RIPON, Wis. – Students in Professor Evelyn Kain’s Arts Management class will welcome guests to their immersive new exhibit, Abstract Art Inside Out: Externalizing the Creative Process, starting at 7 p.m., April 18 in the Caestecker Gallery of Ripon College’s Rodman Center for the Arts.
The works presented are organized in a color progression from dark to light, representing the creative process artists go through. Senior Stephanie Metcalf notes that despite this intentional organization, “There is no ‘right’ way to proceed through the gallery; it is completely open to individual interpretation.”
Works from two former Ripon College professors are highlighted in this exhibit. Lester Schwartz and Erwin Breithaupt, two professors who were known rivals in their time at Ripon, are juxtaposed to show how seemingly disparate creative processes combine into one fluid example of how art comes to be. The work of Ben Potter is also featured.
“One goal of this particular exhibit is to help demystify abstract art for people who find it intimidating or esoteric,” said Kain. “The students felt that by using abstract art as a roadmap of sorts, guests could vicariously experience the creative journey an artist might make from concept to finished piece. By ‘walking in their shoes,’ so to speak, the observer feels closer to the art.”
This gallery exhibit is the culmination of the Arts Management class (ART 377) and gives students the opportunity to manage all aspects of creating a gallery exhibit. Their final concept, highlighting the creative process, is based on Schwartz’s “Cosmos Hot” (pictured at right).
The Caestecker Gallery is open from 1-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 2-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and during evening performances. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information contact Evelyn Kain at KainE@ripon.edu or call 920-748-8783.
About Ripon College
Ripon College, founded in 1851, prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Ripon’s liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education. Ripon has consistently been recognized as a “best value” and “Best 366 College” by The Princeton Review, a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s, a “Best Liberal-Arts College” by Washington Monthly, and is listed among the 160 best schools in the nation by Colleges of Distinction. |
