KOKOMO, Ind. — Sculptures, paintings, digital artwork, video, photos, jewelry, and prints made by nine alumni are featured in a new exhibition now open in the Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery.
Lori Brubaker, gallery director, said the exhibit allows visitors to see what alumni with art degrees have accomplished since graduating.
“It helps current and future students see the variety of ways in which our graduates are using their degrees,” she said. “It also allows the campus to see their achievements.”
The exhibition includes artwork by Stephanie Britton, Lori Brubaker, Mike Glassburn, Tarja Harney, Nicole Ingalls, Charity Musselman, Jessica Reid, Robert Sommer, and Ashley (DeWitt) Vogel.
Brubaker, who graduated in 2016, appreciates the opportunity to include three examples of her printing work, which was something she learned how to do as an IU Kokomo student.
“It’s nice to show what I learned while I was earning my degree and bring it back here for current students to see,” she said. “I get to display some of my printmaking here where I fell in love with printmaking.”
Robert Sommer, art teacher at Elkhart High School Freshman Division, recalled the inspiration and motivation seeing alumni artwork in the gallery gave him when he was a student. He’s exhibiting three abstract self-portraits.
“I am proud to have my work alongside other alumni, and it means a lot to me that I have a chance to give a student inspiration for their work like I had the years I attended IUK,” he said.
Nicole Ingalls, art department chair and visual arts teacher at Logansport High School, has three sculpture pieces in the exhibit. She is glad to participate in an event that brings art alumni together.
“The Fine Arts Building has always been a place where people make connections and grow,” she said. “We all end up using our degrees in various ways, so having a space for us to exhibit our current work together allows us to catch up with each other. It also provides an opportunity for current students to network or see an avenue they may not have considered before.”
The exhibition continues through August 23, ending with a closing reception from 4 to 6 p.m.
The IU Kokomo Art Gallery is in Upper Alumni Hall, in the Library Building, 2300 S. Washington Street. Admission and parking are free. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and closed Friday through Sunday.
Follow the Gallery on Instagram @iukartgallery.
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