from inside the building that will serve as the new General Pershing Museum in Laclede, Missouri.

The view from inside the building that will serve as the new General Pershing Museum in Laclede, Missouri.

Posted on by Art Department Department, Uncategorized

National Soup Day in Printmaking I

Priscilla Parisa made a lovely video to share what a day in Printmaking I was like.  It happened to be National Soup Day and after the images of preparing and printing some very nice artworks the students and Jim Jereb, Professor of Printmaking, celebrate with steaming bowls of goodness.  Just another lovely day in the print studio.  Thanks for sharing, Priscilla!

 

Posted on by Art Department Department, Faculty Scholarship and Creative Work, Uncategorized

Jim Jereb’s Prints on Display

Pickler Memorial Library at Truman is exhibiting the art of printmaking professor Jim Jereb until March 25th.  The coffee shop exhibit area, located on the first floor of the library, displays prints that reflect the diversity of techniques Jereb uses in his work.

Jim Jereb's prints on display at the coffee shop in Pickler Memorial Library.

Jim Jereb’s prints on display at the coffee shop in Pickler Memorial Library.

Jereb has been a professor of art at Truman since August 1990 and oversees the printmaking program. He uses many varied techniques in this show including relief, intaglio, lithography, and serigraphy (silk screening).

Printmaking generally begins with a flat, smooth material known as a matrix. Through the various technical approaches on display, several different substances (zinc or copper metal plates, Bavarian limestone, end-grain maple and polyester sheets, to name a few) are manipulated to create a surface that, when inked, will generate the desired image. Paper is pressed against the hand-inked surface to force the ink into the paper fibers. This physical contact of hand-manipulated materials, supplies, processes and machinery gives creative printmaking its rich densities and evocative imagery.

Posted on by Art Department Department, Faculty Scholarship and Creative Work, News and Events, Uncategorized

University Gallery Features New Painting Professor

One of Ricardo Quiñónez Alemán's paintings on display in the University Gallery.

One of Ricardo Quiñónez Alemán’s paintings on display in the University Gallery.

The University Gallery is welcoming Truman State University’s new painting professor, Ricardo Quiñónez Alemán, by hosting his exhibition Within My Borders.

“I think coming in with an exhibition is great,” said Quiñónez. “It gives the students the opportunity to get to know me as an artist, not just their teacher.”

Before coming to Truman, Quiñónez spent two years conducting observational research at the southern U.S. border dividing El Paso, Texas, from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Quiñónez is from Ciudad Juárez, and wanted to go back to his roots after spending many years living and teaching in the Midwest. He spent this time at the border researching the conflicts people face at the line dividing the two nations.

“It is a study of the problematic social events that happen on the south borders relating to politics, immigration, and religion,” said Quiñónez about Within My Borders.

Quiñónez uses painting as his mode of storytelling. He said he uses a process of underpainting and glazing from the 16th and 17th centuries. He calls his work a constant experimentation and makes modifications by applying new techniques in background lighting, layering, paint thickness, and sizing. Quiñónez loves working with a paintbrush has been inspired by many artists over the years.

“Some of my inspirations include Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Frida Kahlo, and many more,” said Quiñónez. “It is possible to see other people’s influences in my work because I admire many artists.”

Within My Borders will be on display in the main gallery from January 21 to February 26. An opening reception with refreshments will be held in the University Gallery on Tuesday, January 26, at 6:00 p.m. The gallery is free and open to the public.

(This post was written by University Gallery Public Relations intern Anna Lang)

Posted on by Art Department Art History, Department, Uncategorized

Heidi Cook (B.A. ’07) serves as Director of the University Art Gallery for 2015-2016

While Professor of Art Aaron Fine is on sabbatical this year, researching and writing about color theory, 2007 Truman graduate Professor Heidi Cook is filling in as Visiting Director of the University Art Gallery and teaching Art History courses as well – Non-Western Art, Contemporary Art, and Introduction to the Visual Arts. She writes:

I am a Truman alumna (German and Art History, ’07) and I am truly excited to be back on campus and working alongside the Art Historians who introduced me to the history of art and made me want to pursue it further. Teaching Art History is one of the coolest jobs. I get to spend my time reading, thinking, and talking about how artworks visualize important and changing social, historical and religious ideas across the globe and throughout history. My hope is always that I can begin to open students’ eyes to the power of their visual surroundings.

I am currently a PhD candidate (All But Dissertation) in the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh. My research focuses on the modern art and design of Central and Eastern Europe. Using a body of folkloric works created by Croatian-American artist Maksimilijan Vanka as a guiding thread, my dissertation explores how objects and images related to Croatian folk culture were used to imagine a variety of competing Central European identities. In February, I am chairing a panel at the College Art Association Conference in Washington, D.C., about the relationship between European folk culture and American immigrant identity titled “Old Country in the New Country: Exhibitions, Museums, and Early Twentieth-Century American Immigration.”

If you ever want to talk about modern art in Central Europe or about applying or attending graduate school, feel free to stop by my office OP 1231 or email me at hcook@truman.edu.

We are very pleased to have Prof. Cook on campus this year, and know that students in her classes are benefiting from her knowledge and enthusiasm.

Prof. Heidi Cook, her husband Brent, and Pumpkin, in Kumrovec, Croatia in front of the house where Yugoslavian dictator Josip Broz Tito was born.

Prof. Heidi Cook, her husband Brent, and Pumpkin, in Kumrovec, Croatia in front of the house where Yugoslavian dictator Josip Broz Tito was born.

Posted on by Art Department Department, Uncategorized

Giant Acorn Art

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One of several acorns on Truman’s campus. These were a project in Danielle Yakle’s Introduction to Visual Arts class, Fall 2015. Photo courtesy of Tim Barcus.

 

Danielle Yakle’s Introduction to the Visual Arts class ended the fall semester by installing public art across campus.  This public art was the culmination of a project they had been preparing throughout the semester.  She writes:

After studying some public sculpture the students proposed ideas for a piece they could construct and install in Kirksville. The winning idea was a series of acorn sculptures that would be spread throughout campus. The students chose the form of an acorn both as a sign of the fall season and to celebrate the student body’s fascination with our local squirrel population. The project is intended to be lighthearted and to inspire a scavenger hunt-like response. We spread the sculptures throughout the campus, encouraging viewers to explore areas beyond their usual commutes and enjoy finding the pieces unexpectedly as they go about their day.

An acorn sculpture in progress, showing the armature and fill before the concrete was added. Even with the lightweight center the sculptures required several people to move each of them.

An acorn sculpture in progress, showing the armature and fill before the concrete was added. Even with the lightweight center the sculptures required several people to move each of them.

Each acorn sculpture is between two and three feet tall and attached to a small plinth. They are constructed with a welded steel frame covered in concrete and embellished with glass mosaic and paint. Each of the eight acorns has a specific theme and color scheme designed by its student group. While the acorns’ hollow interior helps reduce the weight of each piece, we still estimate that the sculptures weigh between 200 and 250 pounds.

Take a look around campus and see how many of them you can find.

Acorns waiting to get their final touches before being placed around campus.

Acorns waiting to get their final touches before being placed around campus.

This acorn greets students as they walk from up the path to Violette Hall. Photo courtesy of Tim Barcus.

This acorn greets students as they walk from up the path to Violette Hall. Photo courtesy of Tim Barcus.

Posted on by Art Department Department, News and Events

Welcome Back!

You are coming back just in time for our first serious cold snap of the year, but campus can be beautiful in the snow.  We hope you are excited about the new semester, seeing all your friends again, and starting your classes and projects for the spring.  We have lots of great events lined up this term, so keep an eye on this blog as well as the campus calendar.

The corner of Ophelia Parrish with a sign for the University Gallery. Photo courtesy of Tim Barcus.

The corner of Ophelia Parrish with the University Art Gallery sign. Photo courtesy of Tim Barcus.

Posted on by Art Department Department, News and Events

Visiting Artist Demonstrates Methods

Chandra DeBuse, a Kansas City area artist whose work was on display in the Truman State University Gallery for the month of November, gave a workshop and lecture for Truman ceramics students (and other members of the art department) during a visit on November 9th. During the workshop she demonstrated her “drop mold” system of making pots and sculptures and had students contribute to one sculpture of a cactus that she demonstrated on. During these demonstrations, and then later during her lecture, she talked about her journey to becoming a studio artist, including her previous career as a psychologist, her education as a potter, her residency experiences, and the inspiration for and meaning of her work.

Chandra DeBuse in the Ceramics Studio at Truman, November 9th, 2015.

Chandra DeBuse in the Ceramics Studio at Truman, November 9th, 2015.