BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Octagon Center for the Arts - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://octagonarts.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Octagon Center for the Arts REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20210314T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20211107T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20220313T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20221106T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20230312T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20231105T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20240310T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20241103T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20250309T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20251102T070000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241111T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241210T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20240307T172804Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241029T164120Z UID:16114-1731319200-1733850000@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:The Octagon 2nd Annual Winter Market DESCRIPTION:The Octagon 2nd Annual Winter Market\nEvent by Octagon Shop\nNovember 11th – December 10th\, 2024 in the Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this event:\nThe Octagon Shop is excited to announce a temporary expansion in our Community Gallery! From November 11th – December 10th\, we will have new work by Shop artists\, fun discounts and other surprises! Stay tuned!\n \nExhibition Dates:\nNovember 11th\, 2024 – Exhibition Opening Day\nDecember 10th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/16114/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Winter-Market-2024.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241007T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241102T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T202712Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241008T171119Z UID:15360-1728295200-1730566800@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Demulcent Terrain DESCRIPTION:Demulcent Terrain\nSolo Exhibition by Lisa Truax\nOctober 7th – November 2nd\, 2024 At The Octagon Community Gallery\nReception: October 10th 5PM – 7PM in the Community Gallery\n \nAbout this solo exhibition:\n \nI am interested in the contrast between places such as parks and natural areas and modern ways of building and living. We have cultural ideas of beauty and the sense of the untouched associated with these places. Outdoor landscapes seem to be in their natural state\, but are actually created\, planned\, built\, and maintained as part of our culture. We think of nature as untouched and wild\, and not something controlled or created by humans.  \nI question the idea of culturally valuable versus personally valuable natural space. The contrast between the natural and man-made\, and the seen and the unseen are determining factors. The effect of these elements on our lives and psyche are important considerations.  \nNatural places can have positive effects on our well being\, many of which we may not yet understand. The relationship we have both culturally and individually\, the contrast between wildness and wilderness\, and the effect this relationship has on daily living is the focus of my work. \nExhibition Dates:\nOctober 7th\, 2024 – Exhibition Opening Day\nNovember 2nd\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes\nReception: October 10th 5PM – 7PM in the Community Gallery \nArtist Biography: URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/demulcent-terrain/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/truax.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240903T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240928T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T200309Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240909T170750Z UID:15358-1725357600-1727542800@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Mixed Emotions DESCRIPTION:Mixed Emotions\nSolo Exhibition by Kelly Devitt\nSeptember 3rd – September 28th\, 2024 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this solo exhibition:\n \nExhibition Dates:\nSeptember 3rd\, 2024 – Exhibition Opening Day\nSeptember 26th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closing Reception\, 5pm – 7pm in the Community Gallery\nSeptember 28th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes \nArtist Biography: \nKelly Devitt is a ceramic artist who primarily creates sculptures depicting emotions physically expressed through the human body. Born in Ames\, Iowa\, she received her BFA in Integrated Studio Arts from Iowa State University in 2017 and her MFA in Ceramics from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2022. Kelly is currently an Instructor of Art at the Southwestern Community College in Creston\, IA. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/mixed-emotions/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Capture.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240729T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240824T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T200149Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231116T213217Z UID:15356-1722247200-1724518800@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Compositions of Line DESCRIPTION:Compositions of Line\nSolo Exhibition by Isaac Prior\nJuly 29th – August 24th\, 2024 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this solo exhibition:\n \nExhibition Dates:\nJuly 29th\, 2024 – Exhibition Opening Day\nAugust 24th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes \nArtist Biography: \nBorn and raised in Ames\, I have been creating artwork professionally since 2012. I am a full time precious metalsmith at Ames Silversmithing\, creating\, repairing\, and designing jewelry. My focus is on abstract line art\, using hundreds of lines to give illusions of folds\, dimension\, or twists. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/compositions-of-line/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/isaac-Prior.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240624T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240718T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T200020Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240621T193100Z UID:15354-1719223200-1721322000@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:American Oddities DESCRIPTION:American Oddities\nSolo Exhibition by Nick Gadbois\nJune 24th – July 18th\, 2024 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this solo exhibition:\n \nI am a contemporary painter living and working in Kansas City\, Missouri.  My landscape work centers on subjects mostly from the Heartland of America.  The artwork ranges from a somewhat straightforward painting approach to surreal tinged scenes.  My palette displays a heightened dramatic sense of color. The paintings I create are based on photographs\, many of which I take myself.  In terms of surrealism\, I chose to not create scenes from the imagination but paint scenes from real life that already appear surreal.  My newer work pays tribute to what I call American oddities.  To me these subjects show the offbeat\, quirky\, and playful side of the American spirit.  Subjects such as the World’ largest rocking chair\, the giant strawberry\, Cornhenge\, Carhenge\, Wall Drug and the World’s largest ball of twine show a creative inventiveness uniquely American.  My work celebrates subjects from the Heartland that I feel deeply attracted to.  I want to call attention to the roadside attractions in America. \nExhibition Dates:\nJune 24th\, 2024 – Exhibition Opening Day\nJuly 18th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closing Reception 4:30pm – 6:00pm in the Community Gallery\nJuly 18th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/american-oddities/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AmericanOdditiesFacebook-1.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240520T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240615T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T195735Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240307T184512Z UID:15352-1716199200-1718470800@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:2024 Annual Members' Show DESCRIPTION:2024 Annual Members’ Show\nGroup Exhibition by members of the Octagon Center for the Arts\nMay 20th – June 15th\, 2024 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this group exhibition:\nThis unjuried show celebrates the skills\, creativity\, and lived experiences of the Octagon community! Let’s fill the gallery and surround ourselves with our own amazing work — established artists next to emerging artists\, all media.\n \nExhibition Dates:\nMay 20th\, 2024 – Exhibition Opening Day\nJune 15th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes \nArtist Biographies:\nTBA URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/annual-member-show/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/member-show-e1709837033870.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240501T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240509T193000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T195521Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240423T182914Z UID:15350-1714557600-1715283000@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Iowa State University Integrated Visual Arts MFA Exhibition 2024 DESCRIPTION:Iowa State University Integrated Visual Arts MFA Exhibition 2024\nAn exhibition by MFA students in the Integrated Visual Arts program at Iowa State University\nMay 1st – May 9th\, 2024 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this group exhibition:\n \nThe MFA in IVA is a distinctive and unique interdisciplinary program offering integrative study among a combination of the following areas: ceramics\, computer applications\, drawing\, textiles\, illustration\, jewelry/metalsmithing\, painting\, printmaking\, photography\, furniture design\, and areas outside of Art and Design. \nMFA students are required to participate in an end-of-semester exhibition during the first four semesters of the program. For this public exhibition\, each student submits a selection of their strongest and most representative work from the semester along with an artist statement to be critiqued by the Art and Visual Culture faculty at Iowa State University.   \nArtists: \nOmid Afsharpour\nNatalie Deam\nParisa Keshavarziyan\nElnaz Masrour\nSam McCauley\nMatty Palamara\nMaryam Siahgaldeh Ghasempour\nNicole Soriano\nRana Tiba\nMichael Vitha Nolan\nRuby Walker\n \nExhibition Dates: \nMay 1st\, 2024 – Exhibition Opening Day \nMay 9th\, 2024 – Closing Reception 6-7:30pm \nMay 9th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/college-of-design-mfa-capstone-show/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-MFA-Facebook.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240408T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240420T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T195243Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240307T175400Z UID:15347-1712570400-1713632400@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:2024 Elementary\, Middle School\, High School Annual Student Show DESCRIPTION:2024 Elementary\, Middle School\, High School Annual Student Show\nApril 8th – April 20th\, 2024 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this group exhibition:\n \nThe Student Art Show highlights artwork by local elementary\, middle\, and high school students annually. Previous participating schools included: Ames\, Ballard\, Gilbert\, Home Schools\, Madrid\, Nevada\, Roland-Story\, and United Community School. \nLearn more on this exhibition’s webpage here \nExhibition Dates:\nApril 8th\, 2024 – Exhibition Opening Day\nApril 20th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/elementary-middle-school-high-school-annual-student-show/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/elementary.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240229T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240330T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T194959Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240307T192147Z UID:15344-1709227800-1711818000@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:2024 Octagonal: The All Media Show DESCRIPTION:February 29th – March 30th\, 2024 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this group exhibition:\nOctagonal: The All-Media Show is the annual\, juried all-media exhibition at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames\, Iowa. Originally titled the Clay and Paper Show\, the exhibit opened in 1968 to provide an opportunity to the central Iowa arts community. Over the past 54 years\, the exhibit morphed over the decades to become the Clay\, Fiber\, Paper\, Glass\, Metal\, Wood Exhibit that has featured hundreds of artists from dozens of states. The newest version of the exhibit\, Octagonal: The All-Media Show\, launched in 2018 taking a note from the past while moving forward to continue to provide an exciting opportunity for artists across Iowa\, the Midwest\, and the nation. This exhibit features a regionally-recognized juror each year\, attracts artists from across the United States\, and provides significant cash awards! \nExhibition Dates:\nFebruary 29th\, 2024 – Exhibition Opening Day and Opening Reception\nMarch 30th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes \nCongratulations to the winners of this year’s Octagonal!\nFrom left to right: Catherine Reinhart (Fiber Award)\, Diana Friend (Wood Award)\, Juliana Jones (Mixed Media Award)\, Natalie Deam (Paper Award)\, Katie DuVal Mihelich (Metal Award)\, Carolyn Abbot (Best of Show Award). Not shown: Steve Aitchison (Clay Award)\, Meghan Flynn (Painting Award) \n  \n  \n\n2024 Juror: Jill Wells\nIowa-based artist\, advocate and mentor\, Jill Wells (she/her) has firmly situated herself within art and advocacy work. A 2005 graduate of Drake University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree\, she is well known for her dynamic\, colorful\, and tactile multimedia works investigating race\, history\, stereotypes\, accessibility\, and human experiences. By exploring the powerful alignment between arts integration and Universal Design\, Wells’ work seeks solutions for innovative pathways into accessible art…\nLearn more on the Octagonal page!\n\n \n  \n  \n  \nThis year we will feature artwork from:\nAlicia Wilkinson\, Angie Huffman\, Anna Segner\, Cameryn Piskule\, Caroline Freese\, Carolyn Abbott\, Catherine Reinhart\, Chelsea Herman\, Cody LeClair\, Diana Friend\, Eirianeth Claire Hays\, Elissa Wenthe\, Hope Bass\, Indonesia Fulcher\, Jan Friedman\, Janet Bergeron\, Jennifer Gauerke\, Joe Crimmings\, Joshua McCunn\, Juliana Jones\, Katie DuVal Mihelich\, Kelly Devitt\, Kelsey Wilson\, Leo Bird\, Liz Koerner\, Louise O’Donnell\, Lydia Nong\, Maddison Jo Edwards\, Margaret Lewis\, Mark True\, Megan McCoy\, Meghan Flynn\, Natalie Deam\, Penny Adam\, Ruby Walker\, Steve Aitchison\, Terri Eger URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/octagonal-the-all-media-show-2024/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/octagonal-logo.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240122T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240224T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T194751Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240110T160253Z UID:15342-1705917600-1708794000@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:The Music in My HeART DESCRIPTION:The Music in My HeART\nSolo Exhibition by Antonia Ruppert\nJanuary 22nd – February 24th\, 2024 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nExhibition Dates:\nJanuary 22nd\, 2024 – Exhibition Opening Day\nFebruary 24th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes \nArtist Biography:\nChicago-born Antonia Ruppert is an artist\, singer-songwriter and educator who has been\npainting for over 30 years. Growing up in the Austin community\, she creates paintings that\nconnect people and tell a story. The oldest of six siblings\, with no funds to purchase art\nsupplies\, she recalls drawing on discarded paper inserts from her Mom’s stockings. These\nhumble beginnings have been instrumental in inspiring hundreds of paintings and drawings\,\nwhere hope\, faith and community are central.\nRuppert was the 2021 Invest South/West Artist in Residence for Chicago’s Austin community\nand the 2022 Artist in Residence for the Addison Public Library. Ruppert is an honoree of the\nPeggy A. Montes Unsung Heroine Award for Cook County\, IL.\nRuppert has been featured in the Museum of Science and Industry Black Creativity Exhibition\,\nMoraine Valley Community College and the Dupage Art League’s Best of the Best Exhibition.\nHer favorite paintings and murals can be found in numerous regional venues including the\nChicago Public Library\, Berwyn North District 98 Elementary Schools\, University of Chicago\nHospitals\, Acorn Public Library\, Addison Public Library\, Austin Childcare Network\, Chicago\nSchool of Professional Psychology\, Forest Park Park District\, Elmwood Park Public Library\,\nGrand Prairie Services\, Living Springs Community Church\, Markham Public Library\, Near\nNorth Montessori School\, Oak Forest Park District and the Oak Park Area Arts Council.\nIn 2021\, she collaborated with the Office of the Mayor of the City of Berwyn and the Award-\nWinning Junior State of America Morton West Debate Club Chapter to commission and speak\nat the first Juneteenth Commemoration held in the city. Most recently\, she supported the\nMayor of the Village of Hazel Crest and the new 2023 Arts Committee.\nRuppert is thankful to God for her gifts and is the illustrator of a recently published children’s\nbook —The Place Where I Belong—by Candice Klopfenstein.\nRuppert’s art and music will be featured in upcoming exhibitions at the Harold Washington\nLibrary Center\, The Chicago Public Library North Austin Branch Library and now the Octagon\nCenter for the Arts in Ames\, Iowa in 2024.\nRuppert is well known at the frontlines of the artivist community and seeks to uplift her entire\ncommunity with artistic expression. Like African American sculptor\, Elizabeth Catlett\, Ruppert\naims to “do something for the betterment of all of us.” URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/the-music-in-my-heart/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Screenshot-2023-09-21-154514.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20231218T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240113T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T193908Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231211T195814Z UID:15337-1702893600-1705165200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Uncontainable Meanderings and Affinities DESCRIPTION:Uncontainable Meanderings and Affinities\nGroup Exhibition by Ethan Edvenson and Kimberlee Rocca\nDecember 18th\, 2023 – January 13th\, 2024 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this group exhibition:\n \nExhibition Dates:\nDebember 18th\, 2023 – Exhibition Opening Day\nJanuary 4th\, 2024 – Exhibition Reception at 5pm in the Community Gallery\nJanuary 13th\, 2024 – Exhibition Closes \nArtist Biographies: \nEthan Edvenson is a fine artist from Des Moines\, IA who creates mixed media drawings. He conveys individualism\, humor\,\nand rebirth through gestural marks\, surreal imagery\, and storytelling. Edvenson graduated from the University of Northern\nIowa with a BFA in studio art and Art History minor. \nKimberlee Rocca is an Iowa artist whose passion for color\, process\, experimentation and reclamation merge to translate\nher love of nature and modern lines into vibrant and textural 2-d and 3-d abstract works and play sculptures. Works are\ncreated from mixed media and discarded construction debris. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/ethan-edvenson-kimberlee-rocca/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Untitled-design-18.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20231109T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20231209T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T192156Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231017T201227Z UID:15335-1699524000-1702141200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Octagon Winter Market DESCRIPTION:Octagon Winter Market!\nNovember 9th – December 9th\, 2023 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this group exhibition:\nThe Octagon Shop is excited to announce a temporary expansion in our Community Gallery! From November 9th to December 9th\, we will have new work by Shop artists\, fun discounts and other surprises!\nStay Tuned! \n  \nExhibition Dates:\nNovember 9th – Exhibition Opening Day\nDecember 9th – Exhibition Closes URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/octagon-holiday-shop/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/HOLIDAY-MARKET-1.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20231009T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20231104T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230921T191825Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231010T211032Z UID:15330-1696845600-1699117200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:"Intersection of Parallel" Group Exhibition by Jen Hem and Julie Russell-Steuart DESCRIPTION:Intersection of Parallel\nGroup Exhibition by Jen Hem and Julie Russell-Steuart\nOctober 9th – November 4th\, 2023  \nOpening Reception: Thursday\, October 12th\, 6-8pm \nThe Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this group exhibition:\n \nEven as they act individually and independently\, the work of these artists cross paths and intersect in powerful ways. Printmaker Julie Russell-Steuart and mixed media artist Jen Hem face off on the parallel gallery walls to tell a story together. Viewers will move through the space they inhabit\, pick up the threads and follow them to places of their own. \nWeaving themes of voice\, activism\, advocacy\, social justice and mental health\, Jen and Julie create an experience together that is only as deep and curious as one is willing to dive in: an of-the-moment snapshot of the emotions and undercurrents of being alive right now. \nJen Hem talks about their underlying themes and experience with mental health\, “Depression can be debilitating and painful\, literally like you’re bound with your mouth sewn shut. Pulling myself ‘up by my bootstraps’ was impossible. It can be hard to function\, sometimes hard to even get out of bed…and it can be even harder to ask for help due to fear of not being heard and being dismissed\, but finding yourself—and your voice—is possible”. \nSome of Hem’s mixed media works are large\, spanning six feet with figurative-based vibrant  and energetic images and emotions running through them.  \nHem believes that art is a powerful tool for healing and self-expression. They say that the ink “pulls the art out of me\, I do not tell the brush what to paint.” This process allows Hem to tap into their subconscious mind and create works that are both honest and raw. \nThey contrast with Julie’s more restrained and tightly coiled root-like drypoint etchings\, some with boundary pushing colors\, like textured neon inks and “rainbow rolls.” Her work also draws on a spontaneity of expression and a dialogue with the work. An enigmatic figure and the anthropomorphic root shapes of a small series within delve into storytelling and narrative art. Poem fragments as titles are incorporated using hand-set metal type offer a layer of contextual experience. Other work is more focused on specific time and place like the 2020 George Floyd protests in “Names in Ash.” \nJen’s works speak too with painted words found in shapes\, and symbology like locks and birds. Jen and Julie both share the heart as a symbol and vehicle of expression. Together\, Hem and Russell-Steuart create an exhibition that is both deeply personal and universally resonant to viewers\, especially activists and advocates finding their voice. \nExhibition Dates:\nOctober 9th – Exhibition Opening Day\nNovember 4th – Exhibition Closes \nJulie will teach a pop-up letterpress poster printing workshop on Saturday\, Oct 21\, from 1 to 4pm\, focusing on expressing a message with a short intro to protest poster print history. The resulting student prints will be displayed in the exhibition on a resource wall. Sign up for poster workshop here. \n\n\n\n\nJoin us for the opening reception on Thursday\, October 12\, from 6-8pm\, to meet the artists and see their work in person. The exhibition will be on view through November 4\, 2023. \n\n\n\n\n  \nArtist Biographies: \nJen Hem is an Iowa artist who works primarily in India Ink\, and is active in Mental Health Awareness Advocacy\, Advocacy for the Awareness of Violent and Sexual crimes\, and exploring other mediums through their art. Jen exhibits some attributes of realism\, pop art\, minimalistic line art\, and abstract expressionism. Their art is full of color and infused with vulnerable emotions\, and psychological undertones that have developed through their experience growing up in poverty amidst a difficult family life. Jen often says “the quiet part out loud” in their art\, as they bring awareness to topics including mental health\, consent\, sexual crimes\, inequality\, LBGTQ+ rights\, and abuses often not openly discussed. \nVisual artist Julie Russell-Steuart grew up in Maryland and earned a BFA in General Fine Art from Maryland Institute\, College of Art. Her work encompasses multiple mediums with a particular interest the synthesis of word and image. She publishes artist’s books and prints on a vintage Vandercook printing press under the imprint Caveworks Press. A guillotine paper cutter and seven type cabinets full of metal typefaces and various antique cuts round out her print shop. Her artwork often combines two or more printmaking techniques like linoleum carving\, pressure printing\, collograph\, polyester lithography\, drypoint\, laser cut plates\, metal type and wood engraving. She has shown her work internationally\, and her books are collected by several University libraries\, including The University of Iowa\, Texas State University\, and the University of Kentucky Lucille Little Fine Arts Library. She resides in Reinbeck\, Iowa\, with her husband David\, and daughter Venus. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/jen-hem-and-julie-russell-steuart/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Intersection-of-Paralllel-Jen-and-Julie.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20230905T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20230930T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230829T170335Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230901T152632Z UID:15249-1693908000-1696093200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:"Crossroads" Exhibition by Central Iowa Textile Artists DESCRIPTION:Crossroads\nGroup Exhibition by Central Iowa Textile Artists\nSeptember 5th – September 30th\, 2023 At The Octagon Community Gallery \nAbout this group exhibition:\n“Crossroads” – A place where two roads meet and cross each other. An intersection where a choice must be made\, to go straight\, or change course and take a new direction. We come to many crossroads in our lives\, places where we decide to stay on the straight path\, to take the path least taken\, or to create a new path altogether. Sometimes life events force us down a path we don’t choose. \nThe artists who are members of the Central Iowa Textiles Artists have been creating art for many years. They come from varied backgrounds. Although only one member has a degree in art\, all have studied with various artists in the field of textiles and beyond\, for many years as they honed their own style and process. \nArtist List:\nIlene Bartos\, Janet Bergeron\, Mary Cecil\, Barbara Jones\, Rebecca Kemble\, Sue Kluber\, Rebecca Loew\, Janet Pittman\, Wendy Read\, Barbara Riggs\, Barbara Stewart\, Fern Stewart \nExhibition Dates:\nSeptember 5th – Exhibition Opening Day & Reception at 5PM\nSeptember 30th – Exhibition Closes \nArtist Biographies:\n\nIlene Bartos –\nIlene has been working with fiber arts and quilting for over 20 years\, designing both traditional\nand art quilts. Her works have hung in galleries and shows and won various awards and blue\nribbons. She enjoys being a lecturer at guilds and loves teaching others how to make quilts that\nare slightly beyond their comfort level or outside the traditional box. Quilting combines her\npassion for color with her love of fabric and gives infinite possibilities for creative\nexpression.Ilene authored two traditional quilt books in 2009 and 2010 but has since been\ndevoting her time to designing contemporary art quilts and writing patterns for them. She loves\nteaching others how to work with bright colors because it makes everyone smile – her motto is to\nspread joy\, one quilt at a time. \nJanet Bergeron –\nTextiles have defined Janet’s world since the age of eight. From garment construction\,\ncostume design\, quilting\, dyeing\, and construction\, her happiness has always been\nfound in her sewing room. Her work has been exhibited locally and in a number of regional and traveling\nexhibitions\, as well as many homes and offices. \nMary Cecil –\nMary Cecil has always had an interest in the arts but never found her niche until she\ndiscovered quilting. As with most quilters\, she began with more traditional designs but\nthen began to see challenges in more diverse forms of expression. Her life in both the\nUS and Mexico has offered endless inspiration from images of architecture\, birds\, plants\nand more\, which she captures with her camera and then brings to life in fabric. Her work\nhas received recognition in a variety of venues and she continues to improve and\nexplore textile art making. \nBarbara Jones –\nFor the past twenty years\, Barbara has been involved in quilting\, primarily in creating\nfabric wall art rather than making bed quilts.\nOver the years she has sold many of her “fabric paintings” and has had her art\ndisplayed in galleries throughout the US. Her work as also been displayed in magazines\nand newspaper articles. In 2006 she started a pattern company of primarily whimsical animals. The patterns are\nsold in quilt stores throughout the US\, the UK\, Australia and Canada.\nHer process for many of her art quilt “paintings” begins with a sketch of the motif\,\n(usually an animal) which is then transferred to the background fabric. The quilt\n“paintings” often include various media\, i.e.\, painted or hand-dyed fabric by the artist\,\nwool\, silk\, yarn\, zippers\, buttons\, sticks\, etc. many of the fabric “paintings” are done\nentirely by hand\, so each piece requires months to complete.\nBarbara likes to bring awareness of the environmental issues facing many animals that\nare disappearing or on the endangered species list through her art. \nRebecca Kemble –\nRebecca has always been inspired by her environment\, and found joy in creating.\nWhether in the countryside\, or the city\, there is always something that catches her\ninterest to influence her art. As a mixed media artist\, she tends to combine the use of\npaint\, dye\, fabric and stitch to create both image and texture. Her work has been shown\ninternationally\, nationally\, and resides in private collections throughout the United\nStates. Because of her awareness of the world around her\, she is also keenly aware of how the\nenvironment is being affected by changes in our climate. Her latest works have focused\non the “little” things that provide so much for our survival. \nSue Kluber –\nThere has never been a moment in Sue Kluber’s life that did not include art.\nObserving all that nature offered consumed her. Love of the changing seasons \,the\nwildlife\, and a grandmother who lived “by the signs”  were treasured inspirations\, as\nwere life lessons from a colorful and diverse cast of talented characters that crossed\nher path.  She has entered some shows\, won a few awards\, and sells some pieces\,\nbut the rewards are really the joy of capturing moments that she loves in the art. \nRebecca Loew –\nRebecca Loew is a textile artist living in Grinnell\, Iowa. She has been quilting for more\nthan 40 years\, but in the past ten years Rebecca has explored many other areas of the\nfiber arts. She has exhibited her work in several gallery shows and has art in private\ncollections. She has taught Shibori\, natural dying\, and other textile arts at the Des\nMoines Art Center. \nJanet Pittman –\nJanet Pittman\, a quilt artist from West Des Moines\, Iowa\, has been quilting and\ndesigning as owner of Garden Trellis Designs for over 30 years. Janet’s quilt designs\nhave appeared in Love of Quilting\, American Patchwork and Quilting\, and Country\nMarketplace magazines. She the author of Appliqué\, the Basics and Beyond\, Colorful\nQuilts for Playful Kids and First Time Machine Appliqué.\nInspiration for her wall hangings comes from photographs she has taken of her own\ngarden and of gardens and other sites on her travels. She finds that the color variations\nin hand-dyed fabric and batik fabric add to the natural feel of her mostly realistic\ndesigns. Many of her quilts are embellished with decorative threads\, machine or hand\nstitched\, to add texture and color to the images. \nWendy Read –\nJust as many young children have throughout the generations\, Wendy Read became\ncomfortable with the fiber arts at an early age\, from playing with her mother’s button\nbasket and the fabric scraps that fell on the floor as her mother sewed\, to making many\nof her own clothes as a teenager. As an adult drawn to the arts\, she naturally\nexperimented with the media she was most familiar with\, incorporating exotic and\ninteresting fibers and materials\, paints\, and dyes to create her art. Born in Baton Rouge\,\nLouisiana\, she was fortunate to have the influence of several professional and amateur\nartists in her family\, as well as year-round access to nature.\nHer work has been displayed in numerous exhibits and private showings\, and has won\nmany awards throughout the country. While she uses many fiber art techniques\, there is\nusually extensive thread-painting in her work\, where the thread becomes her paint\, and\nthe sewing machine her paintbrush. \nBarbara Riggs –\nBarbara Riggs has been a fiber artist and art quilter for over 20 years. Having grown up\non a farm in Iowa has greatly influenced her art. Nature is a theme that is very much\nreflected in her work. Capturing what she saw with drawings and paintings was what\ndrew her to the art world. When the paints and solvents had to be put away\, she had to\nfind another medium to continue to create art. Having had a needle and thread in her\nhands from a very young age\, it was a natural transition to move to fiber art. Her work\nhas been shown internationally\, nationally and in many local and regional venues\,\nfeatured in national publications\, and received numerous awards. \nBarbara Stewart –\nBarbara (Barb) Stewart was first associated and greatly influenced into the art world by her\nmaternal grandmother\, who was an outstanding artist\, and by her Uncle Harry whose\ndrawings would have received numerous awards had they been displayed. Unfortunately\,\nshe never inherited these artistic blessing\, but was quite crafty and could literally sew\nanything. For her\, quilting was always a dream to pursue\, but that was not possible until her\nretirement. However\, prior to her retirement\, quilting expanded from the traditional style to\ninclude an amazing form of “art quilting”\, which allowed more creativity and spontaneity.\nThen\, with the directive of many exceptional art quilters\, books and classes\, she was able to\nacquire knowledge involving various techniques that expanded her art quilting abilities\,\nincluding creation of three-dimensional quilts. Barb’s quilts have been influenced by her life\nexperiences\, by nature\, by other artists\, by various themes or challenges from art quilt\ngroups she is involved with\, and quite often by scripture. Exhibits of her art quilts have\noccurred in various venues and at numerous private showings. Her quilts have also\nreceived awards and have been purchased. Art quilting became a blessing for Barb\, always\nencouraging her to stretch her mind and imagination to create artistic beauty for others to\nenjoy. \nFern Stewart –\nFern Stewart has quilted for the past 40 years.  Her early work mimicked the quilt\nmovement of the time relying on templates\, a limited color palette and traditional\napproach.  She quickly moved beyond those limitations and acknowledged her\nindependent creative spirit.  She has created a number of award winning quilts. \nCurrently she is working on a series of quilts entitled Urban Development in which\nshe reflects on the changes to cities due to population growth and developer greed. \nSocial changes\, housing density\, loss of habitat and related concerns will be the\nfocus of her next four quilts. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/crossroads-exhibition-by-central-iowa-textile-artists/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Untitled-design-6.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20230731T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20230826T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230727T194741Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230727T194741Z UID:15236-1690790400-1693069200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:"Misplaced and Lost" Exhibition by Lisa Lockman DESCRIPTION:“Misplaced and Lost” Exhibition by Lisa Lockman\nJuly 31st – August 26th\, 2023\nAn Exhibition by Lisa Lockman\nExhibiting in the Community Gallery\n \n\n \nLisa Lockman is an artist and a Professor of Art at Nebraska Wesleyan University where she teaches ceramics and metalsmithing. Her current work – ceramic murals and vessels – is influenced by maternal ancestry and the exploration of new technologies utilized with clay. “My interests in ancestry\, specifically the women of my paternal side\, and new technologies in art and ceramics have become the major influences in my current work.”\n \nReception date TBD! URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/misplaced-and-lost-exhibition-by-lisa-lockman/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/LisaLockman1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20230626T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20230722T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230703T195409Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230703T195816Z UID:15177-1687766400-1690045200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:The Octagon Annual All-Member Show DESCRIPTION: \nJune 26th – July 22nd\nReception: July 20th at 5pm\nAt the Community Gallery \n\n\n\n\nThis unjuried show celebrates the skills\, creativity\, and lived experiences of the Octagon community! Let’s fill the gallery and surround ourselves with our own amazing work — established artists next to emerging artists\, all media. \nReception Event:\nThe reception for this show will be a closing reception on July 20th at 5pm. This shares the same date as our Patio Party\, so there will be a live performance from our musical guest\, The Bone People! You wont want to miss it! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2023 Artist List:\nPenny Adam\, Deborah Anders-Bond\, Tiffany Antone\, Sherry Berghefer\, Casey Bridgham\, Terry Brigman\, Tina Campbell\, Linda Cather\, Johnson Caitlyn Chellew\, Susan Cunningham\, Mark Doherty\, Pamela Douglas\, Timothy F. Pross\, Caroline Freese\, Vaibhavi Gala\, Jennifer Gauerke\, Joe Geha\, Jill Guffy\, Erik Gustafson\, Katharine Hensley\, Donna Hoff-Grambau\, Carl Kurtz\, Kristin M. Roach\, Joshua McCunn\, Matthew McLain\, Diane Michaud Lowry\, Michael Moore\, Christ & Nicole Nevels\, Rebecca Newton\, Rosalise Olson\, Katy Patterson Phelps\, Isaac Prior\, Kuntal Raythatha\, Kyle Renell\, Kimberlee Rocca\, Jill Sneed\, Josh Sorrell\, Tracey Stewart\, Kathy Svec\, Troy Thomas\, Dean Traver\, Mark True\, Rob Wallace\, Alicia Wilkinson\, Amanda Williams\, Kelsey Wilson\, Irina Yavorskaya\, Thomas Zimmerman. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/the-octagon-annual-all-member-show/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/artists-working.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20230522T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20230617T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230516T170803Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230516T172411Z UID:15047-1684749600-1687021200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:The Words He Cannot Say DESCRIPTION:The Words He Cannot Say — Exhibition by Leo Bird\nMay 22nd – June 17th\, 2023\nA exhibition by Leo Bird\nExhibiting in the Community Gallery\n\n \nThis exhibition is a collection of works of Leo’s art accompanied by Leo’s writings.\n \nAbout The Words He Cannot Say:\n\n\n\nI\, Leo Bird (b. 1991\, Ames\, Iowa) was diagnosed with autism when I was three years old and created the graphic memoir The Words He Cannot Say. In this memoir I show how I overcame alienation and bullying\, succeeded in my job search\, and learned from mistakes through the patient help of parents\, teachers\, and classmates.  \nFrom analyzing my past\, I learned how I or someone else could have acted differently so the conflict could have had a better outcome. I write and draw to provide commentary on actions that my peers and I took in the past\, without being influenced by any book\, movie\, author\, or genre. My work is life becoming art instead of art imitating life. Some parts of The Words He Cannot Say were written objectively enough to allow subjective opinions. Audiences react to it in ways that surprise me and I learn from the audience. My stories inspire audiences to be kind\, self aware\, courageous\, and adventurous and have debunked myths. The artist I draw like is Alex Katz\, whom I had not heard of before artists had analyzed my art. I aim to use a color scheme that creates the maximum amount of contrast between adjacent colors using the minimum amount of color. \nI got the idea for The Words He Cannot Say an interview in the summer between my junior and senior year of college in 2013. The interviewer suggested I could teach people about autism. I thought I could do that by using the true storytelling techniques I learned in my Writing Short Stories Class. When I shared my stories\, I learned that nuerotypicals (people without autism) and even cats and dogs faced the same challenges fitting in as I did and found the topic interesting\, so I shifted the focus of The Words He Cannot Say to fitting in\, building talent and character and allowed The Words He Cannot Say to lose the autism theme. This discovery motivated me to write about my life.\n\n \nLeo Bird’s Website: https://leobirdstandsup.com/about-leo-bird/\n\n \nUpcoming event dates:\n\nMay 22nd – Exhibition Opening Day and Reception\nJune 17th – Exhibition Closes\n\n \n  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/the-words-he-cannot-say/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=application/pdf:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Octagon-Title-Page-1.pdf ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230417 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230514 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230314T165340Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230406T160449Z UID:14918-1681689600-1684022399@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:2023 Elementary/Middle/High School Annual Student Show DESCRIPTION:The Octagon Center for the Arts highlights artwork by local elementary\, middle\, and high school students annually. \n \n\n\n\nGRADES K – 8 (Virtual):\nSHOW DETAILS: \n\n\n\nGoogle Form Submission Due: 5 pm\, Saturday\, April 1\, 2023\nVirtual Exhibit Opening: Monday\, April 17\, 2023\nArt from Grades K – 8 will be displayed virtually.\nEach elementary and middle school student may submit one piece to exhibit. \n\n\n\n\nENTRY REQUIREMENTS: \n\n\n\nAll submitted artwork must be entered into the Google Form by April 1st at 5:00 pm to be included in the show.\nAll media will be accepted.\nPhotographic reproduction of entries may be used or copied by the Octagon Center for the Arts\, without further agreement by the artists\, for exhibition and/or publication (print or online). Artwork may not be credited in publications due to space limitations.\n\n\n\n \nGRADES 9 – 12:\nIMPORTANT DATES: \n\n\n\nShow Opening in the Community Gallery: Monday\, April 17\, 2023\nReception: Thursday\, April 20\, 2023\, 4:00-5:30pm in the Community Gallery. Our juror will announce high school awards and share comments on the show.\nShow Closing in the Community Gallery: Saturday\, May 13\, 2023\n\n\n\n\nENTRY REQUIREMENTS: \n\n\n\nIf you are a 9-12 art instructor or homeschool parent and would like to enter your students’ work into the show\, please email the Gallery Director to recieve a copy of the complete submission guidellines.\nEligible high schools or homeschool students must be located within 20 miles from Ames.\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n2023 EXHIBIT JUROR: SUSAN NORRIS \n \nSusan Norris\, an Ames artist\, is a human magpie. Walk with her and you’ll witness her exclaim as she picks up a bit of rusty metal or a shard of plastic. Variety is the spice of Norris’ life from the colors\, patterns and textures of her thrifted clothing and garden to the way she sets a table. \nShe is a scrappy collector and determined connector who can stitch Humpty-Dumpty back together again in a variety of imaginative ways. During the 2021 Ames Artist Studio tour folks asked\, “How did you think of so many different ways to put things together?” \nNorris is passionate about rescuing discarded objects\, likening them to discarded people. The process of finding\, sorting and grouping objects inspires ideas for expression through assemblage. Norris is currently experimenting with ways to combine her lifelong love of hand stitching and her newfound interest in mending with found object art. \n\n\n\n\n  \nQUESTIONS?\nContact: Casey Bridgham\, Gallery Director \nAddress: 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA 50010 \nPhone: 515-232-5331 \nEmail: exhibits@octagonarts.org \n  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/2023-elementary-middle-high-school-annual-student-show/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/studentshows.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20230303T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20230408T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230127T152946Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230307T185106Z UID:14733-1677830400-1680973200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Octagonal 2023: The All Media Show DESCRIPTION:Octagonal: The All-Media Show is the annual\, juried all-media exhibition at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames\, Iowa. Originally titled the Clay and Paper Show\, the exhibit opened in 1968 to provide an opportunity to the central Iowa arts community. Over the past 54 years\, the exhibit morphed over the decades to become the Clay\, Fiber\, Paper\, Glass\, Metal\, Wood Exhibit that has featured hundreds of artists from dozens of states. The newest version of the exhibit\, Octagonal: The All-Media Show\, launched in 2018 taking a note from the past while moving forward to continue to provide an exciting opportunity for artists across Iowa\, the Midwest\, and the nation. This exhibit features a regionally-recognized juror each year\, attracts artists from across the United States\, and provides significant cash awards.\n\n \nCLICK HERE to visit the Octagonal Page\n\n \n\nExhibit Timeline \n\n\n\nApplications Open: Dec 2\, 2022 \nApplications Close: Jan 15\, 2023\, 11:59 pm \nNotification of Jury Results: Jan 25\, 2023 \nArtwork Delivery/Drop-off Deadline: Feb 18\, 2023* \nExhibit Opening/Reception: March 3 \nExhibit Closes: April 8 \nArtwork Pickup Dates: April 10 – 14\, 2023 \nArtwork Ship Dates: April 17 – 21\, 2023 \n*All artwork must be received by February 18\, 2023. Dropoff only on weekdays (in-person)or via mail. \n  \n\n\n\n2023 Juror: Ash Hanson \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\nAsh Hanson has 15 years of experience working with rural communities to activate stories\, connect neighbors\, and exercise collective imagination. \nShe is the Executive Director of the Department of Public Transformation (DoPT)\, an artist-led nonprofit working at the intersection of creativity and civic life in rural communities; the founder of PlaceBase Productions\, a theater company that creates original\, site-specific musicals celebrating small-town life; and\, a member of the Center for Performance and Civic Practice Leadership Circle. Previously\, she was the Program Director for the Minnesota Theater Alliance\, serving the statewide performing arts community\, and the Program Director for Public Art Saint Paul\, producing large-scale public art events and experiences. \nShe was an Artist-in-Residence in the City of Minneapolis Planning Department and with the Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership\, where she employed creative community engagement strategies for equitable participation in urban and rural planning processes. She holds an MA in Applied Theater with a focus on Rural Community Development\, and she was named an Obama Foundation Fellow and a Bush Fellow for her work with rural communities. She believes deeply in the power of play and exclamation points! \nClick to visit Ash Hanson’s website \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelow are the accepted artists for 2023. Congratulations! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLast Name\nFirst Name\nTitle\n\n\nArp\nJordan\nHeart of Gold\n\n\nArp\nJordan\nRed\, White\, BOOM\n\n\nBusby\nBetty\nDon’t Touch Me\n\n\nBusby\nBetty\nIn the Beginning\n\n\nCooper\nKaren\nDoing Fine.\n\n\nDeam\nNatalie\nSkullwreck\n\n\nDuVal Mihelich\nKatie\nHow Do I Say Goodbye?\n\n\nFreese\nRobert\nOriginal Social Post\n\n\nGauerke\nJennifer\nComfortmaker\n\n\nHardy\nMichele\nCircles #51\n\n\nHoyt\nSummer\nThe Spring of Fortitude\n\n\nHuffman\nAngie\nSaturday\n\n\nJoffe-Bouska\nMarcia\nRIO DEL OLVIDO (river of forgetfulness)\n\n\nKruse\nJerene\nPeaceful Shelter\n\n\nLemons\nJon\nBlank Billboard\n\n\nMcKaig\nKelly\nOrbits and Excavations: Nine-Patch Orbit\n\n\nPark\nSangsook\nAn old diary memory (Brooch)\n\n\nPetersen\nClinton\nRed City\n\n\nPfeiffer\nJarred\nTwin Columns\n\n\nprior\nIsaac\nBlue Folds\, Waves\n\n\nQuinn\nJess\nSymphony In Purple and Green\n\n\nReeves\nElizabeth\nConsumption\n\n\nReinhart\nCatherine\nInland Surveying\n\n\nReinhart\nCatherine\nClan Curio\n\n\nRocca\nKimberlee\nA Stone’s Throw\n\n\nRoethler\nMegan\nDining Room\n\n\nShea\nBradley\nOver the Hills and Far Away\n\n\nSimonsen\nRichard\nNAUTICA\n\n\nSorrell\nJosh\nGenerate\n\n\nstaniforth\nart\njungle\n\n\nWallace\nRob\nEye of the Tiger\n\n\nWhalley\nTom\nTwister\n\n\nWhetstone\nMattea\nNutshell\n\n\nWilkinson\nAlicia\nChildhood Sky [healing pixel textile painting]\n\n\nWollert\nZach\nConstruct\n\n\nZhang\nDafang\nChinese Wisteria\n\n\n\n  \n\nTo all artists who submitted art to Octagonal this year\, we want to thank you for supporting the Octagon! URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/octagonal-2023-the-all-media-show/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events,Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screenshot-2023-01-27-092844.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20230130T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20230225T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20230127T151029Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230127T151910Z UID:14723-1675065600-1677344400@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Snáithín Bainneanach/Feminine Fiber DESCRIPTION:Snáithín Bainneanach/Feminine Fiber — Exhibition by Cynthia O’Hern\nJanuary 30th – February 25th 2023\nA new fiber exhibition by Cynthia O’Hern will be exhibiting from January 30th to February 25th in the Community Gallery!\n\n\n\nCynthia O’Hern is a figurative fiber artist who utilizes the process of feltmaking to create figure and form by coaxing wool fibers into solid cloths of felted wool. She is drawn to the medium of felt for its tactile nature; its slow\, conscious process; and its latent expressive potential.\n\n\n \nUpcoming event dates:\n\nJanuary 30th – Exhibition opening day\nFebruary 2nd – 5:00pm Artist talk at the Community Gallery\n\n \n  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/snaithin-bainneanach-feminine-fiber/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/326779912_886695819113303_2630140141490379219_n-e1674832458289.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230105 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230122 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20221121T180955Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230130T015145Z UID:14289-1672876800-1674345599@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:[unTITled]: how a breast cancer survivor learned to say goodbye to her boobs DESCRIPTION:[UNTITLED]: how a breast cancer survivor learned to say goodbye to her boobs\nOctagon Center for the Arts Community Gallery \nCurated by Tiffany Antone and Vivian M. Cook \nNote that\, in order to protect our community — and especially high-risk members of our community\, such as cancer patients — masks will be required in the gallery and during all events for this exhibit. Thank you!  \nContent warning: This exhibit (and accompanying performances) features some strong language and nudity\, including photos from Tiffany’s mastectomy and radiation treatments. \nJanuary 5-21\, 2023: \n\n Exhibit on display in the Octagon Community Gallery \n \nCo-curated with Tiffany Antone\, who recently went through breast cancer and a double mastectomy\, this exhibit will offer space for community\, connection\, and healing through conversations around breast cancer and breast removal. Tiffany\, and a community of artists with shared experiences of breast cancer\, will showcase visual\, literary\, and performance artwork\, and the Octagon will invite community members to participate in interactive art-making opportunities. This exhibit will interrogate our cultural obsession with breasts\, bring light to the sometimes fraught (and oft-times under-realized) connection we have to them\, and give voice to the myriad complicated feelings that comes with letting them go.  \nFrom Co-Curator and Featured Artist\, Tiffany Antone: \nIn fall of 2021 I had my first ever mammogram\, which led to a breast cancer diagnosis and a double mastectomy.  Facing down the time-crunch of having to decide very quickly whether I wanted to also have reconstructive surgery\, I found myself confronting an internal stew of contradictions.  I discovered that my relationship to my breasts was much more complex than I realized\, and while having them removed was the correct health-wise course to take\, reconciling myself to this new\, now-altered\, body has been a very tortuous experience. It is the complexity of this journey which left me yearning for ways to connect with others not only about breast cancer\, but also about what breasts mean to them and what our breasts (or lack thereof) mean to the people around us.  \nOctagon Class Discounts! \nDuring the run of this exhibit\, breast cancer patients\, previvors\, and survivors will receive a 20% discount on the purchase of an art class at the Octagon. Register in- person or call the Octagon Shop (515-232-5331) between January 5 – 21 to receive the discount. (Youth art camps excluded.) \nSaturday\, January 7\, 2023: \n\n 10:30-11:45 AM: Soulful Healing Yoga \n \nOctagon Dance Studio \n \nJoin Melissa\, founder of Soulful Healing Yoga\, for a restorative yoga practice. This type of yoga is rooted in supporting the health of the body and the brain – rewiring functions of the nervous system – by enhancing the ability to reduce stress and process it; boosting the immune system; reducing muscle tension – imagine a sense of completely being able to let go! – and providing tools to learn how to relax and self-soothe. Each shape will be held in a supportive manner with no muscular strength required. \nCombine this with yoga nidra\, a “yogic sleep” in which the practitioner is in a state of consciousness between wake and sleep that allows for complete physical\, mental and emotional relaxation. By allowing your physical body to fall into deep relaxation\, you’ll withdraw from your senses and the world around to sink into greater inner awareness and in this meditative state. \nThis class will have seated and reclined positions\, both on the floor. If you have a blanket\, pillow or bolster\, yoga mat\, and blocks of your own\, please bring them. If you do not have these items\, no worries! Please let us know upon registration and they will be provided for you. If you prefer to do this class seated in a chair\, please let us know as well. \nThis event is geared toward breast cancer patients\, survivors\, and previvors. However\, anyone is welcome to join! No prior yoga experience is required. Please register (for free!) here by January 5th.  \n \n\n 1:00-3:30 PM: Writing Through Cancer Meets [UNTITLED]: how a breast cancer survivor learned to say goodbye to her boobs\n \nOctagon Community Gallery \n \nBring your notebook and pen\, and invite your muse to write to writing prompts inspired by the Octagon exhibit\, [UNTITLED]: how a breast cancer survivor learned to say goodbye to her boobs. \nAfter introductions and creating a safe space\, we will write together for timed intervals. After each session of writing\, participants will have the opportunity to read their stories to the group\, which is healing on many levels\, and a self-care surprise. \nThis afternoon of writing is led by Ana McCracken\, founder of the Ames Writers Collective. For the past year\, Ana has led virtual Writing Circle Wednesdays for the William R. Bliss Cancer Resource Center. Writing Through Cancer Writing Circles are inspired by the Amherst Writers & Artists method\, which believes that everyone is a writer. \nRSVPs for this free event are not required\, but preferred. Please email ana@ameswriterscollective.org for questions and to RSVP. Visit ameswriterscollective.org for more information about Writing Through Cancer writing circles. \nQuotes from Writing Circle Wednesday Participants: \n“I’ve come to regard Writing Circle Wednesdays as an integral part of my cancer treatment. As\nmuch as I appreciate the efforts of my medical team and support from family and friends\, I still\nfeel an “aloneness” in this journey. Writing Circle Wednesdays has proved a convenient\nopportunity to air my worries\, concerns\, hopes and fears that only another cancer patient can\ntruly fathom. It is a safe space to share insights\, tears\, and laughter.” —NJ \n\n“This has helped with chemo brain SO MUCH.” —KG \n\n“Living with cancer is a lonely journey. Only those who have been or are on that same journey\ntruly understand the emotions\, fears and challenges we face each day. I was hoping to gain some\ninsight into how others coped with their diagnosis. I not only gained that\, but also came to\nunderstand more fully my own reactions to my personal cancer story. This was a valuable\nexperience for me. I don’t feel quite as alone as I did.” —PP \nThursday\, January 12\, 2023: \n\n 7:00-8:30 PM: An [UNTITLED] Performance\n \nOctagon Main Gallery \nJoin Tiffany\, and a host of talented artists\, as they share an uncensored look at their breast cancer experiences through poetry\, short plays\, narrative essays\, and a dash of stand-up comedy. Told with humor\, heart\, and sincerity\, this performance offers audiences an opportunity to connect more deeply to the artists’ journeys\, and one another.  \nImage: “Heavy Lift” by Tiffany Antone.  \n \nSaturday\, January 14\, 2023: \n\n 1:00-2:30 PM: An [UNTITLED] Performance\n \nOctagon Main Gallery \nJoin Tiffany\, and a host of talented artists\, as they share an uncensored look at their breast cancer experiences through poetry\, short plays\, narrative essays\, and a dash of stand-up comedy. Told with humor\, heart\, and sincerity\, this performance offers audiences an opportunity to connect more deeply to the artists’ journeys\, and one another.  \nImage: “Heavy Lift” by Tiffany Antone.    \n\n 3:00-5:00 PM: Make Your Own Boob Prints! Craft Day\n \nOctagon Dance Studio \nBefore Tiffany’s mastectomy\, she created an inkprint of her breasts\, and she’s so glad she did! Tiffany’s inkprint is featured in the Octagon Community Gallery\, and she invites community members to create their own breast-prints! This event will take place in the Octagon Dance Studio\, with a private room available for individuals to actually create a print they can take home with them. Tiffany will provide guidance throughout the process! \nAnyone who wants to create a breast-print is welcome to join!  \nWe particularly want to invite breast cancer patients\, survivors\, and previvors to register for this event. All boobs are welcome\, but please note that Tiffany tried this on her reconstructed boobs\, and it was a little more challenging.  \nPlease register (for free!) here by January 13th. \nImage: Inkprint by Tiffany Antone  \nQuestions about the exhibit? Email curator@octagonarts.org  \nLooking for some resources related to cancer screening and awareness? \nCheck out Iowa Cancer Consortium and the William R. Bliss Cancer Center. \nSome additional helpful resources recommended to us: \nAmerican Cancer Society\nLGBTQ+ Guide for Cancer Screening\nAn article from the American Cancer Society about racial disparities in breast cancer statistics   \nThank you to our exhibit artists:\nTiffany Antone\, Marla Andich\, Summer Awad\, Diana Burbano\, Pamela Crouch\, Hilde DeBruyne\, Sharon Goldner\, Carolyn Krueger\, Kimberly Kruse\, Amy McEntaffer\, Molly McGuire\, Karen Murphy\, Connie Mutel\, Angela J. Olney\, Kelly Marie Schaefer\, Rowen Schussheim-Anderson & Students at Augustana College \nArt 253 Fiber Sculpture Class\, Gaye Shannon-Burnett\, Jill Sneed\, India Snow-Watt\, Mónica Toro Lebrón\, Megan Wassom\n \nThank you to our exhibit photographers: \nKamaura Kim (ArtForce Iowa) and Alyson O’Hara  \nThank you to our exhibit partners: \nAmes Writers Collective\, Iowa Cancer Consortium\, NormaLeah Ovarian Cancer Initiative\, Soulful Healing Yoga\, and William R. Bliss Cancer Center \n \n \n   \n \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nThank you to our exhibit funders: \nCity of Ames Commission on the Arts\, Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities\,* and Mary Greeley Medical Center.  \nThe Octagon Center for the Arts is also supported by the Iowa Arts Council and Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.  \n \n  \n  \n        \n*This program is supported by Humanities Iowa. The views and opinions expressed by this program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities Iowa. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/untitled-january-2023/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/unTITled-show-graphic-e1669054167372.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20221119 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20221225 DTSTAMP:20260423T100356 CREATED:20220329T221406Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221121T163314Z UID:13701-1668816000-1671926399@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:WHAT'S THE BUZZ? [explorations in handmade paper]: Dawn Wohlford DESCRIPTION:Artist Statement:\nI could be the Poster Child for the slogan “Reuse\, Reduce\, Recycle.” Handmade paper is the basis for the majority of my artwork\, but I often incorporate\, weave or build using other found materials. I use old clothes\, dead plants\, shredded money\, and items such as old doormats (made of natural fibers) to make paper pulp. I cast or incorporate pieces of rusty metal\, vintage glass\, bicycle inner tubes\, leather and anything else that catches my eye. Pieces are often finished with pigment to achieve the appearance of metal.  \nMy approach to art making is methodical. Each piece is carefully planned and goes through several time intensive processes before reaching its final state. Each stage informs and alters the finished piece. The finished piece aspires to be both a beautiful object and a thought provoking or humorous reflection. \nMost recently\, the plight of bees\, as well as the construction of their hives (which is a form of papermaking) has captured my interest. Recent pieces reflect thoughts about the structure of beehives and how they are similar to human homes as not only a supposedly safe haven\, but a place to work and create. \nAbout the Artist:\nSculptural paper artist Dawn Wohlford discovered handmade paper during a National Art Educators conference in 1983\, while she was a junior at Truman State University. She returned to college and read everything she could find about making paper\, then began experimenting with handmade screens\, an old blender and recycled paper\, using her bathtub as a vat. Using these crude supplies\, she was able to create art for her Senior Show and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Still obsessed with creating art with paper pulp\, she chose to attend Arizona State University to learn hands on from one of the authors whose book she had studied. With her new skills\, she moved to Colorado and became an apprentice to Raymond Tomasso\, an internationally known artist. She gave workshops in Vail and Leadville and produced 150 sheets of nearly identical denim papers for a limited-edition book\, Strange Papers\, that was assembled and bound in Germany. At the same time\, she attended the University of Colorado and earned an MFA in sculpture in 1988. She moved back to her hometown in Iowa in 1998 and she became the Visual Arts Director for Quad City Arts\, a nonprofit organization. She oversees two art galleries and a public sculpture program. Additionally\, she serves on the Acquisitions Committee for the Figge Art Museum and teaches papermaking at Gilda’s Club. After caring for her home & family\, she creates art in the wee hours of the night. She consistently exhibits her work in regional exhibitions. \n  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/dawn-wohlford/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2018-06-16-14.04.07-scaled-e1668707941404.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20221008 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20221113 DTSTAMP:20260423T100357 CREATED:20220329T221125Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221025T233545Z UID:13699-1665187200-1668297599@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:LAYERS OF REALITY: ANDREW CLARRIDGE AND MATTHEW TERRY DESCRIPTION:Artist Statements\nAndrew Clarridge\n \n“My work is an endeavored process culminating out of experiences many or all of us have had in our lives. I like to focus on an array of issues such as technology and its psychological effects\, enslavement\, love\, loss\, death\, renewal\, enlightenment and empowerment. These are broad topics that have deep historic layers from which to sift through. The “layers” of inspiration are ambiguously related to the layers I build up in each piece. The digital work incorporates up to 50 layers or more of blending\, mirroring\, breaking apart\, color correction etc. This work is derived from hand made pieces involving wildly vivid and bright colors\, wood burned matrices and geometric form interplayed with organic counterparts. In both computer generated and hand-made pieces (sometimes both in one) the colors and forms are created to coexist with each other in a harmonious dance that often resonates with music I may be listening to at the same time.” \n  \n  \n  \nMatthew Terry\nLife is expression; and from a young age Matthew has fully embraced this expression. Lost within his surroundings\, at 16 he found photography\, and through this medium he developed a way to connect with other individuals who also felt a similar level of detachment. By combining subjective perspective with universal appeal Matthew has found unique ways of questioning not only the identity of who we are\, but also how we interact & relate to that which surrounds us. Whether he’s capturing a Landscape\, Architecture\, or the Human Form\, his work challenges the relation of inherent truths & fiction that occur in our existence. Utilizing contrasting tones\, and a distinctly deliberate perspective influenced by combining the conscious and subconscious as a means to question reality\, Matthew showcases conceptual photos which evoke a level of detachment subtle enough for most people to connect with. It is through this connection that Matthew proves on a perceptual level just how related we actually are. \nAbout the Artists\nAndrew Clarridge is from Story City\, and graduated with a BFA in 2009 from Iowa State University. Andrew has exhibited work with the artist group Paintpushers and also independently around central Iowa since 2010. Currently\, Andrew creates work out of Mainframe Studios in Des Moines\, and has an open studio where he demonstrates and discusses his work every first Friday of the month. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n \nMatthew Terry is a Fine Art Photographer and graduate of the Academy of Art University\, where he attained his BFA-Photography with a focus in Fine Art Photography in December of 2014. Currently located in the Davenport Iowa/Quad City area\, Matthew picked up his first film camera in 2004 at age 16\, and since has exhibited and sold work at galleries in Rome\, San Francisco\, and Minneapolis\, among others. Additionally seeing work published both Nationally (Iowa\, Vermont\, New York\, Atlanta) and Internationally (Italy\, England). Growing up in the Midwest\, he long felt alienated in both a physical and mental sense. Lost within his surroundings he found photography\, and through this medium he found a way to connect with other individuals who also felt a similar level of detachment. \nRecently featured in the Iowa 175th Anniversary edition of The Annals of Iowa and a featured guest at the 2021 Celebrate Iowa Gala\, Matthew is a quickly emerging talent from the Eastern edge of Iowa attempting to change up the perception of what Midwestern/Iowa art has traditionally represented. \nExhibit Event\nLayers of Reality Artist Talk with ISU Alum\, Andrew Clarridge   \nWednesday\, November 2\, 4:30-5:30 p.m.\nOctagon Center for the Arts Community Gallery\nFree and Open to the Public\nMasks Required \nJoin artist Andrew Clarridge\, an alum of ISU College of Design and a featured artist in the Octagon Center for the Arts’ Layers of Reality exhibit\, for an artist talk on November 2nd. Andrew will talk about his exhibit artwork and artistic process\, as well as answer questions from students and community members. \n  \nLayers of Reality: Andrew Clarridge and Matthew Terry is sponsored by the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Iowa State University and PhotoSynthesis.    URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/andy-clarridge-and-matthew-terry/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Layers-of-Reality-Andrew-Clarridge-and-Matthew-Terry.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20220901T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20220930T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100357 CREATED:20220614T222456Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220922T163434Z UID:13989-1662019200-1664557200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:OUT Exhibit DESCRIPTION:On View September 1-30\, 2022 \nExhibition Locations:\nAmes History Museum: “Selfportrait: Flickering” by Sasha Phillips \n416 Douglas Avenue; Hours: Tuesday-Friday 1-4\, Saturday 10-4 \nAmes Public Library: “Queer Family” by Charlie Esker \n515 Douglas Avenue; Hours: Sunday 1-5\, Monday-Thursday 9-9\, Friday-Saturday 9-6 \nBack Alley House Plants: “The Box” by Ashley Vance \n111 Main Street; Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 11-5 \nDog-Eared Books: “Social Medium” by Lane Maxson \n203 Main Street; Hours: Monday-Thursday 9-7\, Friday-Saturday 9-8\, Sunday 10-6 \nHeroic Ink: “Mushroom Abduction” and “Portal” by Jennifer Leatherby  \n211 Main Street; Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11-9\, Saturday 9-9\, Sunday 12-6 \nLittle Woods Herbal: “2424 2.0 (June 24th)” by Jameson Malone \n136 Main Street; Hours: Monday-Friday 10-6\, Saturday 10-4 \nLondon Underground: “a hot haven” by Piper Smith \n212 Main Street; Hours: Monday-Thursday 3 pm-2 am\, Friday-Sunday 2 pm-2 am \n \nExhibition Statement: \nOUT extends an invitation to connect to the LGBTQIA+ community with authenticity. Each artwork was chosen because they bring forward key elements of community building like creation and maintenance or people and locations.  \nThe artwork featured in OUT presents communities in a way that contains abundance\, masses\, and movements that are neither monolithic nor are they stagnant. A few of the artworks invite you to share specifically in the LGBTQIA+ community in hopes that you will understand and see what we know and hold dear. Other artworks invite you to see the more difficult parts of community: the loneliness\, the effort\, the isolation\, and the need to escape. \nBy actively engaging in OUT\, you are actively engaging in the many levels of community in and around the exhibition. You are building a community with the artwork\, with the artist\, with the people and places the artist calls community\, with the Octagon Art Center\, with Ames\, and with me. Welcome. \n \n~aj castle\, Out Exhibit Juror \nJuror:  aj castle (they\,them\,theirs) is currently transitioning from full-time creator of programming and resources to support and advance gender equity in higher education to full-time scholar on the intersection of gender and technology. Their specific interests include researching\, exploring\, and understanding the creation and viewing of digital bodies\, digital gender identities\, power disparities in social media and user generated content\, and the gamification of relationships. Their current multi-media works in progress include an analysis of the technologies of gender in sci-fi/horror films\, a body horror short story\, and various assemblages of found objects that speak on transitioning and expanding gender. \nArtist Bios and Statements: \nCharlie Esker – behance.net/profile/charlieesker; @charlieesker  \nHello! My name is Charlie Esker (they/she)\, I am a nonbinary artist born and raised in Cedar Rapids\, Iowa. I moved to Ames to study Integrated Studio Art at Iowa State and now work as a full-time artist! \nArtist Statement: Often\, queer people’s stories get told for them. Whether it be by their families or by the media\, queer people hardly get a narrator role when it comes to our own struggles. My art is my way of telling my story and working to heal my trauma through the artistic process. Most of my work revolves around my experiences as a transgender person\, both internal and external. Inviting the viewer into my story; whether that be to connect with other queer individuals\, or allow non-queer viewers a chance to see queerness through a queer person’s perspective. I strive to depict queer people in all our diverse\, divine\, glory. \n  \nJennifer Leatherby – @jenleatherbyart \nJennifer Leatherby is a queer multimedia artist who lives in Des Moines\, Iowa\, USA. She was adopted at a young age and grew up in a town of population 200 in rural Iowa. Her work explores themes of gender\, mental illness\, death\, nature\, and escapism. She visualizes her themes through abstract painting and fiber art and with symbolism of black holes\, surveilling eyes\, hands\, psychedelic landscapes\, celestial bodies\, otherworldly plants & animals. Her work includes drawing\, painting\, fibers\, digital\, video\, performance\, and sculpture. \nArtist Statement: My work reflects my life through a mirror of fantasy and abstraction. I am interested in every day connections and contradictions. I explore the time between our first breath and our last breath\, after our breath has ended\, the space between breaths\, and the things that take our breath away. \n \nJameson Malone – jamiemalone.com; @artbyjmalone \nJameson Malone is a 25 year-old multidisciplinary artist who graduated from Iowa State University with a BA in Biological/Pre-Medical Illustration. They create in various mediums\, most commonly known for their digital and acrylic works. Malone is heavily inspired by celestial bodies\, musicians\, the occult\, and the natural world. While infused with themes found in traditional art\, their pieces often focus on the understanding of oneself within gender\, sexuality\, and mental illness. \nJameson is currently located in Des Moines\, IA. This is the the ancestral\, unceded land of the Báxoǰe (Bah Kho-je) or Ioway\, Sauk (Sac)\, and Meskwaki (Fox) peoples. The Meskwaki Nation settlement is located in Tama\, IA\, and you can read more at www.meskwaki.org/  \nArtist Statement: I seldom depict more than one subject at a time in the pieces I create because much of my childhood was spent in isolation. Contemplating how the loneliness of childhood isolation has impacted and informed my young adulthood\, I’ve seen how the pieces I create can often reflect the feelings\, passions\, or subconscious rhetoric that individuals in the community often feel as well. We so often feel we go through hardships alone\, but as we reach out to those we care for\, often the currents of time are having us flow in the same wave. \nProceeds from this piece will be donated to the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund. \nLane Maxson – maramaxson4.wixsite.com/lanemaxson \nArt has been incredibly influential to Lane throughout his life\, though it wasn’t until a few years ago that he really started to enjoy and grow in his art. Within the last year\, Lane has been able to reflect on past traumas and experiences\, which can often be reflected in his work. Through this work\, Lane hopes his art can open windows to help others with their own past traumas. \nArtist Statement: As a twelve year old\, downloading Instagram for the first time seemed like an exciting opportunity. Five years later\, my views on social media are far from exciting. From a young age\, the importance of likes and followers was forced into my brain and eventually became the only thing I was focused on. With each post\, I gained more likes\, fueling that need for approval. Before coming out\, I wanted to be “good enough” online\, and I feared rejection from others if I were to come out. I thought my entire life was based on my presence and popularity on social media. After coming out\, my likes dropped\, and eventually I started to realize how damaging my mindset had been. Portraying the ‘real’ me opened a new window of healing for me. I learned that you shouldn’t hold back or hide yourself for the approval of others.   \nSasha Phillips – @sashablu_art\nSasha Phillips (They/Them) is a Disabled\, Non-binary & Queer Artist living in Iowa. They were trained in traditional art mediums under Painter Dixie Schwisher and continued to pursue art on their own over the next 20 years. Specializing in Oil\, Acrylic and Graphite they prefer a surrealist approach to art\, exploring how nature\, the macabre and the fantastic can tell stories about the human experiences of grief\, joy and reinvention. \nArtist Statement: I create art that blurs the lines between realism and surrealism\, between the binary of life and decay. I use acrylic in this piece for its bold opaque pigment to heighten contrast and emphasize that the light of self knowledge and community cannot fully blot out the pressure of our socialization\, systemic structures and internal doubts. Freedom is a process\, a sometimes ugly\, exhausting process\, even within a supportive community\, when safety isn’t a guarantee. Light is still light\, but it can easily be snuffed out. \nPiper Smith – @paintdbypiper\nPiper Smith is a recent graduate of Iowa State with a Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts. She loves to utilize the arts\, especially theatre\, to contribute to her community and elicit positive change. She also loves painting and the ability it gives her to express herself. She is just getting started as a professional\, so she hopes this exhibit can open new doors to her future. \nArtist Statement: I feel that I am my most authentic self when I am able to interact with other trans people. It’s not that I can’t be authentic with people who aren’t trans\, but there is something special about connecting with people who understand me on an even deeper level. Through my art\, I can bridge that gap. Having a medium and also a platform with which to express myself allows me to tell the stories of my experience as a trans woman in a way that can better connect to those who aren’t trans. I believe the greatest struggle for cisgender people understanding trans folks is simply that the stories of trans people aren’t told enough. Even when they are told\, it may not always be done by trans people themselves. When trans people aren’t granted ownership of their own stories\, the narrative tends to shift into one that demonizes and lies about us. It is vital for us to tell our own stories for us to find that beloved connection\, belonging\, and authenticity. \nI chose peppers for this piece not only because I think they’re delicious\, but because they show us a wide array of beautiful colors\, shapes\, and sizes. Peppers are spicy\, yet so are the connections I find with the people in my communities. Just as I am enamored with spicy peppers\, I am with the spiciness of my own relationships. \nAshley Vance – @ashleyvance.studio\nMy work as a printmaker and mixed media artist focuses on issues of social justice and feminism\, specifically. As a queer woman I use my experience to inform the work that I put into the world for purposes of awareness and validation. \nPassionate about both art and issues of human rights\, I combine these to bring awareness of different social justice topics and to validate the experiences of those that are “othered” in society. I use my education in printmaking and women’s and gender studies to create a line of connection and communication from the marginalized to the privileged to further inform those who do not understand\, and to stand up for those who cannot stand for themselves. By using methods of printmaking\, which is the medium of communication and mass production\, I can spread my message to a much larger audience. \nArtist Statement: I work with printmaking and mixed media in my work to spread messages of feminism and social justice. The processes I use are primarily print media based\, where I use an image to create a printing substrate to create the ability to create multiples of one piece. With my work purposefully spreading messages to the masses\, the ability to create multiples is vital to my process and my goals as an artist and activist. By photocopying and resizing my works to make them more accessible\, I am furthering my goals of making art for the people; all people. \nEvents: \nOut Exhibit Walking Tour: Thursday\, September 8\, 2022\, 5:30-6:15 p.m.  \nJoin Dr. Ruxandra Marcu\, director of ISU’s Margaret Sloss Center for Women and Gender Equity\, and Dr. Susan Harper\, director of ISU’s Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success\, for a walking tour of the Out exhibit. Dr. Marcu and Dr. Harper will host the tour\, offering their thoughts\, reflections\, and interpretations of the artwork with community members.  \nAnyone who wishes to join the tour can meet at the Octagon Center for the Arts at 5:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. \nOut Virtual Artist Talk: Monday\, September 26\, 2022\, 7:00 p.m. CST \nJoin juror aj castle and exhibit artists for an informal conversation about the artwork of Out. Register here to receive the Zoom link.  \n  \nThis exhibition is sponsored by the Octagon Center for the Arts\, the Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success\, Margaret Sloss Center for Women and Gender Equity\, Wheatsfield Cooperative\, London Underground\, Amy and Jason Popillion\, The Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Iowa State University\, Tara Fisher and Dave Svoboda\, and Dawn Budd.  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/out-exhibit/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Copy-of-OUT.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20220820T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20221001T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100357 CREATED:20220815T190618Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220922T163135Z UID:14039-1660982400-1664643600@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Work-In-Progress: Jordan Brooks\, Susan Norris\, & Lindsay Wede DESCRIPTION:Exhibit Title: Work-In-Progress \nExhibit Location and Dates: Octagon Community Gallery\, August 20 – October 1\, 2022 \nExhibit Description: The Octagon’s Work-In-Progress exhibit will display the behind-the-scenes work of an artist. Artists Jordan Brooks\, Susan Norris\, and Lindsay Wede will use the Octagon’s Community Gallery as their studio space for the duration of the show. The three artists represent varied media\, local artists\, and art educators. Through making visible the process of creation\, in a public and collaborative space that considers the value of intergenerational dialogue\, Work-In-Progress seeks to celebrate art as a dialogic\, community-informed\, and collaborative professional practice. \nArtist Bios and Statements:  \nJordan Brooks \nJordan Brooks is a creator and educator. His primary mediums are performance art\, pen and ink\, and painting both digitally and traditionally. His artistic practice and research explore the development of and commitment to identity\, specifically Black identity. Guided by the affirmation\, “See yourself\, know yourself\, be yourself.” Jordan’s creative practice seeks to understand self in relation to the social and physical world. Jordan created KNWSLF (Know Self) to bring his passion for creativity and identity development together. KNWSLF stands for Knowledge\, Wisdom\, Self Love\, and Fellowship. Through all forms of creativity\, he explores these four concepts in hopes to better know self. \nArtist Statement: Developing imagination creates capacity to imagine and develop a nation! \n  \n  \n  \nSusan Norris \nSusan Norris\, an Ames artist\, is a human magpie. Walk with her and you’ll witness her exclaim as she picks up a bit of rusty metal or a shard of plastic. Variety is the spice of Norris’ life from the colors\, patterns and textures of her thrifted clothing and garden to the way she sets a table. \nShe is a scrappy collector and determined connector who can stitch Humpty-Dumpty back together again in a variety of imaginative ways. During the 2021 Ames Artist Studio tour folks asked\, “How did you think of so many different ways to put things together?” \nNorris is passionate about rescuing discarded objects\, likening them to discarded people. The process of finding\, sorting and grouping objects inspires ideas for expression through assemblage. Norris is currently experimenting with ways to combine her lifelong love of hand stitching and her newfound interest in mending with found object art. \n \nLindsay Wede \nLindsay Wede sees her world as a big adventure in art. She teaches art at Ames High School and helps students with their own projects. At home\, she tackles creative challenges with her son. Lindsay loves the process of creating art and wants to use it as a vehicle for making a difference in the lives of others. \nVisit www.pinzprints.com for more of her work. \nYou can also find her books at www.lulu.com/spotlight/pinzprints  \nArtist Statement:  Brainstorming with botany\, building blocks\, bookmarks\, books\, and more. \nMaking art can be both refreshing and terrifying. It gives a chance to construct meaning and to release an array of emotions. It is a means to celebrate and rejoice or grieve and offer sympathy. It also offers a framework to pose questions and search for answers. \n With art\, I can study and share various perspectives and stories. I like to explore all aspects of life\, from early childhood to old age. My work swings from silly stories to more sophisticated themes. I constantly think about my purpose and how my work can be used to make a difference. I think about what can be learned\, as I am in the process of creating. \nMy pieces go through constant revision\, because I approach them much like I approach life. Art mimics life\, after all. As I work\, I discover\, learn\, and grow. Like my art\, I am a work in progress. Recently\, I broke my finger on my primary hand and had to have surgery. I have been retraining myself how to use my hand and the process has taught me a lot. I have so many different ideas and mediums that I wish to investigate more. That is one of the reasons why I love teaching kids about art- there are always so many opportunities\, even with limitations. \nI enjoy making bookmarks and books to encourage reading and morals. I like designing building blocks for play and making connections. With the blocks\, children can see familiar faces\, expressions\, and interesting colors and characters. I also am interested in drawing concepts from current events and various times in history together to try to better understand and make connections that are a lot harder to make. I am continually planning and creating with natural materials\, as I really see them as the best art supply and a reminder of how connected we are to the earth. I use them to inspire me and make paintings and prints. To encourage my art\, I spend a lot of time outdoors\, talking with others\, reading\, taking notes\, and sketching. \nI hope you enjoy my work and take some time to engage with it. There are some interactive activities and there are books\, bookmarks\, blocks\, and prints for sale. Please write your name in the guest book and add your email address. Please share any comments and questions you may have. \n  \nEvents:  \nWork-In-Progress: Open House \nThursday\, September 1\, 2022\, 6:00-8:00 p.m.  \nOctagon Community Gallery \n  \nJoin all three Work-In-Progress featured artists for an open house! Jordan Brooks\, Susan Norris\, and Lindsay Wede will spend the evening showcasing completed and in-progress artworks\, answering questions\, and engaging with the Ames community to discuss their artistic processes and current projects.  \n  \nWork-In-Progress: Artist Studio Hours \nVisit the Octagon Community Gallery to see the exhibit artists at work!  \n  \nJordan Brooks: Thursdays\, 4:00-8:00 p.m.; Saturdays\, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. \nSusan Norris: Mondays-Fridays\, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  \nLindsay Wede: Thursdays\, 4:30-7:30 p.m.  \n  \nAdditional Events: TBD \n  \n  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/work-in-progress-featuring-jordan-brooks-susan-norris-and-lindsay-wede/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Copy-of-WIP-Final.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220709 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220814 DTSTAMP:20260423T100357 CREATED:20220329T220623Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220730T200050Z UID:13697-1657324800-1660435199@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Second Annual Member Show DESCRIPTION:Located in the Community Gallery \nThis unjuried show celebrates the skills\, creativity\, and lived experiences of the Octagon community! Let’s fill the gallery and surround ourselves with our own amazing work — established artists next to emerging artists\, all media. \n \nThe Octagon’s Member Show 2022: Participating Artists \n\n\n\n\nCarolyn \n\n\nAbbott \n\n\ncarolyntabbott.smugmug.com \n\n\n\n\nPenny \n\n\nAdam \n\n\n\n\n\nRobert \n\n\nAnders \n\n\nInstagram: @bobsretirementhut  \n\n\n\n\nDeb \n\n\nAnders-Bond \n\n\n\n\n\nTiffany \n\n\nAntone \n\n\nInstagram: @My_Lil_Weirdlings  \n\n\n\n\nCarol \n\n\nBarrick \n\n\n\n\n\nLayna \n\n\nBentley \n\n\n\n\n\nTerry \n\n\nBrigman \n\n\n\n\n\nRuthellen \n\n\nCunnally \n\n\nInstagram: @CutandPasteMosaics  \n\n\n\n\nSusan \n\n\nCunningham \n\n\nInstagram: @susanacunninghamart  \n\n\n\n\nLinda \n\n\nEmmerson \n\n\nGoogle Sites: Linda Emmerson papercutting \n\n\n\n\nKristy \n\n\nEvans \n\n\nInstagram: @kristys_abstract_art  \n\n\n\n\nNaomi \n\n\nFriend \n\n\nwww.naomifriend.com \n\n\n\n\nCathie \n\n\nGebhart \n\n\ndanthefishpublishing.weebly.com/ \n\n\n\n\nLydia \n\n\nGebhart \n\n\n\n\n\nJIll \n\n\nGuffy \n\n\nFacebook: Jill Guffy \n\n\n\n\nRex \n\n\nHeer \n\n\nrexheer.com \n\n\n\n\nJim \n\n\nHellemn \n\n\njimhellemn.com \n\n\n\n\nKatharine \n\n\nHensley \n\n\n\n\n\nLaurie \n\n\nHoifeldt \n\n\nwww.etsy.com/shop/LaurieJaneArt Facebook: Laurie Hoifeldt \n\n\n\n\nJulie \n\n\nHughes \n\n\nInstagram: @juliehughesart \n\n\n\n\nLinda Cather \n\n\nJohnson \n\n\nCatherjohnson.myportfolio.com \n\n\n\n\nConnie \n\n\nJohnson \n\n\n\n\n\nLetitia \n\n\nKenemer \n\n\n\n\n\nSvetlana \n\n\nLubota \n\n\n\n\n\nEmily \n\n\nLupita \n\n\nemilylupita.com/ \n\n\n\n\nJoshua \n\n\nMcCunn \n\n\nthumbsphotography.squarespace.com/ \n\n\n\n\nSara \n\n\nMerritt \n\n\nInstagram: @papercranesara \n\n\n\n\nJon \n\n\nMuller \n\n\n\n\n\nNicole \n\n\nNevels \n\n\nFacebook.com/Nicole.Tolson.7 \n\n\n\n\nChristopher \n\n\nNorris \n\n\nInstagram: @hedrawsgood \n\n\n\n\nSusan \n\n\nNorris \n\n\nInstagram: @eccentricoldwoman \n\n\n\n\nHailey \n\n\nNyman \n\n\nEtsy: CourageXConfidence Instagram: CourageXconfidence23 \n\n\n\n\nSasha \n\n\nPhillips \n\n\nInstagram: @SashaBlu_Art  \n\n\n\n\nJoseph \n\n\nPlum \n\n\nemilylupita.com/joeplum  \n\n\n\n\nTimothy \n\n\nPross \n\n\nwww.ProssWildlifeArt.com \n\n\n\n\nKyle \n\n\nRenell \n\n\nwww.kylerenell.com \n\n\n\n\nKimberlee \n\n\nRocca \n\n\nwww.kimberleerocca.com/ \n\n\n\n\nSam \n\n\nSenti \n\n\nSkunkriverburls@gmail.com \n\n\n\n\nRichard \n\n\nShook \n\n\nwww.dickshook.com \n\n\n\n\nJill \n\n\nSneed \n\n\n\n\n\njosh \n\n\nsorrell \n\n\nwww.joshsorrell.com \n\n\n\n\nKevin \n\n\nStow \n\n\n\n\n\nRobert \n\n\nSunderman \n\n\nwww.facebook.com/RobSundermanArt \n\n\n\n\nKathy \n\n\nSvec \n\n\n\n\n\nBarb \n\n\nThompson \n\n\nwww.bthompson.studio Facebook/Instagram: @bthompson.artwork \n\n\n\n\nSean  \n\n\nThornton \n\n\n\n\n\nTheresa \n\n\nWarren \n\n\n\n\n\nAlicia \n\n\nWilkinson \n\n\naliciawilkinson.com \n\n\n\n\nKelsey \n\n\nWilson \n\n\nwww.kelseywilsonstudio.com \n\n\n\n\nNorma \n\n\nWolff \n\n\n\n\n\nIrina \n\n\nYavorskaya \n\n\nArtPal.com/impressionsByIsy \n\n\n\n\nTom \n\n\nZimmerman \n\n\n\n\n\n  \nMember Show artists respond to the question\,  \n“What does Octagon membership mean to you?” \n“The Octagon thanks each of its members and patrons when we all should be thanking them for being here!  In my opinion\, The Octagon has become the cornerstone of the art world in Ames\, Iowa.  Through their hard work they have moved the arts forward in such a way that the lives of the community members has become enriched in many ways.” – Penny Adam \n  \n“Art is important\, it feeds our souls and helps us find our place in the world. The Octagon\, by nurturing artists all ages\, enriches the fabric of life in Ames.” – Ruthellen Cunnally \n  \n“Octagon membership is an intentional way to participate in our local creative community\, which is invaluable.” – Naomi Friend \n  \n“The Octagon has been my safe space to think and create\, teach and be taught.” – Cathie Gebhart \n  \n“Octagon membership is mutually beneficial: It is gratifying to support the arts in Ames\, thereby enriching the broader community. And it is rewarding that the Octagon encourages and supports individual artists and engages those who appreciate art.” – Rex Heer \n  \n“My membership means that I have a place to belong in the community. Where I can experience art and create art.” – Katharine Hensley  \n  \n“The arts are essential to the human experience\, and membership is just a tiny way to show support for local art and artists.  The Octagon has made dramatic\, intentional changes over the past few years and is now I think the most relevant and necessary it has ever been – it is often art that builds empathy within a community\, creates space for dialogue\, and elevates expression so we can connect to each other in meaningful and transformative ways. I am proud to be a member\, and hope to see the arts in Ames expand even more with the Octagon leading the way.” – Sara Merritt \n  \n“Octagon membership means that I can partner with and learn from the greater art community here in Ames and beyond in an accessible and accepting space.” – Sasha Phillips \n  \n“I get to be a part of a great art organization that I can help support\, while it also supports me.” – Josh Sorrell \n \n  \nThe Details \n\n\n\n\n\nEach current member may submit one of their own original works\, any media. This is work created by the member.\nA simple form must be completed (form coming soon!). Let us know if you need a little help signing up.\nThis is an unjuried\, all media show; all submissions will be accepted (one per member) as long as the instructions\, including hanging requirements\, are followed. \nTraditional hanging requirements must be followed; full instructions for accepted works are here. Let us know if you need to talk about this.\nPlease label your work carefully with your name\, e.g.\, the back bottom right corner for a 2D piece.\nDrop off June 11 – July 2\, 2022\nThe Octagon will not take a commission on any work sold in the Member Show\, as a benefit to members. Work may also be submitted as “not for sale.” Work must be picked up August 16 – 20\, 2022.\nKeep in mind \, any artwork that is shown in the Octagon galleries will not be eligible for future Octagonal or other Octagon juried exhibits.\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you want to join next year’s show by signing up for a membership\, visit https://octagonarts.org/home/membership/ \nFor further information\, please contact us at exhibits@octagonarts.org URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/second-annual-member-show/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220521 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220703 DTSTAMP:20260423T100357 CREATED:20220329T220317Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220606T195434Z UID:13695-1653091200-1656806399@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Place and Memory CINDY LESPERANCE\, CAROLYN ALBRACHT\, & JEANINE COUPE RYDING DESCRIPTION:Located in the Community Gallery \nExhibit Reception: Join us at our exhibit reception on June 9\, 6-8pm at the Octagon! Come meet some of the artists\, see the show\, listen to our crowdsourced exhibit playlist\, and if weather permits\, hang out on the patio and enjoy some light refreshments! Masks are required for events. \nArtist Panel: Register here to join a virtual panel event featuring the artists of Place and Memory! Carolyn Albracht\, Jeanine Coupe Ryding\, and Cindy Lesperance will discuss their artistic process\, their artwork that is currently exhibiting at the Octagon Center for the Arts\, and how their work reflects on place and memory. Tuesday\, June 14th\, 6:00-7:00 p.m. CT\, Zoom. \nGallery Show Statement: Place and Memory \nSometimes a place is experienced from the ground. Sitting in the window of a rural coffee shop\, imagining the lives of passersby. Or walking through the prairie as birds flit from one tall stem of grass to another as the sun beats down overhead. Place is made from the detailed goings on\, the minutia\, of everyday life within local communities and ecosystems.  \nSometimes a place is viewed from above\, distilled down into forms\, colors\, and textures. As the scale expands\, the intricacies of place become less important. The composition of the geographies and tone of the topographies as the sun casts shadows across the landscape take precedence over the experiences of the people who live there or the ecosystems those people exist within.  \nSometimes a place is built from the experiences had\, the relationships created\, and the opportunities taken by those who lived there or perhaps those who passed through. Humans bestow emotional meaning. Meaning creates place. Over time\, the place is remembered and re-remembered. The remembering is reflective and performative. As memories are made and re-made\, the place changes.  \nThe concept of place\, or the historical progression of place as an idea\, traces back to Aristotle and Plato in Ancient Greece. Plato wrote of place as simply a location\, and Aristotle defined place as a container 1. Place can be a physical environment such as a city\, town\, or neighborhood; a complicated interplay between people and the environment; or\, more obscurely\, a way of knowing 2. Place is as much a way of knowing as it is a thing in the world 3. With the addition of meaningfulness through experience and memories\, a geographical place has a sense of place\, or essence\, formed by the subjective and emotional attachment that people have to place as profound centers of human existence. 4 \nPlace and Memory is a compilation of three artists. Who come from different backgrounds. Who have different lived experiences. Who\, using different media\, share their conception of place\, and the importance of memory\, through their artwork.  \n\n[1] Tim Cresswell\, Place: An Introduction (Chichester\, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Ltd\, 2015)\, p. 25. \n[2] Ibid.\, p. 18. \n[3] Ibid.\, p. 18. \n[4] John A. Agnew\, Place and Politics: The Geographical Mediation of State and Society (Boston\, MA: Allen & Unwin\, 1987). Also Edward Relph\, Place and Placelessness (London\, United Kingdom: Pion\, 1976)\, p. 43. \n\nBiography: Carolyn Albracht \nCarolyn Albracht is Associate Professor of Art Education in the department of Art and Design at Wayne State College. She is also owner and director of Blue Cat Gallery & Studio in downtown Wayne\, NE. She formerly owned and operated L’eglise Art Center & Gallery in Aurora\, NE and taught K-12 art at Hampton Public School in Hampton\, NE. Carolyn served as the Visual Arts Coordinator for the Fall Arts & Music Festival in Aurora from 2004-2007\, and served on the Fine Arts Board of the Hamilton Community Foundation for ten years. She has been a member of the Nebraska Art Teachers Association since 2008\, has served as the organization’s secretary since 2016\, and served as the organization’s 2014 Fall Conference Chair in Aurora. Carolyn studied Studio Art and Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Kearney where she earned a BA in 1999. She continued her studies at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln\, earning an MA in Museum Studies in 2003. She completed a K-12 Art Education teaching endorsement in 2009. And finally\, she earned a PhD in Education Studies at UNL in August 2016. Carolyn’s personal artistic and teaching philosophy includes the idea that the arts are a necessity and not a luxury\, and so she strives to make the visual arts as accessible as possible to people in her corner of the world. \nFind Carolyn at https://bluecatgalle \nBiography: Jeanine Coupe Ryding \nJeanine Coupe Ryding’s prints\, collages and artists books are in museum and private collections in the U.S\, Europe and Japan. Her work focuses primarily on woodcut prints\, etchings\, artist’s books\, collage and most recently\, painting. She founded both Shadow Press and Press 928 in Evanston\, Illinois for fine art printing and publishing. She received her BA degree from The University of Iowa and her MFA from the Universitat der Kunste\, in Berlin\, Germany. Jeanine has received various awards and residencies including Illinois Arts Council Award\, Arts Midwest Grant\, Frans Masereel Center residencies in Belgium and Anchor Graphics residency in Chicago. She taught in the PrintMedia Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1991 to 2019. \nFind Jeanine at www.jeaninecouperyding.com \n  \nBiography: Cindy Lesperance \nCindy Lesperance is an award-winning Chicago based artist who works out of her private studio in the NW suburbs.   \nHer art has been exhibited in many galleries and museums including:  Zhou B Art Center–Chicago\, IL\, Bridgeport Art Center\, 4th Floor Gallery–Chicago\, IL\, RMU-State Street Gallery–Chicago\, IL \, Atlantic Gallery–New York\, NY\,  Niza Knoll Gallery–Denver CO\, Rockford Art Museum\, Quad Cities International Airport Gallery\, Freeport Art Museum and has been chosen by prominent jurors such as: Joanne Materra\, Kaveh Mojtabai\, Fred Camper\, James Yood\, Aron Packer\, Dan Addington\, Sarah Krepp\, Jerry McLaughlin\, Lisa Pressman and Sergio Gomez to participate and earn awards in many juried shows.  She has been featured in publications including: EA Magazine\, ACS Magazine\, Cover or the Journal of Financial Service Professionals and Featured Artist of the Red Dot Blog.  Her work is displayed in private and public collections throughout the nation and is on view as part of the permanent collection of the Encaustic Art Institute in Santa Fe\, New Mexico.  \nShe is member and Past President of FUSEDChicago (2018-2021)\, a Chicago Based group of Midwest artists who work in Encaustic and a member of the Northwest Area Arts Council.   \nCindy has evolved a personal style that is highly sophisticated and meticulous in attention to craftsmanship. Her process incorporates a technique she developed of applying small droplets of encaustic\, a combination of beeswax\, resin and pigment\, one-by-one to the surface of the painting and exploring the relationship of these drips to the spaces in between them.  The overall effect produces a tactile quality that when viewed in person\, engages those who encounter it.   \nFind Cindy at www.CindyLesperance.com URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/place-and-memory-cindy-lesperance-carolyn-albracht-jeanine-coupe-ryding/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/place-exhibit.png ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220430 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220515 DTSTAMP:20260423T100357 CREATED:20220329T215723Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220506T191229Z UID:13688-1651276800-1652572799@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:2022 Elementary/Middle/High School Annual Student Show DESCRIPTION:Located in the Community Gallery/Virtual \nThe Octagon Center for the Arts highlights artwork by local elementary\, middle\, and high school students annually. \n\n2022 Kindergarten – 8th Grade Student Show\nSee the K – 8th Grade Show virtually! Visit our YouTube channel to see the Show: https://youtu.be/l_N0KeDsDNI \n\n2022 High School Student Show\nSee the High School Show in the Community Gallery April 30 – May 14\, 2022. The reception for High School Show was held on Thursday\, May 5\, 2022\, 6:00 – 7:30pm in the Community Gallery. Our juror announced high school awards and share comments on the show. The award presentation and comments can be viewed on the Octagon Facebook page. \n2022 High School Show Juror: JAMIE MALONE \nJamie Malone (they/them) is an Iowan traditional and graphic illustrator who graduated with a B.A. in Biological/Pre-Medical Illustration in 2019 from Iowa State University. They have been working as a freelance illustrator for many non-profits\, authors\, and schools in the central Iowa area. Their art is heavily influenced by celestial bodies\, music\, mysticism\, and the natural world. \nJamie worked at the Octagon Center for the Arts as the 2021 Curator in Residence. \n  \n2022 High School Show Award Winners \nJeffrey L. Brown Memorial Photography Award: “Cue!” by Derek Peng\, Senior\, Ames High School (Art Instructor: Lindsay Wede) \nDavid Burton Stone Memorial Painting/Drawing Award: “Self Portrait” by Cecilia Moyer\, Senior\, Nevada High School (Art Instructor: Mark Beauchene) \nJuror’s Choice (Sponsored by Ames Silversmithing): “Beautiful Wonders” by Emma Brockman\, Freshman\, Ames High School (Art Instructor: Lindsay Wede) \nJuror’s Choice (Sponsored by Ames Silversmithing): “Starlights” by Emma Hudnell\, Freshman\, Madrid High School (Art Instructor: Danielle Dalluge) \nJuror’s Choice (Sponsored by Ames Silversmithing): “First Night” by Carter Wolfe\, Junior\, Ballard High School (Art Instructor: Lisa Bell) \nJeffrey L. Brown Best of Show Award: “Ancestry Nesting Dolls” by Lorna Schuckert\, Senior\, Ames High School (Art Instructor: Lindsay Wede) \n  \n\n\n\n\n\nTHANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS 2022 SPONSORS:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Brown Family Endowment Fund\nThe Stone Family Endowment Fund\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/elementary-middle-high-school-annual-student-show/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/student-show-2022.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220416 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220424 DTSTAMP:20260423T100357 CREATED:20220412T153036Z LAST-MODIFIED:20221020T152405Z UID:13753-1650067200-1650758399@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Apricity ISU BFA ISA STUDENTS DESCRIPTION:Located in the Community Gallery\n \nSeventeen Integrated Studio Arts seniors from ISU’s department of art & visual culture will be exhibiting artwork in Apricity\, their BFA exhibition\, with media ranging from ceramics\, painting\, metalwork. wood\, drawing\, textiles\, printmaking\, photography\, and digital media. Students designed the exhibition and decided on Apricity as their exhibition title\, which means the warmth of the sun on a cold day.\n \nThe Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Integrated Studio Arts focuses on in-depth studio work with an emphasis on crossing conceptual and media boundaries. It is designed for students intending to become professional artists and those planning to continue their studies in a graduate program in studio art.\n \nThe show runs Saturday\, April 16 to Saturday\, April 23\, in the Octagon’s Community Gallery. Gallery hours are M-W 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.\, Thurs. 10 – 8 p.m.\, Fri. 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.\, and Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. A public reception will be held on Thursday\, April 21\, from 5 – 8 p.m.\n \n\n\nFeatured Artists: \nMali Bilstad\nEmma Bolles\nKalie Callison\nHelen Chandler\nMaddison Edwards\nNicole Eppens\nKalli Goerdt\nJacob Graeber\nCarolyn Henry\nAlyssa Mendoza\nClara Mikovec\nKhue Nguyen\nNur Sachleben\nMarilyn Schuling\nElynn Tan\nAshley Vance\nNikole Vollmer \n  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/pricity-isu-bfa-isa-students/ LOCATION:IA CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ISA-2022-Senior-Show-Poster-V3.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20220322T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20220324T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100357 CREATED:20220322T175018Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220322T175018Z UID:13650-1647943200-1648141200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Cherish LIZ MOYER DESCRIPTION:Located in the Reading Room (Small Wall Gallery). \nShow Statement \nCherish (2022) is a collection of interactive soft sculptures that seek to ask “How do we view end-of-life planning?” Death is a universal experience\, and yet remains in many ways a taboo conversation topic. These works are derived from questions of why we collectively struggle to talk openly about death and dying\, and how that impacts the quality of our death. By shifting the lens of how we have these conversations\, from one of discomfort and foreboding to instead an act of love for those around us\, these pieces consider what a more communal\, open approach might look like. Combining circuit driven interactive elements with traditional quilting aesthetics\, these pieces are driven by human touch and exploration. Quilting becomes a metaphor in these works for what end-of-life could be. Life is in some ways like a quilt\, made up of pieces or moments that combine to create a whole mosaic of experience; why not treat death the same way? By planning for end-of-life you are creating a warm\, comforting legacy to be there when you are no longer able to be.  \n  \nArtist Bio \nLiz Moyer is a graphic designer living in Ames\, IA. Born in South Dakota in 1990\, she perused a degree in Printmaking from the University of South Dakota\, before resettling in Seattle\, WA. After several years working in the arts in Washington state\, she returned to school to pursue a Master’s degree in Graphic Design. Liz is currently an MFA candidate set to complete her degree in the spring of 2022. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/cherish-liz-moyer/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/LizMoyer_Octagon_show-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Octagon Center for the Arts":MAILTO:info@octagonarts.org GEO:42.0257584;-93.6123172 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Octagon Center for the Arts 427 Douglas Avenue Ames IA 50010 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=427 Douglas Avenue:geo:-93.6123172,42.0257584 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR