Ricardo Quiñónez Alemán: Within My Borders

The 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 border dividing El Paso, Texas from Ciudad Jáurez, Mexico. Quiñónez is from Ciudad Jáurez, 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 16^th and 17^th 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 my 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 form January 21 – February 26. An opening reception with refreshments will be held in the gallery on Tuesday, January 26 at 6:00 p.m. The gallery is free and open to the public.

By Anna Lang

“John Bohac: A Retrospective” is now on display in the Truman State University Art Gallery

The Retrospective 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.

“New Mythologists: The Two Horsemen of the Apocalypse” and The Annual Juried Student Art Show are currently on display through April 14 at the Truman State University Art Gallery.

Featuring the works of David Mazure & the MMXII Collective and current Truman students, these exhibitions cover a wide variety of media.

“New Mythologists” is a site-specific art installation that uses an experimental silkscreening process: flocked prints using recycled tire rubber shavings. This Baroque-inspired, wallpaper pattern confronts the viewer with the correlation between war and pattern.

The student show in the main gallery features recent work created by current Truman students. Pieces in the show have been selected by juror Stephanie Lanter, a faculty member at Emporia State. Students were eligible for monetary prizes awarded by the juror and two pieces were selected by the Student Union Building for purchase.

Awards were announced at the opening reception on Tuesday, March 3. Honorable Mentions went to Brenna Karoly, Megan Sorhus, Tim Whyman, Hailey Gearo, Allison Behm and Yochi Tu. “Artist’s Voice Awards” went to Rahil Gomes and Alex Eickhoff. Eickhoff’s painting was also purchased by the Student Union Building, along with one of Caroline Ticktin’s pieces. Jaqueline Wheeler was awarded First Place for Hello Letterpress and G. Gamache received “Best in Show” for The Best I’m Ever Going to Look.

Opening Reception for “Middle Earth” tonight!

Please join us for the opening reception for “Middle Earth: Midwest Regional Ceramics Invitational” tonight, Tuesday, January 27 at 6:00pm in the University Art Gallery located in Ophelia Parrish on the campus of Truman State University. This event is free and open to all.

“Middle Earth” highlights the works of seventeen ceramic artists from across the midwest. A rarity at Truman, this exhibit features many different ceramic forms including handbuilt figures, sculptural and thrown pieces.

Guided tours and educational programming are available for schools, churches, and other groups. Funding is available for transportation.

The exhibition opened on Thursday, January 22 and continues through February 20, 2015.

The Gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 8:30am to 7:00pm, Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm, and Saturday, noon to 4:30pm. The gallery is closed during campus holidays. For more information contact Aaron Fine at 660-785-5386 or afine@truman.edu

This program supported in part by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

Final Events for the Hunter/Gatherer exhibition

As our Hunter/Gatherer exhibit comes to a close this week the gallery will be hosting a few final events.

The gallery will hold a reception in celebration of the Department of Theatre’s production of “The Drowsy Chaperone.”

Please join us this evening after the opening performance of “The Drowsy Chaperone” for light refreshments in the gallery. This is a great time to see the exhibition before it closes and to celebrate the hard work of Truman students involved in “The Drowsy Chaperone”.

Tickets are $5 and may be purchased from the Severns Theatre Box office between 11:30 am and 5:30 pm this week.

Hunter/Gatherer contributing artist Margaret  LeJeune will be visiting Kirksville this week. LeJeune will be speaking publicly about her work tomorrow, November 13 at 4:30 in Ophelia Parrish 2210 and will visit with Kirksville High School students on Friday.

The gallery talk held on Truman’s campus is free and open to the public. You can see LeJeune’s work on display in the gallery through the end of the week.

Annual Juried Student Art Show opens Tuesday, March 4

This year’s juror and exhibitor in the side gallery is Tommy Frank of Red Star Studios in the Crossroads district of Kansas City, Missouri.

Tommy Frank received his BA in Fine Art from Asbury University. Focusing on ceramics, he was awarded three sequential Artist-in-Residence opportunities at the St. Petersburg Clay Company, Archie Bray Foundation and Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts. He pursued post-baccalaureate study at the University of Florida before receiving his MFA degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He is currently the Studio Manager at Red Star Studios, part of the Belger Crane Yard Studios, where he supervises the Artist-in-Residence program, studio membership programs, community classes, workshops and studio outreach programs.

Frank has juried the Truman State University Annual Student Show, the Original Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, and the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition. He continues his studio practice at Red Star and exhibits his work nationally. He has been published in both the Kansas City star and The Pitch, as well as Architrave Magazine and Ceramics Monthly. He has received awards for his artwork, including Best of Show and First Place in Three-Dimensional Work.

The student show in the main gallery features recent work created by current Truman students. Pieces in the show have been selected by the juror and are eligible for the Student Union Building award as well as the Juror’s award. Select pieces may be for sale.

Awards will be announced at the exhibition’s opening reception on Tuesday, March 4 at 6 pm in the gallery.

The gallery is free and open to the public.

Closing events for “Apocalyptic”

The gallery is sponsoring a few events in celebration of the “Apocalyptic” exhibit’s final week.

On Wednesday, February 19th at 6:30 we will be showing the film “12 Monkeys” in OP 2210 with a brief introduction by Philosophy and Religions professor Dr. Daschke. 

On Thursday, February 20th at noon in the side gallery we will host Apocalyric: Poetry about the apocalypse emceed by Dr. D’Agostino, a Truman English professor.

These events are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served at both events.

January 2014 Gallery Events

While the semester has just begun, the gallery is already in full swing! Here’s a list of our upcoming events for the month

• The exhibit currently on display in the side gallery, “A Strong Foundation” features strong student work from recent department proficiency exhibitions. A closing reception will be held at 4:30 on January 16th.
• Minnesota artist Jill Waterhouse will be speaking this week in the gallery about her works in the upcoming Truman exhibit “Apocalyptic.”The talks will be held tomorrow, January 16 at 9:15 am and Friday, January 17 at 11:30 am.
• The “Apocalyptic” and “Post Apocalyptic” exhibitions will open in the gallery on Wednesday, January 22. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, January 28 at 6 pm in the gallery. Celebrate with us and enjoy complimentary refreshments.
• Truman alumna Lori Nix will speak in the gallery about her exhibition “Post Apocalyptic” on January 27. The time will be announced in another blog and Facebook post soon.

International composers collaborate to make music inspired by Nicholas Naughton exhibit

In celebration of the New Horizons Music Festival sponsored by the university and Sigma Alpha Iota- we’ve added pre-recorded works by international composers to coincide with the art of Nicholas Naughton now on view in the side gallery.

The New Horizons Music Festival is an annual opportunity for composers to have their most recent works premiered at Truman. Concerts will be held all afternoon and evening in the Ophelia Parrish Performance Hall.

Gallery hours have been extended on Saturday to 6:30 pm so be sure to stop by the between performances and support Sigma Alpha Iota’s bake sale outside the performance hall

Exhibit of Famous Illustrations to open this week

“An Illustrated Life: A Retrospective of the Life and Works of David Grove”  is an exhibit on loan from the Museum of American Illustration that will be on display in the Truman State University Art Gallery October 16 through November 15.  Illustrator David Grove provides new insights into familiar tales and movies, such as “Pale Rider” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes.” This exhibit also features commissions done by Grove for famous writers John Le Carré and Joyce Carol Oates.

An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, October 22 at 6:00pm in the University Art Gallery located in Ophelia Parrish 1114 on the campus of Truman State University. “Fatal Consequences of Terror’s Bloody War – Artworks by Kansas City artist Nicholas Naughton” will also be on exhibition at this time in the side gallery.

The Gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 8:30am to 7:00pm, Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm, and Saturday, noon to 4:30pm. The gallery is closed during campus holidays. For more information contact Aaron Fine at 660-785-5386 or afine@truman.edu

This program supported in part by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

An Illustrated Life: A Retrospective of the Life and Works of David Grove has been organized by the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators.