A Gathering
Artists Exploring, Honoring, Remembering, and Considering the World

January 17th - February 27th 
Armstrong, Lievense, Padnos, and Studio Galleries
Opening Reception: January 17th 6:00 - 8:00 pm 

The Holland Area Arts Council Hosts four simultaneous exhibitions presented by four female artists from other parts of the world. Each artist has their one unique story to express using different mediums. In addition to the displays the guest artists will be conducting artist talks and workshops. The opening reception will take place January 17th from 6:00-8:00 pm. The exhibit runs from January 17th-February 27

Participating artists include: 

Alla Dickson originally from Belarus, Russia now living in Zeeland, Michigan. Alla shares multi-media visual stories of her life's journey through numerous countries and cultures with the exhibition in the Padnos gallery titled "Roads of Life". Using the language of her artwork she shares images painted on site during her travels.

Inger Margrethe Larsen, from Copenhagen, Denmark, presents her exhibition "Medals for Everyday Heroes." Her philosophy is that regardless of age, gender, race, or nationality, everyone ought to have a medal, since we all possess/have done something to be proud of. The exhibition presents photographic portraits of everyday heroes wearing one of Inger's designed medals along with their personal statements. In addition, a selection of her medal art will be on display in the Lievense Gallery. 

Shubhika Lal, from Delhi India, will be displaying her woodcut printed images on paper that she has deconstructed and then resewn. This body of work is called "Memory Dialogue, Collective, Cultural and of the Self." The prints on rice paper will be displayed along with video and installations in the Armstrong gallery. 

Amita Gupta displays her paintings called "Silent Musings" in the Studio Gallery. Amita is from Odisha India and explores the idea of unsaid emotions. Her work is very passionate and personal. She believes that any situation has many layers to it and what might actually be occurring may be very different from what it looks like. The images depict stores which can have different meanings when viewed through different perspectives. 


Art for All Angels

November 25- January 20
Lievense Gallery
Opening Reception: November 25th, 6:30-7:30 pm

This exhibit features art created by the Art for All program for adults with cognitive and physical disabilities lead by Sandie Coffman.  During the reception, Art for All students will be encouraged to talk about their art piece, bio, and photos framed in the gallery. There will also be a special dance routine performed by Desiree Love, a senior at Hope College who will be interning at Art for All next semester.

Art for All began in 1985 as an opportunity for individuals in the community to experience the arts. Original underwriting was by the Life Consultation Center and the class was held at Hope College’s Depree Center for the Arts. By 1997, the program was absorbed by the Holland Area Arts Council and classes were moved to its new building. Mae Van Ark, a local artist and art instructor, was the guiding light for the program and taught the Art for All classes from inception until her retirement in 2009. 
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Today, the Art for All program is a year-round class taught once a week for an hour and a half. This program is special in that the participants are paired with community volunteers from the area, including high school and Hope College students for motion and artistic exercises. Art for All students are exposed to various art mediums including printmaking, weaving, clay sculpture, painting, and wood construction as well as dance and movement. 

Nature Preserves

Pictured above: "The Choir" porcelain and pine sculpture by Cara O'Brien
Pictured above: "Agave" digital photo by Diane Zoellmer
November 15- January 4th 
Padnos Gallery
Opening Reception: November 15, 6-8 pm

This exhibit features the mixed media sculptures of Cara O'Brien and the color photography of Diane Zoellmer. Both artists' separate but similar visual exploration and artistic interpretation of natural phenomena act as the meeting point of their work.

Currently using the shores of Lake Michigan as her inspiration and location for making color photographs, Zoellmer's work reveals transient moments in the building up and erosion of ice, snow and frozen sand. These digital photographs are a visual documentary of the found sculpture and textures the forces of nature create on a daily basis.

O'Brien utilizes these same found textures and forms in nature as the jumping off point for her biomorphic mixed media sculptures. Using drift wood, reclaimed weathered lumber, or rusted metal in combination with hand formed porcelain components, O'Brien transforms inanimate materials into works that suggest life within. Her carefully constructed sculptures draw attention to the beauty found in the processes of decay.

A diverse collection of photographs and sculptures, this exhibit is a chance to view facets of the up-close natural world that may escape everyday observational notice. While each work in the exhibit can stand on its own, when viewed together the total effect is an example of artistic synergy.

Rarified Objects

November 15- January 4th 
Armstrong
Opening Reception: November 15, 6-8 pm

Rarified Objects presents the collaborative and individual works of Lorma Freestone and Thea Grigsby.

In their collaborative works, they began by creating artworks that incorporate ordinary objects with paintings, elevating and combining them into something more meaningful. In their subject matter, they also include reflections about women. The works honor the unsung women of our civilization - from Sappho to Hypatia of Alexandria; from Hildegard of Bingen to Ada Lovelace and NASA's Katherine Johnson and Margaret Hamilton; from Katie Bouman to the fabulous RBG!

Their individual works on display feature Lorma's masterful and whimsical assemblages of found objects and Thea's paintings of dazzling decay.
ANNUAL EXHIBITIONS
Début: High School Art Competition
Art in Bloom Poster Competition

Interested in exhibiting your artwork?