Written by John Finn 330-263-2145 Email Story | Print Story

December 31, 2003

Bridget J. Milligan's Grape Tomatoes

WOOSTER, Ohio - An exhibition by College of Wooster studio art faculty and a selection of prints from the Art Museum's permanent collection will fill the galleries of The College of Wooster Art Museum in Ebert Art Center (1220 Beall Ave.) from Jan. 20 through Feb. 29. The opening reception will be held on Friday, Jan. 23, from 5-7 p.m., with brief gallery talks by the four faculty artists between 5:30 and 6:15 p.m. that evening.

The "2004 Studio Art Faculty Exhibition" will be held in the Sussel Gallery and will feature the sculpture of Elizabeth Dooher, the Walter D. Foss Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, and Keith McMahon, adjunct professor of art, as well as mixed media photography by Bridget J. Milligan, assistant professor of art, and drawings by Kathy Harlan, adjunct professor of art.

Dooher's organic and abstracted clay, plaster, steel, and bronze sculptures are generated, she says, "by an impulse, instinct, or intuition," adding that, "my work draws attention to cavities, impressions, husks, and shells, which serve as the evidence of loss." She describes the relationship of the pieces to one another and the environment as hinting at "desires, vulnerability, and isolation."

McMahon's stone carvings evoke a fossil-like quality as they result from "embedding the forms in the rough stone, which speaks to process and change and gives a sense of a link with the past." He is interested in the "physicality of the sculptural object and the ability of that physical structure to communicate meaning."

Milligan uses photography and painting as a public confession. She describes her work as a visual diary that allows her to reflect on conflicts in her life and recreate memories and shape them into a form that is visual and tangible for the viewer. "Photographing what is still there is a way for me to tell myself that this is where I come from, and this is who I am."

The Possibilities of Prints: Selections from the College of Wooster Art Museum's Permanent Collection, will be on display in the Burton D. Morgan Gallery. Organized by medium, the show consists of more than 60 prints that span 500 years of printmaking. This exhibition was selected by Linda C. Hults, professor of art, as a teaching resource for her History of Prints class. Some of the artists represented in this exhibition include Martin Schongauer (German, c. 1450-1491), Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669), Francesco Goya (Spanish, 1746-1828), Charles Meryon (French, 1821-1868), Wassily Kandinsky (Russian, 1866-1944), Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973), and Robert Rauschenberg (American, b. 1925). "Whether you are interested in fine prints or just want to see a concise summary of art spanning a significant period of time, this exhibition has something for most everyone," says Kitty McManus Zurko, director/curator of the Art Museum.

Associated exhibition events include David Gedalecia, professor of history, and Charlene Adzima, a student, who will present "Music in the Galleries," featuring acoustic, country, and Celtic music, on Thursday, Feb. 12, from 7-8 p.m. Dooher, Harlan, McMahon, and Milligan will present a panel discussion about their approaches to art-making during the "Conversation in the Galleries" on Thursday, Feb. 19, from noon to 1 p.m., and students in the History of Prints class will give a public talk in February on printmaking. All events are free and open to the public.

The next exhibition in the Art Museum is "Radical Line: Innovation in Contemporary Chinese Painting," scheduled for March 23-May 10. Organized by Bowling Green State University Fine Arts Center Galleries, "Radical Line" includes 17 Chinese artists who explore traditional Chinese media and values as they intersect with Western culture and ideas.

The College of Wooster Art Museum presents temporary, rotating exhibitions from September to May each year in the Ebert Art Center. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. except during College breaks. Group tours are available. The 2003-2004 exhibition season is supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council through state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

For more information about the exhibition, or to arrange a tour, phone 330-263-2495 or visit www.wooster.edu/artmuseum.