New Schmucker exhibitions gain popularity
Photo credits: Khun Minn Ohn.
By Daniella Snyder, Editor in Chief
Schmucker Art Gallery held their opening reception February 10th, for their two newest exhibitions: “Posada: Jose Guadalupe Posada and the Mexican Penny Press” and “Conversations: Studio Art Faculty Exhibition”.
Over 250 visitors attended, making this reception one of the gallery’s most successful events.
“Conversations” features the work of six studio art faculty members. While some of their work featured their tried & true mediums—Professor Blair selected his black & white photography, for example, but other professors stepped out of their comfort zone to display more experimental works.
John Kovaleski, who usually teaches drawing courses at the college, displayed a collection of works that showed his experimentation with abstract expressionism.
Each professor’s selected works have an adjoining card that re-tells a conversation had between the faculty member and a current art & art history undergraduate student on campus.
Each student and professor pairing delves into the creative process, and reflect the students’ budding scholarship in the art world.
“Posada”, the exhibition occupying Project: Space features an array of mass media in 19th century Mexico called penny press publications. The penny press publications were inexpensive to make, and they were intended to educate the middle- and working-class communities in Mexico.
Posada is most known for his satirical designs of Calaveras, or skeletons, that were distributed on handbills during the Day of the Dead. Most of Posada’s illustrations provide a rich narrative that seems to tell a story all on its own.
The exhibitions will be in the gallery until March 10th.
Other upcoming events for the Schmucker Art Gallery include a lecture by Diane Miliotes, the interim curator of Modern Art and Design, Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago. The lecture will be in Bowen Auditorium on Thursday, February 9, from 5:30-6:30. A reception is to follow in the gallery from 6:30-7:30. Current sophomore Vanessa Martinez will be delivering a gallery talk on Wednesday, February 15, from 12-1 pm in the gallery. Martinez translated the titles of Posada’s penny press headlines from Spanish to English, and provided exhibition labels in Spanish for gallery visitors.
Other events for the gallery include new free yoga classes. The classes started this past Wednesday, and they take place from 4:30-5:30. Yoga-Nidra is sleep based meditation, and Anita Tosten will be instructing the classes each week until March 8th.
