Over 23 alumni artists have their work exhibited in the Victoria Myhren Gallery, located in the Schwayder Art Building on campus. The exhibit has been open since Oct. 3 and will go until Nov. 17.
The DU School of Art and Art History sent out emails and notices to their alumni requesting work submissions months before the exhibit opened, and thanks to support of the office of Alumni Relations, the application and jurying process was able to be conducted without an entry fee.
They received nearly double of what was chosen for the exhibit. Two guest jurors, Jim Green and Patrick Marold, determined which pieces would be included in the exhibit, according to the exhibit brochure.
“What makes this exhibit really cool is the variety in it,” said gallery attendant Anna Estes, originally from Las Cruces, N.M., who has worked at the gallery for about three years. Estes is an alumni herself, having graduated DU with her MA in Art History and Museum Studies in 2013. There was no limitation on what kind of medium was accepted, so the works presented range from video projections, to games, photography, porcelain, bronze and oil paint.
Some of the more unusual components used in the pieces include one called “Hades Vessel” by ‘96 graduate Jenny Hankinson, made completely from sheep’s wool. Another piece, a porcelain vase called “Soft” created by ‘01 graduate Mandy Stringer, uses horse hair, feathers and sugar in it.
There are also a few pieces that parallel each other in the exhibit, chosen by coincidence. Each are unique but share the same unusual genre or thematic inspiration. Most apparent are the two photo series that are both inspired by the Sandy Hook Elementary school shootings that took place in December 2012. One series is called “Untitled,” by ‘93 graduate Greg Cohen, who grew up in Newtown, Conn., where the Sandy Hook shootings took place. The other is a series is called “Target 4, 2 and 1” by Drew Ludwig. There are also two game pieces presented, an original game called “Argument” created by ‘04 graduate Andrew Ames, and a steel domino set made by Kevin Crawford.
There are over 25 individual works of art included in the exhibit; some artists have more than one piece included. Dan Jacobs, the director and curator of the Victoria Myhren Gallery, managed and approved of the exhibit layout but according to Estes, students also had a large part in putting it together as well.
“This show was actually pretty student-run. We have a few other gallery assistants who are still in the Masters Program who put together a layout for the show. We had scales for each of the pieces that were chosen and then put together a draft of the exhibit and Dan then approved it,” said Estes.
The juried alumni exhibit is only showcased every three years, because of the tight exhibition schedule that the Victoria Myhren Gallery has to adhere by. They also present a faculty art exhibition every three years, as well as the BFA exhibit of undergraduate senior’s works that is presented every spring.
The Victoria Myhren Gallery usually hosts four to five exhibits per year, including work from artists outside of the DU community.
The Victoria Myhren Gallery is open daily from 12-4 p.m.
