Octagon Center for the Arts

Worlds Apart BOGUMIL BRONKOWSKI
2018-10-04 - 2018-11-10 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Worlds Apart by BOGUMIL BRONKOWSKI
October 4 – November 10, 2018
COMMUNITY GALLERY
My current body of work explores the concepts of struggle, place, and belonging. I immigrated to America at the age of nine; initially, no one told me that my family was permanently moving here. I boarded that international flight thinking that my family and I were coming for a vacation. It was devastating. I never said goodbye to many of my family and friends. I left behind everything that was familiar and came to a completely new environment, and since I was moving from a small town in Poland to Chicago, one of the most populated cities, the change was drastic. I had to navigate through this new, strange, yet exciting world without knowing the language or the customs of my new land. The process was scary, and many things did not make sense when I first arrived. It was similar to an alien being beamed down to a new planet; I had to learn a total new way of life.
My paintings reflect my personal experiences in that the viewer has to work to solve and make visual sense of each image. I play with the sense of space and depth, and my painting do not always make formal sense, much like America did not make sense to me when I first arrived here. Sometimes the image balances coming together as a whole, while other times it threatens to disintegrate into the separateness of the elements that compose it. My paintings are alien landscapes, confusing, exciting and intriguing.

Smithsonian Institution's Museum on Main Street Exhibit: Hometown Teams
2018-10-04 - 2018-11-11 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street Exhibit
Hometown Teams
October 4 – November 10
MAIN GALLERY
Our love of sports begins in our hometowns. We play them on ball fields and sandlots, on courts and on ice, in parks and playgrounds, even in the street. From pick-up games to organized leagues, millions of Americans of all ages play sports. Win or lose, we yearn to compete and play another day.
If we’re not playing sports, we’re watching them. We sit in the stands and root for the local high school team, or gather on the sideline and cheer on our sons and daughters as they take their first swing or score their first goal.
Hometown sports are more than just games—they shape our lives and unite us and celebrate who we are as Americans.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS UNIQUE EXHIBIT HERE

Exploring Art (Session 2)
2018-10-02 09:15 - 2018-10-23 10:00 (America/Chicago) | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Exploring Art
Ages: 18 months – younger 3’s
Tuesdays, 9:15 – 10am
$55 for each 4 week session — See the class listing for the other 4 week sessions.
October 2 – 23
Children and their adult partner will explore art together in a relaxed environment. Toddlers will create their own works of art while learning new skills like tearing paper, gluing, cutting, coloring over texture, painting with different objects, moving through transitions and imitating art making processes. Activities will focus on age appropriate, playful, artistic and sensory materials.
Limit: 6 adult/child pairs.
Instructor: Beth Weninger
Hunziker Studio

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
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complete the payment information
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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/28/18.

Indigo Dyeing, ages 12+
2018-09-30 13:00 - 14:30 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Indigo Dyeing, ages 12+
Sunday, September 30
1 – 2:30 pm
$45
Explore the plant and science magic of dyeing with indigo! Indigo is a plant based dye that is use to create beautiful blue colors. All materials provided including two items to dye, however feel free to bring any extra item such as a t shirt, scarf, fabric, yarn or other natural fiber item to dye. We will fold, scrunch and twist items to make interesting designs and dye them in the rich, blues of indigo.

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/27/18.

Knitting For Total Beginners
2018-09-29 09:00 - 2018-10-13 11:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Knitting For Total Beginners
Saturdays, 9 – 11 am
September 29 – October 13 (3 weeks) $60
If you’ve always wanted to learn to knit, this is your chance, while making something fun in the process. We’ll learn the basics of the classic, English-style knitting method that’s been used for centuries to create everything from scarves and sweaters to socks and mittens. Students will learn to cast on, knit, increase, decrease and bind off. Tips on reading a pattern, tool selection and yarn choice are included. Skill level: Beginner, no previous knitting experience required.
Bring to class: one skein of bulky-weight yarn in a light, solid color and a pair of size 10 knitting needles. Suggestion: try to find wooden (such as bamboo) or plastic needles, NOT aluminum ones. (Aluminum needles are slippery and much harder to handle!)
Instructor: Diane Corson
Adams Studio
To register:

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complete the payment information
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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/27/18.
Class Limit: 10

MAKER NIGHT: Travel Sketch Journals: Mapping it all out!
2018-09-27 18:30 - 21:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
MAKER NIGHT: Travel Sketch Journals: Mapping it all out!
Thursday, September 27
6:30 – 9 pm
$45
MAKER NIGHTS are for those ages 21 and above. Bring your friends and your favorite beverage & snacks to enjoy while you create! Or come by yourself and make some new pals. Novice and experienced makers are welcome!
Sift through your photos, writings and tidbits of collected ephemera from your summer travels and put it together in a bound journal that makes sense to you! We will provide the sketch journals, writing and cutting utensils, glue and scrap paper. You bring your treasures from your travels or special experiences.

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
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complete the contact information form that appears after you add a ticket
complete the payment information
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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/25/18.

Ceramic Bowls & Mugs on the Wheel, ages 16+
2018-09-18 18:00 - 2018-10-23 21:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Ceramic Bowls &Mugs on the Wheel Throwing, ages 16+
Tuesdays, 6 – 9 pm
(6 weeks) September 18 – October 23
$120 includes 25Lbs. of clay, all glazes and firing.
Students will learn basic throwing techniques from wedging to glazing. Students will have finished bowls at the end of the course.
Instructor: Suzy Block
Ceramics Studio
Class Limit: 6

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
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complete the payment information
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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/14/18.

Botanical Inks and Paints, ages 16 +
2018-09-16 13:00 - 15:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Botanical Inks and Paints, ages 16 +
Sunday, September 16
1 – 3 pm
$50
Add a new dimension to writing, drawing, or painting by exploring handmade botanical inks. We will use a variety of botanicals to create plant-based inks and fresh plant-made paints. See the artistic potential of flowers, weeds, and berries with fresh eyes! No art skills needed, just a desire to play and have fun. You will take home some freshly made natural, plant- based art supplies. Class limit: 15 students
Instructor: Maggie Howe

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
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complete the contact information form that appears after you add a ticket
complete the payment information
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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/13/18.

Aperture: The Biennial Juried Photography Exhibit 2018
2018-09-14 - 2018-11-21 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Aperture: The Biennial Juried Photography Exhibit 2018
Theme: Community Sports
September 14 – November 21, 2018
Main Gallery
We experience the world around us in flashes of action and emotion in the world of sports. From the youngest to the oldest members of our community, competitive games bring people together and spark movement and involvement. Photographers exercising their trigger finger are invited to submit their photographs highlighting athletes and athletic experiences in their lives.
This exhibit is a companion to the traveling Smithsonian exhibit: Hometown Teams.
Jurors: Alex & Dan McClanahan
McClanahan Studio is the creative collaboration of husband/wife duo Dan and Alex McClanahan. Their studio is headquartered in historic downtown Ames, Iowa – the town where Dan grew up and where he and Alex met as students at Iowa State University. The couple founded McClanahan Studio in March of 2009 and quickly established themselves as a fresh and innovative alternative to traditional photography in Iowa and beyond.
The couple has worked extensively in athletics, photographing pieces for the Iowa State University basketball and football programs and the Minnesota Vikings. The McClanahan’s distinctive style of imagery has become known around the world through success in international print competition.
In 2015, Alex won 1st place for best wedding album in the largest International Photographic Competition. In 2016, Dan took 1st and 2nd place for best senior portrait photography in the same competition. This year Dan took home three international first place awards in the Landscape, Commercial, and Artist categories. This year his landscape image was selected to represent Team USA for the World Photographic Cup in Japan.
Both Dan and Alex have received Master of Photography degrees from the Professional Photographers of America and have been heavily involved in the photography community as educators, teaching the craft at dozens photo conferences around the country.
AWARDS:
ADULT
1st Place
“Over Shadowed”
Matthew Lepke
2nd Place
“Taking the Bull by the Horns”
Shane Abbitt
3rd Place:
“Mets”
Mike Corones

YOUTH
1st Place:
“Untitled”
Samantha Wilbur
2nd Place:
“Batter Up”
Grace Long
3rd Place:
“Brother Playing Soccer”
Sadie Brockett

Lunch Hour Tai - Chi/ Qi Gong
2018-09-06 11:30 - 2018-09-27 12:30 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Lunch Hour Tai – Chi/ Qi Gong
Thursdays, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
September 6 – 27 (4 weeks) $55
These practices are moving meditations that relax and calm the body and the mind. Included in the classes will be mindful movements, breath work, self-applied massage, and meditation. Qigong originated in China about 2000 years ago and is a system of exercises that uses awareness and breath to move, transform, direct and balance our energies. Tai chi evolved from Qigong and was originally a martial art.
Instructor: Karen Bates
Dance Studio/Galleries

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
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complete the contact information form that appears after you add a ticket
complete the payment information
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Please contact us with any registration questions or concerns.
Registration closes on at 6am on 9/4/18.

Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 8 – 10
2018-09-06 11:00 - 12:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 8 – 10
11 am – 12 pm on September 6
Other classes in this series are held on:

October 11
November15
December 6

$15 per class. Pre-registration required. Class limit: 8 students
Create unique and interesting art projects each class while learning about new artists, their methods and materials. All supplies included.
Instructor: TBA
Children’s art studios, 2nd floor

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
click “add to cart”
complete the contact information form that appears after you add a ticket
complete the payment information
check your email for your receipt

Please contact us with any registration questions or concerns.
Registration closes on at noon on 9/5/18.

Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 5 – 7
2018-09-06 09:15 - 10:15 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 5 – 7
9:15 – 10:15 am on September 6
Other classes in this series are held on:

October 11
November15
December 6

$15 per class. Pre-registration required. Class limit: 8 students
Create unique and interesting art projects each class while learning about new artists, their methods and materials. All supplies included.
Instructor: TBA
Children’s art studios, 2nd floor

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
click “add to cart”
complete the contact information form that appears after you add a ticket
complete the payment information
check your email for your receipt

Please contact us with any registration questions or concerns.
Registration closes on at 6am on 9/4/18.

Exploring Art (Session 1)
2018-09-04 09:15 - 2018-09-25 10:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Exploring Art
Ages: 18 months – younger 3’s
Tuesdays, 9:15 – 10am
$55 for each 4 week session — See the class listing for the other 4 week sessions.
September 4 – 25
Children and their adult partner will explore art together in a relaxed environment. Toddlers will create their own works of art while learning new skills like tearing paper, gluing, cutting, coloring over texture, painting with different objects, moving through transitions and imitating art making processes. Activities will focus on age appropriate, playful, artistic and sensory materials.
Limit: 6 adult/child pairs.
Instructor: Beth Weninger
Hunziker Studio

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
click “add to cart”
complete the contact information form that appears after you add a ticket
complete the payment information
check your email for your receipt

Please contact us with any registration questions or concerns.
Registration closes on at 6am on 8/30/18.

Kinder-Camp! Ages 5 – 6
2018-08-20 09:30 - 2018-08-21 11:30 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Monday & Tuesday, 9:30 – 11:30 am
August 20 & 21
$50
This mini – camp is intended for students entering kindergarten in the fall. Artist-inspired mixed media projects will make for a fun morning of art. Please provide a small snack and water for your child each day of camp.
Class size limit 12
Instructors: Cathie Gebhart and Beth Weninger

Natural Dyes: Serendipity Dyeing with Flowers, Berries, Leaves and More
2018-08-19 13:00 - 15:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Natural Dyes: Serendipity Dyeing with Flowers, Berries, Leaves, and More
Sunday, August 19
1 – 3 pm
$55
Learn to dye silk scarves and cotton fabric with a huge variety of easy to obtain dye materials. We will use fresh garden flowers, herbs, and leaves, as well as a variety of materials (copper pennies, spent teabags, berries, kitchen spices and much more). You will create and take home your own custom dyed 11” x 60” silk scarf and one fat quarter of cotton fabric. Take advantage of the dyestuff and dye as many scarves/fabric you like for an extra small fee.
Instructor: Maggie Howe
North Studio

Friday Morning Art Projects, ages 6 - 11
2018-08-17 09:15 - 10:30 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Friday Morning Art Projects, ages 6 – 11
Friday, August 17
9:15 – 10:30 am
$15
Students will learn and create using a variety of printmaking methods and materials.
Class limit 10 students.
Instructor: Beth Weninger
Hunziker/Adams Studios

Tales from a Ghost Town JOANNE ALBERDA
2018-08-17 00:00 - 2018-09-29 00:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Tales from a Ghost Town
JOANNE ALBERDA
August 17 – September 29, 2018
COMMUNITY GALLERY
Virginia City is a ghost town—the skeleton of a booming Montana gold mining camp in the late 19th century. As a museum it is the record of one of hundreds of get-rich-quick dramas related to the search for gold in the American West. Some buildings in the city and in the area around it have been abandoned and qualify as “ghosts.” When I was a child my family visited Virginia City many times, a day long outing. Years later, returning to Montana to visit family, I revisited Virginia City with my camera in the fall of 2009, 2010, and 2011. By that time the tourists were gone, and the place did feel like a ghost town. The silence of this “dead” place gives the viewer time to examine the drama of decay. Empty rooms and broken doorways invite speculation about the lives of people long gone, but the decaying wood invited me to search out another story, the life of a living material that grew and developed, was cut and used by hands both skilled and unskilled, and finally left to dry and rot. Documenting the evidence of time through photography I was moved to capture some of these “tales” with hand dyed fabric, created by the ungoverned mixing of colors, which often resembles the growth patterns observed in cut and decaying wood. I have been creating these works over the past several years with various shades of the gray and rusty reds of decaying wood. Recently I visited an exhibition of works by Clifford Still, whose content and style reminded me very much of the decayed wood, but his use of bright colors encouraged me to expand my color choices.
In this exhibition I have included a few images of the town and area as it exists today, some digitally manipulated images of decaying wood, and textile works that were inspired and nourished by the images of wet and decaying wood.

Artisans Roadtrip
2018-08-17 - 2018-10-27 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
ARTISANS ROADTRIP
August 17 – October 27, 2018
SWEENEY GALLERY
This year is the 15th Annual Artisans Road Trip. Artisans Road Trip invites you to travel Iowa’s scenic byways and back roads looking for one-of-a-kind treasures. Artisans will offer a rare glimpse into creative processes as they demonstrate their craft in personal and unique work spaces. Our mission is to promote a venue for established artisans to demonstrate their skills, exhibit and sell their original fine art via a self-guided studio tour through scenic Northwest Iowa, thereby encouraging education, diversity, tourism, economic growth, and art appreciation.
The official Artisans Road Trip weekend will be held from 9am – 5pm on Saturday, October 13th and from Noon – 5pm on Sunday, October 14th. Professional artists welcome guests into their studios/local galleries to discover and purchase quality original works. Artists participating in the Roadtrip weekend will also have an artwork on display at the Octagon Center for the Arts.
Participating Artists: Penny Adam, Joanne Alberda, Mitch Eveleth, Danielle Clouse Gast, Hank Hall, Bill Lieb, Steve Mills, Mary Ortner, Lissa Potter, Mary Schumacher, David Strom, Holly Zinn, Deborah Burrow, Kirsten Elyea, Karen Ruddy, Marisa Sidles, Mark Bogenrief, Beth Cathcart, Barb McGee, Gene Polson, Cherie Courter, Joleen Dentlinger, Ken Harskamp, Abby Jones, Jerry Kahl, Haley McAndrews, Ron Netten, Denice Peters

Gallery Night with Joanne Alberda
2018-08-16 17:00 - 19:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Join us for a FREE reception with artist Joanne Alberta in the Community Gallery!
Artist Talk by Joanne Alberta at 6:30pm
Tales from a Ghost Town by JOANNE ALBERDA is on display August 17 – September 29, 2018
Virginia City is a ghost town—the skeleton of a booming Montana gold mining camp in the late 19th century. As a museum it is the record of one of hundreds of get-rich-quick dramas related to the search for gold in the American West. Some buildings in the city and in the area around it have been abandoned and qualify as “ghosts.” When I was a child my family visited Virginia City many times, a day long outing. Years later, returning to Montana to visit family, I revisited Virginia City with my camera in the fall of 2009, 2010, and 2011. By that time the tourists were gone, and the place did feel like a ghost town. The silence of this “dead” place gives the viewer time to examine the drama of decay. Empty rooms and broken doorways invite speculation about the lives of people long gone, but the decaying wood invited me to search out another story, the life of a living material that grew and developed, was cut and used by hands both skilled and unskilled, and finally left to dry and rot. Documenting the evidence of time through photography I was moved to capture some of these “tales” with hand dyed fabric, created by the ungoverned mixing of colors, which often resembles the growth patterns observed in cut and decaying wood. I have been creating these works over the past several years with various shades of the gray and rusty reds of decaying wood. Recently I visited an exhibition of works by Clifford Still, whose content and style reminded me very much of the decayed wood, but his use of bright colors encouraged me to expand my color choices.
In this exhibition I have included a few images of the town and area as it exists today, some digitally manipulated images of decaying wood, and textile works that were inspired and nourished by the images of wet and decaying wood.

The Octagon at the Farmers' Market
2018-08-11 08:00 - 12:30 | Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market
Join us this summer at the Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market!
Second Saturdays (June — Saturday)*

June 9
July 14
August 11
September 8

Visit us in Tom Evans Park (Main Street) for FREE craft activities for the kids. You can also pick up information about classes, workshops, exhibits, and more.
See you there!
*May be cancelled in the event of severe weather.

Grilling Ice LEE RAINBOTH
2018-07-06 - 2018-08-11 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Grilling Ice
LEE RAINBOTH
July 6 – August 11, 2018
COMMUNITY GALLERY
This exhibit examines the ways that matters of mortality and masculinity manifest themselves in a contemporary Haitian context. Too often for young men in Haiti the way that they express their masculinity becomes a matter of survival itself. In an environment where simply surviving daily life can become an act of rebellion, young Haitian men end up constructing layers of masculine identity to protect themselves against the near impossible circumstances that they find themselves in. This collection of work focuses on stripping away those layers that define life for young Haitian men. The majority of my subjects in these pieces are nudes to show them at their most authentic and most vulnerable selves underneath the impenetrable facades that they enshroud themselves in. Life expectancy for men in Haiti is 60.98 years so by the time they reach the age of 30, Haitian men can expect that they’ve lived half of their life on this earth already. All of the subjects of my paintings are under the age of 30 and are good friends of mine. They are individuals that I see wrestle with these matters every day as their lives depend on what emotions they choose to show and how much strength they carry themselves with. So the way that I depict them represents how they embody the contradictions of their own manliness. The culture of Haiti embodies many contradictions of hetero-masculinity on a macro scale. Men are expected to be tough and defensive but they can also show signs of affection with other male friends that would been seen as taboo in other cultures. They have to confront the negative stereotypes of indulging in sex, alcohol, and rap music, while also demonstrating proof of their masculinity by indulging in those very things. My work weaves the influence of such a culture with the personal experiences of the actual subjects of the paintings. It is intended to reach beyond the stereotypes to portray a more nuanced understanding of what it means to be a young man in Haiti. It is an exploration of how these young men can become more than what they are perceived to be.
The title references a response to the question, “How’s it going?” that my friends depicted in the paintings frequently say. “Oh, you know, we’re just out here grilling ice.” It signifies the difficulties of life as a young Haitian male where one might feel like they are constantly working towards something, but are backtracking rather than making progress. After you’ve worked to freeze the water to turn it into ice, you just throw it on the grill and make it vaporize. That’s what life in Haiti as a young man can feel like. Nothing lasts long and all the hard work you do to advance in life often feels in vain. Much too often if feels like you’re just finding a way to pass the time until death comes and your life vaporizes in an instant as well.
The techniques used to create the pieces in this exhibit include a number of different cultural and spiritual influences that all contribute to the layered experience of young Haitian men. The sequined designs used in many of my pieces are inspired by the use of sequins in Haitian voudun traditions, specifically in the ritual flags that are used in ceremonies to bring individuals in trance-like experiences with the spirit world. I also integrate designs such as veve’s which are symbols representative of voudun lwas or spirits that focus on intersections, as well as mandalas which come from South Asian cultures such as Nepal, which maintains a complicated relationship to Haiti related to the devastating earthquake of 2010 and the cholera epidemic that followed. Traditional bogolan mud cloth textiles are also used in several pieces representing the complex history of slavery and ancestral roots of Haitian identity that lies in West Africa. All of these are combined with my own traditional training in figure painting and portraiture a nuanced story of identity connected to spirit and place.

Empty Dresses PAULA STREETER
2018-05-25 - 2018-06-30 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Empty Dresses
PAULA STREETER
May 25 – June 30, 2018
COMMUNITY GALLERY
Empty Dresses as a concept was conceived half a lifetime ago while attending the estate auction of an early Swedish immigrant to the Midwest. Among the many hand crafted items from the latter half of the nineteenth century were two intricately and nearly identically embroidered, grayed with age, christening gowns that decades earlier were wrapped in brown paper and bound with string. Many auction attendees commented how the handmade lace and frill represented a lost art and a few identified the embroidered flowers as symbols of hope, innocence and good fortune. No one commented on the fact that one of the gowns, nearly three feet in length, was tied into a knot.
This image never left and as time has passed, other dresses have inspired narratives that have been added to my mind’s eye gallery: the young girl’s exquisite Edwardian summer dress with grass stains down the length of the back carefully starched and preserved in a box, the 1870 calico dress with patches upon patches found in a bag of fabric once destined to be recycled into pieces for a quilt, and the 1960’s wedding dress stained with an unknown substance and with the right sleeve detached.
Rather than “the individual can make the dress”, “the dress can fashion the story” is the focus of commemorating and creating two-dimensional narratives based on the dress. Much more than an exclusive statement or expression, couture or style, dress is or has been a gauge of social standing and taste, a sustainer of emotional and physical stability or vulnerability, the outward expression of modesty or blatant sexuality, or used for the concealment or revelation of historic, cultural and ethnic identity. Dress can stimulate strong reactions and judgements or offer the ability to blend into the scenery, support individuality through the expression of craft, skill and creativity or acceptance of mass production and/or mediocrity.
The very assortment of materials from which dresses are fashioned; silk brocade to buckskin, patterned or plain, worn, torn and wrinkled or starched and crisp, as well as the potential to manipulate the form, offer great possibilities for the development of visual narratives through the rendering the dresses.
In the summer of 2016, the 125-year-old “work of art” became the muse for the translation of the knotted Christening gown to a two-dimensional rendering in sterling silver metal point on board entitled Not and Empty Dresses commenced. Empty Dresses has developed into three thematic series; Childhood Lost illustrating children’s dresses and experiences done in charcoal, colored pencils, pastels, graphite and watercolor, Handled a series depicting the hand engaged with dress and executed primarily in colored pencil and water color and Historic Media exploring women in history as represented by their dress rendered in egg tempera, metal point, encaustic, handmade inks and charcoals (supported in part by the Iowa Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts).
The breadth of subject matter spurred by the many facets of dress and the dramatic effects of dress as a vacant vessel leave me to believe that Empty Dresses will expand into a multitude of series and continue to inspire.

Based on a True Story ALEX BRAIDWOOD
2018-05-18 - 2018-08-11 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Based on a True Story
ALEX BRAIDWOOD
May 18 – August 11, 2018
SWEENEY GALLERY
Sound is an important aspect of the world around us. It tells a great deal about our surroundings when we take the time to listen. Listening requires time to experience because sound requires time to exist. In today’s fast-paced culture, deeper levels of engagement have become increasingly rare. Add to this the common positioning of sound as a background element or object of distraction and what remains is little opportunity, inspiration, or perceived value in the act of listening to what’s available. People today focus on blocking out or covering up unwanted sound while at the same time, finding it difficult to both engage with and protect what quality soundscapes exist. Modern society is well practiced at protecting nature in visual and territorial ways to ensure high quality experiences with a variety of landscapes and vistas. Only recently have efforts begun to protect valuable soundscapes. The soundscape of a given environment can be an indicator of its status and vitality. Sound has the ability to communicate in a variety of ways and experiencing these stories provides insight into the value of protecting these spaces. If we are able to protect the natural soundscape, we will be able to help many other things along the way.
The goal of this exhibition is to provide a space for pause, for reflection, for a slowing down of focus. Each visit to the exhibition will be a unique experience because the audio works presented are not fixed compositions but are instead, composed as dynamic systems that respond to a variety of conditions. Works of sonic fiction based on naturesound recordings are presented as a way of both documenting the natural world and connecting with otherwise familiar sounds through a different means of interaction. Data of regional significance is presented as audio to create a listening experience designed using high-frequency data collected from sensors monitoring the quality of the natural world. Through installation-based performances of a naturesound archive and the sonification of environmental data, listeners can shift their attention to the natural world and reconnect to places that are differently familiar.
Sound has the ability to tell us a great deal. We just have to be willing to take the time to listen.
You can learn more about Alex Braidwood’s work by following him on Instagram @formalplay or by visiting his website www.listeninginstruments.com

Field Notes DANIELLE CLOUSE GAST
2018-05-11 - 2018-07-28 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Field Notes
DANIELLE CLOUSE GAST
May 11 – July 28, 2018
MAIN GALLERY
Growing up and living in Northwest Iowa, routes to and from different towns have been memorized and have only seemed to slightly change over the years.
The landscape has become the welcome constant in my daily life when driving place to place. But on many occasions, when the intention is to truly “see” the landscape (still often from the car window), beautiful, abstract things can be found that are not that far removed from what is truly there.
What do I look at? Shadows running down a ditch. Fence posts creating not only borders, but lines reaching up into a horizon. Corrugated metal siding on a building that has turned a warm rust orange. Wonderfully organized grove lines and plant rows whose placed structure en mass pulls away from its individual organic shape. The same routes, the same landscapes, viewed at different times of day and different times of year.
New to the body of work within the last few years has been the inclusion of a husband with a pilot’s license – allowing a new view of this landscape I thought I knew well. This new perspective on the area has opened up doors of new compositions, color possibilities, and most importantly, emphasized the style I usually employ in my paintings: organized, geometric lines and breakdown of the familiar landscape.
Though often ignored and occasionally referenced in conversation by local landmarks, this section of Iowa landscape is the classic subject matter I have chosen to employ in my work. Due to this focus, venturing from small town to small town usually lends itself more to research than travel.

Elem/Mid/High 2018
2018-04-19 - 2018-05-05 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Elem/Mid/High 2018
An Annual Exhibition of Local Elementary, Middle, and High School Senior Students
April 19 – May 5, 2018
MAIN GALLERY & SWEENEY GALLERY
The Octagon Center for the Arts showcases artwork by local elementary, middle, and high school students annually. High School art instructors from schools within 20 miles of the Octagon Center for the Arts are welcome to register students in their fall and spring classes for participation.

Nice Life DAVID PARKER
2018-04-06 - 2018-05-19 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Nice Life
DAVID PARKER
April 6 – May 19, 2018
COMMUNITY GALLERY
Using a limited palette of pine, maple, vinyl, griptape, and spray enamel I’m looking at the material language of subculture. The work is an abstract look at the outsiders: skaters, rockers, hippies, artists, stoners, goths, shoegazers… and how they project their identity to outsiders and signal their place within their own community. The work has been limited to four standard sizes referencing how they adorn their bodies and our personal spaces sizes 6”x 8” Pins/Patches, 13” x 11” T-shirts, 40” x 40” Posters, and 40” x 84“ Banners.

Metamorphosis DAN JOHNSON
2018-03-12 - 2018-03-31 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Metamorphosis
DAN JOHNSON
March 12 – 31, 2018
COMMUNITY GALLERY
Closing reception: Friday, March 30 5-7 PM
Metamorphosis relates to my broader theme of the possibilities of change and transformation as expressed through the human figure, focusing on explorations of transformative or fugitive ideas about the human figure. Using line, I want to discover the energy possible through gesture and improvisation. My work of the past few years has also focused on using layering and reductive processes to discover new textures and effects, followed by drawing forms again on those new surfaces. Current work relates to past work by using similar methods and ideas but also builds on those by altering the surface textures and the spontaneously created subject matter. Line is very important to my work, stressing the expressive qualities possible when drawing from memory. Inspiration is drawn from memory and relates to the human figure, natural objects like rocks and trees, and fabricated structures like buildings.

A Negro From the South CAMERON GRAY
2018-02-19 - 2018-03-06 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
A Negro From the South
CAMERON GRAY
February 19 – March 6, 2018
COMMUNITY GALLERY
The United States of America is the country where I was born and where I have lived for most of my life. In this country, I am a second-class citizen. As a child, I was raised to maneuver through systems that were not created for a person like myself. Many people may not be able to empathize with that statement. It might be incomprehensible, and that is okay. This exhibition will give perspective on my world. When entering those gallery doors, the viewer is attempting to understand; compliant to walk through other minorities’ shoes, and mine, giving voice to the people that are voiceless. The current atmosphere within this country calls for action, a time to speak up and open our eyes to injustice. This is the time to reconsider the meaning of humanity and to create an America for all.
Join us for an Artist Panel on People of Color in the Arts
February 22, 2018 at 6PM in the Community Gallery : Join the Octagon Center for the Arts and the Multicultural Liaison Office of the ISU College of Design for an inclusive artist panel and discussion on people of color in the arts. Panelists will include Brenda Jones, University Professor in Art and Visual Culture at Iowa State University, Mitchell Squire, Professor of Architecture at Iowa State University, Eulanda Sanders, Professor of Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management at Iowa State University, and Cameron Gray, Master of Fine Arts student at Iowa State University. The discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Reginald Stewart, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Iowa State University.

50th Annual Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood
2018-01-26 - 2018-04-07 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
50th Annual Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood
January 26 – April 7, 2018
MAIN GALLERY & SWEENEY GALLERY
2018 marks the 50th annual All-Media juried exhibit at the Octagon Center for the Arts. The first Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Woodopened in 1968, two years after the organization’s founding in 1966. The Octagon was founded out of the community’s desire to provide exciting art experiences for the public and professional opportunities for artists. This show the organization’s attempt to fully embody the founding vision. As a result, it has a reputation for being one of the best group juried shows in Iowa due to its national reach, high standards for jurors, and significant cash awards. The title of the show reflects a media-focused theme. The founders believed that many art forms seen as lowly “crafts,” such as ceramics or woodworking, should be elevated to compete with the level of other “fine” arts. The idea of excellent craftsmanship combined with compelling ideas continues to be a central theme as artwork is selected. This is the longest repeating exhibit at the Octagon and is responsible for bringing some of the most prestigious artwork into the community.
Juror: Peter Pinnell
Peter Pinnell’s first professional position was as Artist in Residence at the Octagon Art Center in Ames, Iowa, a position he held from 1984 to 1987. “I loved the Octagon, and my wife and I loved living in Ames. It was the perfect place for me at that point in my career”. After leaving Ames, Pinnell spent eight years in Kansas City, working as a studio potter and teaching part-time at the Kansas City Art Institute. In 1995 Pinnell was offered a faculty position at the University of Nebraska, where he is now Professor of Art.
In addition to his teaching, Pinnell writes, lectures and exhibits his pottery widely. Over the last 20 years he has been an active presenter with NCECA (the National council on Education in the Ceramics Arts), and his ceramics column, “As Far as I Know” has appeared in Clay Times magazine since 1998. His artwork has appeared in exhibitions across the US and in a number of venues overseas.

Amalgamation CHRIS MARTIN
2018-01-05 - 2018-02-17 | IA
Amalgamation
CHRIS MARTIN
January 5 – February 17, 2018
COMMUNITY GALLERY
As developing countries and emerging economies modernize, the traditional crafts that reflect the unique cultural and social traits upon which these countries have been built, are often disregarded opting for western goods instead. This is something that Chris Martin wants to do something about.
Martin’s own creative expression has been deeply influenced by the traditional crafts of Ghana, where he spent two years as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, and India where he has spent time as an artist in residence and most recently as a Fulbright Scholar. Through his primary medium, studio furniture, Martin hopes not only to help expand an appreciation for these traditional crafts, but also to assist his fellow artisans in Ghana and India to sustain their livelihoods through continued practice in their trades.
This exhibition introduces a series of functional furniture pieces that Martin hopes to produce in limited quantities to create a new avenue for traditional artisans to continue their work. Currently, he is working with Ga coffin makers, kente weavers, brass casters, and glass bead makers in Ghana. In India, he has collaborated with a traditional lathe turner, print block carvers, metal casters, and Mata-ni-Pachedi artists. The results of these partnerships have manifested as contemporary western furniture pieces with an ethnic flare. Martin’s focus moving forward is to produce designs that pay homage to traditional crafts and the artisans that make them, with hopes of opening new markets for their timeless crafts.
Join us for an Artist Talk with Chris Martin
February 1, 2018 at 6PM in the Community Gallery : Chris will speak about his experiences in Ghana and India where he worked with local artisans who continue to practice the traditional arts and crafts of their homelands.
And Special Guest Artist ERIC ADJETEY ANANG
Eric Adjetey Anang is the grandson of Seth Kane Kwei who is credited with founding the tradition of fantasy coffins in the early 1950s. Eric has spent his life practicing and sharing the tradition his grandfather started. Fantasy coffins are unique to Ghana and more specifically to the Ga tribe. The Ga people believe that death is simply another step in life and that the dead move into another world or dimension when they pass. They believe that their ancestors are more powerful than the living and must be treated with great respect, so they are driven to appease them in death, and a unique coffin is one way to do that. These coffins are made in the forms of various items from a fish, for someone who spent his life as a fisherman, or an airplane for someone who had always hoped to fly. These creations can be seen in museums and galleries around the world. Mr. Anang’s creations have become highly sought after as contemporary pieces of “ethnic art”.
