BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Octagon Center for the Arts - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Octagon Center for the Arts 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:20160313T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20161106T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20170312T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20171105T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20180311T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20181104T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20190310T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20191103T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20200308T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20201101T070000 END:STANDARD 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 END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170818 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171001 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180806T173044Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T173044Z UID:3065-1503014400-1506815999@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Saw You On The Sidewalks of Russia KAREN COOPER DESCRIPTION:Saw You On The Sidewalks of Russia \n(видел тебя на тротуарах России!) \nOn Display August 18 – September 30\, 2017\, Community Gallery \nOpening Reception: Saturday\, August 26 from 3-5 P.M. \nDoesn’t matter if it’s the guy who walks in the door while we wait at the dentist’s office\, or the couple who walk by our table into the café\, the twenty-ish aged girl in the really short skirt and 4 inch heels\, or even the biker doing a wheelie on his BMX.  It’s a worldwide occupation\, this people watching gig. \nSaw You On The Sidewalks Of Russia  (видел тебя на тротуарах России!) is images\, paintings\,  of people that we want to be different\, because they live in a country on the other side of the world.  Are they so very different?  Not really – their hopes and dreams are a lot like ours.  \nWe are pulled in to see.  We are all human\, and no matter which side of the earth we live on\, no matter what the name of our country of residence\, no matter which side of the border we’re confined to – we watch. With this exhibit I give you the opportunity to watch through my artist eyes – to people watch with me.   Yes\, it’s a grand adventure. – Karen Cooper URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/saw-you-on-the-sidewalks-of-russia-karen-cooper/ 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/2018/08/Cooper_HowSoonBeforeImTooOldForADuc.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:20171006 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171112 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180806T171958Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T171958Z UID:3056-1507248000-1510444799@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Kawishiwi River AARON SQUADRONI DESCRIPTION:Kawishiwi River \nAARON SQUADRONI \nON DISPLAY OCTOBER 6 – NOVEMBER 11\, 2017\, COMMUNITY GALLERY \nArtist Statement: \n“The Midwest is presently a battleground for resources. Fracking\, oil pipelines\, mining\, and drilling are just some of the expanding industries in this region. In states like Minnesota and Wisconsin where the rugged beauty of the land is part of the state’s identity\, these new industries create strong conflicts between environmental and industrial stakeholders. In northern Minnesota\, the Duluth Complex is a geological formation bordering the Mesabi Iron Range and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It contains one of the largest untapped copper‐nickel deposits in the world. Industry representatives estimate that the new sulfide mining district could eventually exceed Minnesota’s iron ore industry in size. The issue of whether or not to establish sulfide mines so close to a protected wilderness known for its pristine water is a passionately debated topic on the Iron Range. \n‘The Kawishiwi River flows over the Duluth Complex\, and is at the center of the region in contention as mining companies are in the process of obtaining permits and conducting environmental impact studies in order to mine the area for copper\, nickel and other precious metals. The Kawishiwi River series is a collection of copper drawn land portraits. These land portraits record a history of landmarks and sacred spaces based on traditional legends\, government treaties\, current disputes\, and future visions. My intention is to create continuity where great changes have occurred in the landscape or are likely to occur in the future. Each portrait merges an image of the landscape with a symbol or object from the landscape. This catalog of imagery is meant to heighten public awareness about how the future of the Kawishiwi River will take shape\, while simultaneously preserving its identity in the past. \n‘Copper has been contained in the rocks of the Kawishiwi River for many thousands of years. It is now highly sought after by mining companies. Using copper as a drawing meduim is important to me in this series because of its role in the history of the Kawishiwi River and its impending impact on the river’s future. Copper also has a certain delicacy due to its lack of value range. The resulting lightness of the drawings require the viewer to approach close to the image. A narrative of the Kawishiwi River is revealed slowly and formed from a series of intimate exchanges between the viewer and the artworks.” – Aaron Squadroni URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/kawishiwi-river-aaron-squadroni/ 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/2018/08/AaronSquadroni.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:20171116 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171222 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180802T061518Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T174520Z UID:2959-1510790400-1513900799@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Running With Scissors STEVE HOSCH DESCRIPTION:Running With Scissors \nSTEVE HOSCH \nNOVEMBER 16 – DECEMBER 21\, 2017\, COMMUNITY GALLERY \nMaking art\, to me\, is not necessarily a response to the world. Rather\, it’s often just a reaction to what’s rattling around in my head. It’s an attempt to make sense of my own inner clutter; regrets\, hopes\, doubts\, dreams\, fears. It’s problem solving. It’s catharsis. It’s play. It’s taking risks and letting go. Ultimately\, it’s akin to closing my eyes and running with scissors even as my conscience holds up his hands and screams “Stop\, idiot!” \nNot surprisingly\, my process is also disjointed. It\, too\, begins with clutter\, the tangible kind\, the collage artist’s raw materials: paper. Boxes and files and piles of paper. From there I sift and sort\, and an image\, color\, shape\, or snippet of text sometimes calls to me\, asking to be the focal point. Then it’s simply a matter of more sifting\, gathering complementary bits and pieces\, arranging\, shifting\, cutting\, turning\, rearranging all the while trying to ignore my conscience (he’s a jerk) gluing\, layering\, tearing\, sanding\, slinging paint\, adding transfers\, and so on. Eventually\, I step back and either smile or curse. \nThis exhibition is the result of a couple of years worth of that process. Paper and scissors and glue (oh my). URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/steve-hoschs-running-with-scissors/ 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/2018/08/Steve-Hosch.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:20180105 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180218 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180802T061017Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T174334Z UID:2956-1515110400-1518911999@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Amalgamation CHRIS MARTIN DESCRIPTION:Amalgamation \nCHRIS MARTIN \nJanuary 5 – February 17\, 2018 \nCOMMUNITY GALLERY \nAs 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.   \nMartin’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. \nThis 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. \nJoin us for an Artist Talk with Chris Martin \nFebruary 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. \nAnd Special Guest Artist ERIC ADJETEY ANANG \nEric 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”. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/chris-martins-amalgamation/ LOCATION:IA CATEGORIES:Exhibits ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://octagonarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Chris-Martin.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180219 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180307 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180802T060554Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T174246Z UID:2953-1518998400-1520380799@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:A Negro From the South CAMERON GRAY DESCRIPTION:A Negro From the South \nCAMERON GRAY \nFebruary 19 – March 6\, 2018 \nCOMMUNITY GALLERY \nThe 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.  \nJoin us for an Artist Panel on People of Color in the Arts \nFebruary 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. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/cameron-grays-a-negro-from-the-south/ 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/2018/08/Cameron_Gray.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:20180312 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180401 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180729T222343Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T174211Z UID:2677-1520812800-1522540799@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Metamorphosis DAN JOHNSON DESCRIPTION:Metamorphosis \nDAN JOHNSON \nMarch 12 – 31\, 2018 \nCOMMUNITY GALLERY \nClosing reception: Friday\, March 30 5-7 PM \nMetamorphosis 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. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/dan-johnsons-metamorphosis/ 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/2018/07/Dan-Johnson-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 BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180406 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180520 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180729T220421Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T174108Z UID:2667-1522972800-1526774399@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Nice Life DAVID PARKER DESCRIPTION:Nice Life \nDAVID PARKER \nApril 6 – May 19\, 2018 \nCOMMUNITY GALLERY \nUsing 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. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/david-parkers-nice-life/ 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/2018/07/picture-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 BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180525 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180701 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180729T215821Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T173808Z UID:2664-1527206400-1530403199@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Empty Dresses PAULA STREETER DESCRIPTION:Empty Dresses \nPAULA STREETER \nMay 25 – June 30\, 2018 \nCOMMUNITY GALLERY \nEmpty 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. \nThis 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. \nRather 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. \nThe 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. \nIn 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). \nThe 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. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/paula-streeters-empty-dresses/ 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/2018/07/Paula-Streeter.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:20180706 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180812 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180730T212023Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T173704Z UID:2736-1530835200-1534031999@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Grilling Ice LEE RAINBOTH DESCRIPTION:Grilling Ice \nLEE RAINBOTH \nJuly 6 – August 11\, 2018 \nCOMMUNITY GALLERY \nThis 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. \nThe 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. \nThe 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. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/lee-rainboths-grilling-ice/ 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/2018/06/Lee-Rainboth.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:20180816T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20180816T190000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180725T031021Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T182027Z UID:2249-1534438800-1534446000@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Gallery Night with Joanne Alberda DESCRIPTION:Join us for a FREE reception with artist Joanne Alberta in the Community Gallery! \nArtist Talk by Joanne Alberta at 6:30pm \nTales from a Ghost Town by JOANNE ALBERDA is on display August 17 – September 29\, 2018 \nVirginia 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. \nIn 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. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/gallery-night-with-joanne-alberda/ LOCATION:Octagon Center for the Arts\, 427 Douglas Avenue\, Ames\, IA\, 50010\, United States CATEGORIES:Events 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:20180817T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20180929T000000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20180717T025014Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180806T173508Z UID:2024-1534464000-1538179200@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Tales from a Ghost Town JOANNE ALBERDA DESCRIPTION:Tales from a Ghost Town \nJOANNE ALBERDA \nAugust 17 – September 29\, 2018 \nCOMMUNITY GALLERY \nVirginia 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. \nIn 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. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/joanne-albertas-tales-from-a-ghost-town/ 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/2018/07/Alberta.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:20190112 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190303 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20190111T171722Z LAST-MODIFIED:20190111T173738Z UID:4710-1547251200-1551571199@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Outside-In PACIA SALLOMI & ALEXANDRA ACKERMAN DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY (Street level) \nArtist Statement: Pacia Sallomi \nI began this series in 2010. In the beginning\, I was focused on roundabouts or in French\,\nrond-point\, which came about because of an experience of being lost on back roads and small villages\nin the French countryside. I had begun to think about the way we structure the experience of getting\nfrom one place to another. The circular pathways of a roundabout are quite different cultural\nmodalities of disorientation and reorientation than the typical grid-like intersection controlled by a\nstoplight. I begin the painting with an aerial diagram of a place. It became evident very quickly that\npainting into these diagrams is interior process that is ritualistic\, connected to healing and\ncontemplative practices found in many indigenous cultures such as the sand painting by Native\nAmerican shamans\, Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime stories and the mandalas created by Buddhist\nmonks. The search for understanding these themes has led me to visit an Aboriginal community in\nAustralia\, a Vietnamese Buddhist monastery in France\, Celtic stone alignments in England and France\,\nand Shinto shrines and monasteries in Japan. \nThese paintings are always orientated around a centering point\, but they are not always based\non roundabouts. The diagrams have included gathering places such as a Roman Coliseum in Arles\nand Burning Man in Nevada; complex freeway interchanges in Los Angles or towns that are built\nover ancient circular sites such as in Avebury\, England. These marks on the earth tell us about our\nculture\, our times and ourselves. The paintings are always square\, representing the nature of Four as\na symbol of stability\, points on a compass and reference to the mandala. They contain the circle as a\nsymbol of completion and of the cyclical nature of life. \nBiography: Pacia Sallomi \nPacia Sallomi’s path to and through the arts has been a circuitous one. The daughter of\nan Obstetrician and a painter turned poet\, her education in the arts began as a child. During their\nthree years living in Bavaria\, the family camped their way through Europe\, visiting many of the\ngreat museums and then settling in California in the mid-1960’s. These experiences instilled a\nlove of art and of nature. After completing her undergraduate work in Nutrition at the University\nof California\, Davis\, she moved to Colorado\, and then New Mexico\, where she worked as a\nhomebirth midwife in the 80’s and early 90’s. During that time she received an MA in Art\nEducation at the University of New Mexico\, while also studying Photography\, Japanese porcelain\ntechniques and took her first painting class from Martin Facey who introduced her to the spiritual\ninquiry of color. She received her MFA in Studio Art from Texas Tech University in 1997 and is a\nprofessor at Carroll University in Wisconsin where she has been teaching painting and drawing\nfor the past twenty years. \nPacia’s paintings have been exhibited nationally and internationally in over 120\nexhibitions. She has attended a number of international artist residencies and loves travel.\nDuring a residency in France\, 2003\, she created a collaborative book\, Shield/Le Bouclier\, (Pacia’s\npaintings and her mother’s poetry) that was published in 2007 as a bilingual\, limited-edition\nartist’s book. The French translation is by Gallimard poet-translator of Emily Dickinson\, Claire\nMalroux. Pacia’s own work often includes the written word and she is currently studying\nJapanese Brush Calligraphy. \nwww.paciasallomi.com \nArtist Statement: Alexandra Ackerman \nIn this group of paintings I began to explore color\, pattern and form in response to my visceral experience of the landscape of Baja California Sur during March of 2018.  The things I found most visually stunning in Mexico were the cacti (life springing from what appears to be nothing)\, the ocean (both calming and frightening) and the brightly painted walls and buildings everywhere we traveled.  Working from memory I am intuitively combining the natural forms with the manmade bright colors.  \nMy creative process involves layering washes of watercolor pigment to build up fantastic landscapes which convey the juxtaposition of an otherworldly desert and vast ocean\, even letting them bleed together.  In these worlds I invent hybrid plants or creatures that are neither of land or sea\, but uniquely their own.  I’m curious about the mysterious inner life of plants as well as the observable aspects of the diverse variety of life in each new environment I encounter\, asking such questions as:  How do plants communicate?  What is the sound of a plant growing?  Why do they seem to have distinct personalities?  My visual responses range from fairly recognizable to completely abstract organic forms.  The challenge in each painting is to find a balance of both harmony of color and tension in composition.  I hope to return to Mexico and continue to travel to new places in search of common and uncommon life\, as it always stimulates my growth as an artist and human being. \nBiography: Alexandra Ackerman \nOriginally from Ann Arbor\, Michigan\, Alexandra Ackerman grew up a keen observer of the natural world from a young age. She first learned to paint in the wet-on-wet watercolor style at the Waldorf School at age eight\, and has continued her exploration until the present\, maintaining a childlike freedom in her work. Alexandra has found beauty in the places she has lived and worked including the shores of the Great Lakes\, New England vegetable farms and Minnesota flower gardens.  Inspired by the vast diversity of plant life\, she uses luminous color and pattern to create dynamic landscapes and biomorphic abstractions.  Her paintings are intimate meditations on her physical surroundings\, expressions of the pure joy and wonder of watching things grow.  Focusing on the ethereal aspects of nature\, her forms are evocative of leaves\, seeds\, eggs\, sprouts\, wind\, and waves. \nAlexandra began her studies at the Art Institute of Chicago and ultimately earned a degree in painting and printmaking at Massachusetts College of Art\, where she explored a variety of mediums\, often incorporating fabric and found objects into her work. She was part of the Minneapolis art and music community for nearly a decade before moving to northern Wisconsin.  Alexandra now lives with her husband and two children in Iowa City\, working out of her studio downtown.  She has painted commissions for individual collectors and public spaces and has taught watercolor workshops locally. She has participated in numerous group and solo shows across the country\, and has a variety work for sale at Prairie Lights Bookstore.  Her work was recently on display at the Iowa State Capitol in the Governor’s office. \nwww.alexandra-ackerman.com URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/outside-in-pacia-sallomi-alexandra-ackerman/ 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/2019/01/Sallomi-Ackerman-collage-web.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:20200118T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200321T170000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20200122T014109Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200122T014109Z UID:9894-1579341600-1584810000@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Alight and Allure EMILY MINNIE DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY (FIRST FLOOR) \nArtist Biography\nEmily Lambertsen Minnie is an artist who specializes in charcoal drawing and oil painting. She\nearned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master of\nFine Arts degree from the University of Tennessee. Emily taught art for three years at Tulane\nUniversity in New Orleans before living and working as an artist and illustrator for seven years in\nBrooklyn\, NY. In the summer of 2016 she moved back to Iowa. She currently enjoys dividing her\ntime between drawing and painting in her Iowa City home studio\, working for the Iowa City\nSchool District and family time spent with her husband and two children. \nArtist Statement\nMy art practice is the study\, investigation and re-creation of images that entice and allure me\ndue to the beauty of their light and composition and the drama created by the human form\nfrozen in a moment. I employ the ability of a two-dimensional artwork whose source is photo or\nfilm\, to feel personal and familiar while working to create artwork that is separated from its\nsource material’s narrative and considered for its core essence.   \nMy charcoal series consists of 19” x 30” drawings on BFK Rives Paper. I love to watch the\ndrama created on the gallery wall by these black and white images. From afar they look like\ntheir source film still. Up close\, they reduce to illusions of light and velvety smudges of charcoal. \nMy wall installations are made sight specific to fit the wall. They are created from small\, hand\ndrawn pencil sketches and watercolors that are scanned\, enlarged and printed on pre-pasted\nwallpaper. In a gallery\, the change of scale to life-sized adds a human connection and the\nenlarged nature reveals an exaggerated artist’s mark. \nMy oil paintings are created on gallery wrapped 24” x 36” canvas. My canvas preparation\nconsists of 3 coats of gesso with a fine grit sanding between each coat. While painting\, I get lost\nin the textured and smooth layers of warm and cool tones mingling together. I find great\nsatisfaction creating paintings of figures that\, even in their stillness\, interact with the space and\nthe light around them. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/alight-and-allure-emily-minnie/ 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/2020/01/Minnie_Promo-small.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:20200822 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201004 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20200909T161725Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200909T204814Z UID:11710-1598054400-1601769599@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Super Natural PEGGY JOHNSTON & VERA SCEKIC DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY (STREET LEVEL) \nPeggy Johnston\nArtist Statement\nMy love of paper made it almost inevitable that I would discover the book arts. Since crafting my first books 30 years ago\, I have explored bookmaking as an art as well as a craft. \nI love to be surprised by my work (and usually am). Often\, materials that I have collected inspire a piece. What would happen if I sewed a few hundred slide mounts together? How about coffee filters or heat warped polyester? Pine needles? Beads? Bicycle spokes? I just need to find out. \nI don’t always know what is going to happen when I start a work. As often as not\, an organic form emerges. I often say that I am not in control of my art. It controls me. I name my forms after they are completed\, frequently flipping through a pictorial dictionary until I spot something that resembles the sculpture. Other times\, I make up faux Latin names. \nAbout Peggy Johnston (Artist Bio)\nI graduated from the University of Wyoming with a double degree in Art and Education. Since then\, I have continued my studies in painting\, printing and the book arts. I’ve taught book art workshops in Oregon\, Colorado\, Wyoming\, Connecticut\, and Iowa\, and have studied with leading book artists across the nation. \nLocally\, I’m a busy artist. In addition to my own work\, I teach at the Des Moines Art Center. I have also taught in the public schools as a visiting artist\, working with k-12 students. Other opportunities have allowed me to teach at the University of Northern Iowa\, Iowa State University\, Simpson College\, Central College\, and Drake University. Occasionally\, I speak to local groups about my work and the book arts\, and conduct seminars for graphic designers and art directors. \nI was instrumental in the founding of The Prairie Book Collaborative\, a group dedicated to the book in all its forms. The group produced three books before disbanding in 2012. (A copy of each one is held in the special collections at the University of Iowa library.) My work is in public and private collections nationally and internationally. I frequently exhibit my work in local and national exhibitions. To date\, my work is included in twelve special collections around the country\, including the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington\, D.C. \nVisit Waveland Studio for more info about Peggy Johnston. \nVera Scekic\nArtist Statement\n“For the first time in all time a living creature understands its origin and can undertake to design its future.” \n-Robert Sinsheimer\, as quoted in A Crack in Creation \nMy art practice originates from an abiding interest in the life sciences and an ethos that combines chance occurrences with a systematic approach. It is an analog response to recent developments (such as CRISPR) that have enabled alterations to mammalian genomes and\nraised profound questions about human identity. Adopting the cell—life’s building block—as metaphor and armature\, I treat paint as if it were an organism\, exploring its material\, chromatic  and formal properties through a biological lens. \nI generate membranes of paint by mixing it with various thinning agents and pouring the viscous fluid on polyester and ceramic substrates. When dry\, the membranes are peeled\, cut\, spliced\, layered\, abraded and adhered to wood and canvas\, producing naturally unnatural\nhybrid forms that merge the manufactured and organic. \nThe process of creating the paint skins is repeated—frequently on top of existing pours—to mimic the cycle of growth\, repair and degeneration. Gravity is the sole constant in the production process\, underscoring the centrality of entropy and the tension inherent in a living system’s efforts to keep it at bay. Phagocytosis also comes into play as paint skins from earlier (disassembled) works are recycled and integrated into new cells. Framing the tattered\, abraded and misshapen cells within “perfect” circles and rectangles magnifies the relationship between precision and irregularity\, which animates all my projects. \nThe methodology guiding each work is time-intensive and multi-step\, incorporating at certain stages the “gestures” of the lab while inviting extended inquiry into the nature of paint. The surface is a record of my negotiations between opacity and translucency\, flatness and\ndimensionality\, expansion and containment\, chance and control. At the project’s core lies my argument: that painting remains relevant in a digital era\, and its ability to reflect essential questions about human experience and identity endures. \nAbout Vera Scekic (Artist Bio)\nVera Scekic lives and works in Racine\, Wisconsin. She has exhibited her paintings\, drawings and installations at art centers\, galleries and museums throughout the U.S. Recent solo and small group exhibitions include: Art Reflects Science (Prairie State College\, Chicago Heights\, IL)\, Twilight (Fitton Center\, Hamilton\, OH)\, Naturally Unnatural (Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center\, Birmingham\, MI) and Polymorphous Microtecture (Beverly Arts Center\, Chicago\, IL.) Scekic is a founding member of ArtRoot\, a grassroots initiative to revitalize the city of Racine by building arts infrastructure\, fostering connections and facilitating collaborations. Scekic is also the co-\nfounder and director of OS Projects\, a contemporary art gallery located in downtown Racine. \nVisit Vera Scekic’s website for more information. \n  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/super-natural-peggy-johnston-vera-scekic/ 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/2020/09/Vera-Peggy.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:20201010 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201101 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20201007T021254Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201007T021254Z UID:11929-1602288000-1604188799@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Southwest Visions TERRY BRIGMAN DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY\n \nAbout Terry Brigman: After graduating in 1970\, I went to work for a local company as a draftsman. In my spare time\, I painted\, sketched\, and created small pieces of artwork that I sold or gave away. Art and the creation of art has wound its way through my life for the next many decades. Four years later\, I left drafting and embarked on a career in the grocery business. The pay was substantially better\, and I was able to complete some art pieces on the side. I took some classes at the local college and joined the Foothills Art Center in Golden\, Colorado where I later went on to be a part of their “Shows on Loan”\nprogram. Being part of that program\, I became responsible for a one-person show at various government buildings\, offices\, non-profits\, and private companies for one to two months at a time. During this time\, I left the grocery business and went to work for the local utility company in Denver. In 1979\, I moved to Phoenix\, Arizona and joined the local artist guild. After a while\, I decided to broaden my field\, and possibly income\, so I went back to school and got a degree in graphic design. \n\nOver the next several years\, I started my own graphic design business\, got married\, had two kids\, and still found time to do my fine art. I created paintings\, portraits\, and a line of teeshirts. In 1994\, we moved to Des Moines\, Iowa. My art work slowed to a crawl between\nmany different jobs. The kids grew up and moved away. As my wife moved further into her career\, I kept busy with writing. I had always written poetry\, but one day I got an idea for a story. Eventually my writing became an obsession and my painting took a hiatus. I\npublished one book\, another followed as well as a half-dozen short stories. Since that time\, my writing has faded\, and I now paint more than I have in years. My artwork has been accepted into the Iowa State Fair for five years\, and I received an honorable mention in\n2017. I have also shown my work at the Octagon\, in the All Media Show\, three times. \n\nAbout Terry’s Artwork: I have gone from duplicating and practicing with my artwork\, in an attempt to hone my abilities and further my career\, to starting a conversation with my audience. I feel that with my later work\, I have succeeded somewhat in trying to communicate a thought or strike up a conversation. My work became my voice for how I feel about the world around me and how I try to make sense of it all. This work can be large and bold or small and demure. At times\, it is bright and colorful; other times drab and stark. I try to fit the medium with the tone of the content\, so my work reflects a mix of\nmedia. The results are a point of view that I would like to share. \n\nThe few pieces I am showing\, here\, are just some of my Southwest themed work; a discussion on the landscape and the indigenous people as I perceive it in today’s world. One piece\, in particular a portrait of my uncle\, Blackie\, speaks of my heritage. He is half Osage and quarter Cherokee. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/southwest-visions-terry-brigman/ 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/2020/10/IMG_1334-1.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 BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201010 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201101 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20201007T020523Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201007T020622Z UID:11925-1602288000-1604188799@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Wax Cathedral KAT SILENT WATER DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY\n \nKat Silent Water is a printmaker based out of Ankeny\, Iowa\, working in woodblock and linoleum relief since 2014. She recently embraced the alchemical properties of encaustic painting in her latest body of work\, ‘Wax Cathedral’. Silent Water’s inspiration has taken root in Art Nouveau’s celebration of organic forms and cultural anthropology. \n \n\nSilent Water earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Visual Culture from Iowa State University in 2015\, with an emphasis in printmaking and painting. Her work has been exhibited across the state of Iowa and St. Louis\, Missouri\, in national group exhibitions. She also painted a Mural for the University of Colorado Boulder\, College of Music. \n\nAbout Kat’s Artwork: Wax Cathedral is a glance into a world we have yet to visit; the bee hive. The body of artwork celebrates the sisterhood and hard work of honey bees in North America. Capturing their sainthood of agriculture and modern struggles against incursion\nof mites\, fungi and disease with beekeepers as watchful guardians of the hive. \n \n\nCathedrals are seen as hallowed ground. When individuals walk through the threshold of the sanctuary\, they are transported to a safe place of spiritual solace. Cathedrals embellish every detail in their interior\, allowing daily worries and hardships to dissipate. It creates an unworldly and beautiful place\, as though you were in heaven itself. \n\n\nJust as these spiritual institutions are maintained amongst a community of like-minded individuals\, so is the hive of the honey bees. The unique fortress is founded on hard work and communication. It serves as an escape from the plague of predators and treachery. The worker bees build their interior with careful yet creative consideration. \n\n\nThe resilience shown in both the honey bees and beekeeper community have been the foundation of my artistic inspiration Although the enemies of mites\, fungi and disease threaten the bee’s hallowed sanctuary\, the beekeepers find ways to repair and mend\nthese colonies with research and patience. \n\n\nMaking the art beekeeping even more valued just like Kintsugi\, the Japanese art of repairing and beautification of broken objects. \n\nhttp://www.orthruspress.com/ URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/wax-cathedral-kat-silent-water/ 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/2020/10/sudden-collapse_36inx49in_encaustic-relief-print-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 BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201113 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201220 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20201118T005347Z LAST-MODIFIED:20201118T005851Z UID:11961-1605225600-1608422399@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:NAOMI FRIEND DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY \nArtist Statement\nI explore the intersection of our urban\, rural\, and wild spaces through artmaking. I am inspired by the love of the land we share in the midwest. My pieces are one-of-a-kind exposures using Cyanotype\, combining the photo process with drawn illustrations of farm animals\, cultivated\, and native species. \nMy work highlights the strength and character of the animals while putting them into the context of our modern lifestyle. Their lives depend on our choices. For example\, the piece Icelandic Chickens of Whipoorwill Farm uses a heritage breed created by the vikings and suggests its current habitat by including pictures of prairie\, city\, and cornfield. Scientific symbols suggest the balance of creation\, evidenced by the sensitivity of crops to our intervention such as chemical applications and medicines. Using these tools well requires discernment. The Icelandic chicken thrives with only basic care\, yet the breed is on the brink of extinction. To lose this breed would be to lose a living facet of history and human reliance on animals. \nThe artwork recognizes a contract of co-dependance between us and the creation around us. This relationship requires our love and respect to thrive and grow. My meticulous process of art-making reflects how I feel we can care for the world. When we care well for the small things\, we care well for the big things too. \nArtist Bio\nFriend’s work has been shown in solo shows in Iowa\, California\, and Nebraska\, and other group shows. It is recognized in local radio\, newspaper\, published in Diffusion magazine\, and resides in public and private art collections. It has received awards in national juried art exhibits. She exhibits in a variety of outdoor public art events including the Des Moines Arts Festival. \nShe earned a Masters of Fine Art in Integrated Visual Arts at Iowa State University in 2013 and grew up in the community of Sioux Center\, Iowa. Her undergraduate degree is from Dordt College where she studied fine art and graphic design. Naomi worked for three years at the Octagon Center for the Arts as the Exhibits Director. Naomi operates a small 3 acre farm\, Friends Flowers\, where she grows flowers for local markets. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/naomi-friend/ 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/2020/11/Naomi-2.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:20210109 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210207 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20210112T211526Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210112T211839Z UID:12391-1610150400-1612655999@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Papercutters Times Three LINDA EMMERSON\, LUCKY KIM\, & BETH WUNDER DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY \nPapercutters Times Three \nPaper Cutting is a traditional art form practiced in a variety of guises in countries around the world. The\nthree of us found our ways from different directions. Beth was introduced to the Polish style at a\nWycinanki workshop in New Mexico. Linda visited a museum devoted to Scherenschnitte in Switzerland\,\nand Lucky grew up with the Korean traditional paper (Hanji) art. All of these influences can be seen in\nour individual and developing styles. \n\nLinda Emmerson Statement + Bio\nSince my discovery in 1976 of the Swiss Tradition of papercutting\, I have been happily snipping away.\nAfter 20 years of drawing with a T-square and triangle\, my new career\, 40 years and counting\, continues\nto be a liberating source of discovery and satisfaction. \nBeth Wunder Statement + Bio\nFrom my very first cutting\, I have been fascinated by the challenge of changing a drawing into a\nsilhouette and deciding which lines must be cut to portray the essence of the design.  I like the precision\nand exactness required\, and the clean look of the cut. Doing that with scissors or knife and paper\, easily\naccessible and inexpensive materials\, is always exciting and fun.\nI took a course from Elsbieta Kaleta\, a Polish Wycinanki artist\, in 1993 and have been cutting ever since. I\nhave taught weeklong workshops and do commissions as well as printed cards of original work. I am a\nmember of the Guild of American Papercutters. \nLucky Kim Statement + Bio\nLucky Kim\, originally coming from South Korea\, specializes in Korean Traditional Paper Art\, Korean Paper\n(Hanji) made from mulberry tree. Though she had no formal background in art\, 30years ago\, she\ndiscovered the art of Hanji and fell in love with the bright colors and intricate\, traditional patterns. In the\npast\, she has meddled in woodworking and felt and recently discovered clay as a new medium\, inspiring\nher to make traditional Hanji boxes with clay. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/papercutters-times-three-linda-emmerson-lucky-kim-beth-wunder/ 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/2021/01/Papercutters-x-3.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:20210213 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210228 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20210215T035716Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210215T035716Z UID:12488-1613174400-1614470399@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:2021 Elementary / Middle / High Exhibit: An Exhibition of Local Elementary\, Middle\, and High School Students DESCRIPTION:COMMUNITY GALLERY AND VIRTUAL \n\n  \nThe Octagon Center for the Arts is highlights artwork by local elementary\, middle\, and high school students annually. The Octagon loves loves hosting the work of these young emerging artists. \nSee the K – 8 Virtual Show here! The High School Show is in the Octagon Community Gallery\, Feb. 13 – 27\, 2021\, at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames\, Iowa. \n\n \n2021 Jurors: Cathie Gebhart\, Nancy Gebhart\, & Lydia Mae \nCathie Gebhart is a former public school teacher teaching all grades preK- college\, including high school art classes. After retiring\, she taught the preK art class at the Octagon for two years. Author of several children’s books\, she manages Dan the Fish Publishing which gives a voice for new writers and artists. Cathie’s favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh. Cathie is the Mema to nine grands and mother of four\, including Nancy Gebhart. \nNancy Gebhart is currently a PhD student at Iowa State working on her doctorate in Social and Cultural Studies of Education with a focus on the intersection of art and social justice. She was the Education Director at University Museums for ten years and has curated many exhibits both in Ames and Des Moines. Prior to coming to Iowa State\, Nancy worked at the Lyman Museum in Hilo\, HI and the Saint Louis Art Museum in Missouri. Nancy has received numerous awards including Art Educator of the Year from the Ames Community Arts Council\, and the Woman of Achievement Award from the YWCA. Nancy’s favorite artist is Keith Haring. Nancy is the proud mother of Lydia Mae. \nLydia Mae is 2019 Octagon winner in the Kindergarten division for her wood block print on handmade paper. She has taken art classes at the Octagon since the age of two. She has also taken art classes at the Workspace\, Reiman Gardens\, and at Fused\, a glass fusing studio in Roslyn\, WA. Lydia has traveled to 16 states\, visiting museums across the country. Her favorite artist is Georgia O’Keefe. Her favorite living artist is Yayoi Kusama\, and her favorite artist that she knows is Cameron Gray.  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/2021-elementary-middle-high-exhibit-an-exhibition-of-local-elementary-middle-and-high-school-students-2/ 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/2021/02/E_M_HS-Poster-REVISED-PRINT-ME.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:20210306 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210411 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20210329T170139Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210329T170538Z UID:12659-1614988800-1618099199@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:2021 Octagonal: 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 53 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\n\n \nAwards\nWinifred V. Brown Best of Show award:  $1000\nMedia award for each category: $100\n \n\n\n  \n\n2021 Juror: Jenie Gao\n\nJenie Gao is a full-time artist\, creative director\, and entrepreneur. She specializes in large-scale projects including murals\, public installations\, curatorial works\, and creative direction. She is an interdisciplinary leader with a professional background in the arts industry\, public education\, and lean manufacturing\, and an advocate for equity for artists and creative labor. As a first generation American\, she is a spokesperson for the arts as a path to cultural relevance for a diverse citizenry. \n\n\nJenie is an arts ambassador who has served as the Vice President of Wisconsin Visual Artists\, Chair of the Biennial at Museum of Wisconsin Art\, and Public Art Committee member for Madison Arts Commission. She is a founding member of Arts + Literature Laboratory and Dane Arts Mural Arts\, where she has served as a fundraiser and systems builder for the financial longevity of these nonprofits. Jenie is a TEDx Madison speaker and outspoken advocate for the value of the arts in our ecosystems. She is a former artist-in-residence at Proyecto’ace in Buenos Aires\, Argentina; Museo de Arte Moderno in Castro\, Chile; Iowa Lakeside Laboratory\, Madison Public Library\, and Artist Campaign School with Fractured Atlas. As a curator\, she has produced exhibits at companies like Promega Corporation and AC Hotel\nMarriott as a way to build bridges between artists and businesses. \n\nJenie currently runs a 1\,700 square foot production studio and has hosted 20 interns since 2018. Through her interdisciplinary work\, Jenie has become a visionary leader who knows how to bring together industries\, education systems\, and cultural representation to create a more equitable ecosystem for everyone. https://jenie.org/ \n \n\n\n\n \nThe competition was fierce this year. Jenie Gao chose 41 pieces from a total of 349 submissions by 134 artists. This means that 12% of the overall submissions were chosen for this show. The artwork is selected through a blind process (the juror sees the artwork without the artist’s name or location). Award winners will be selected by the juror just before the show opens. Awards are partly funded through an endowment from the Brown Family. We would also like to thank our Octagonal sponsor: Haila Architecture\, Structure\, and Planning.\n \n2021 Award Winners\n\nPriscilla Sage Fiber Award: “Iridescent Turkey Sticker on the Outside” by Lily Martina Lee. Sponsored by Haila Architecture\, Structure\, and Planning.\n \nJanet Harris Squires Clay Award: “Ignorant” by Ingrid Lilligren. Sponsored by Haila Architecture\, Structure\, and Planning.\n \nMartha Benson Metal Media Award: “Quilted Grid” by Jeremy Diamond. Sponsored by Haila Architecture\, Structure\, and Planning.\n \nVeronika Ruedenberg Mixed Media Award: “The Transition of Venus” by Jamie Malone. Sponsored by Haila Architecture\, Structure\, and Planning.\n \nPaper Media Award: “Frozen Floral Waste #1” by Jody Boyer. Funded by the Brown Family Endowment Fund.\n \nWood Media Award: “Tortuous” by Tom Whalley. Funded by the Brown Family Endowment Fund.\n \nPainting Media Award: “Self Portrait as an Invasive Species” by Caylin Jayde. Funded by the Brown Family Endowment Fund.\n \nEmerging Artist Award: “Baptism” by Paige Holzbauer. Funded by the Brown Family Endowment Fund.\n \nWinifred V. Brown Best of Show Award: “Stretched Thin” by Katie Walberg. Funded by the Brown Family Endowment Fund.\n\n \nPlease visit our YouTube channel to see the virtual reception\, which includes juror comments and a panel discussion with artists (Jody Boyer\, Tibi Chelcea\, Cyndi O’Hern\, and Josh Sorrell) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvK13pCHrqg\n \n \n \n2021 Accepted Works\n\n\n\n\nFirst Name\nLast Name\nTitle\n\n\nChris\nAbigt\nRock Bridge\n\n\nJanet\nBergeron\nKetchikan\n\n\nJody\nBoyer\nFrozen Floral Waste #1\n\n\nMakayla\nCarlson\nTesting the Waters\n\n\nMakayla\nCarlson\nWhatever Keeps You Is All Right By Me\n\n\nNanette\nCatigbe\nHeart of Glass\n\n\nTiberiu\nChelcea\nRandomly Accessed Memory #4\n\n\nKelly\nDevitt\nOutward\n\n\nJeremy\nDiamond\nQuilted Grid\n\n\nTerry\nDooley\nLittle Big Creek\n\n\nMaggie\nDouglas\nSurroundings\n\n\nJennifer\nDrinkwater\nMan\, Superman\, Gunman (March 11\, 2013: Part I)\n\n\nNathan\nEdwards\nHorizons\n\n\nCharlie\nEsker\nthe divine feminine\n\n\nDesiree\nFuller\nStill Life #4\n\n\nDavid\nGarrison\nRushing Water\n\n\nCindy\nGould\nSalt Flats: Great Rann of Kutch\n\n\nJill\nGuffy\nSmall Quilt Collage II\n\n\nSusan\nHeggestad\nEmbellishments: Adorn/Repress\n\n\nPaige\nHolzbauer\nBaptism\n\n\nRandy\nHoshaw\nSWITCHGRASS ON 69\n\n\nCaylin\nJayde\nSelf Portrait as an Invasive Species\n\n\nMarcia\nJoffe-Bouska\nRIO DE MI CORAZON (triptych)\n\n\nCarole\nKunstadt\nPRESSING ON No. 8\n\n\nDiane\nKunzler\nTurbulence\n\n\nLily Martina\nLee\nIridescent Turkey Sticker on the Outside\n\n\nLily Martina\nLee\nPot is the New Tanning\n\n\nIngrid\nLilligren\nIgnorant\n\n\nJamie\nMalone\nThe Transition of Venus\n\n\nChristopher\nMerchant\nEnd Table Cabinet\n\n\nCynthia\nO’Hern\n(F)emanate\n\n\nChuck\nRichards\nA Gallery of Grotesque Self-Portraits\n\n\nAnna\nSegner\nBite Back\n\n\nJosh\nSorrell\nViral\n\n\nJac\nTilton\nBullis Discount\n\n\nJac\nTilton\nChillin’ Below Michigan Ave.\n\n\nKatie\nWalberg\nStretched Thin\n\n\nGina\nWestergard\nWith The Stars and With Me\n\n\nTom\nWhalley\n3-D Portholes: A Study in Black and White\n\n\nTom\nWhalley\nTortuous\n\n\nAlicia\nWilkinson\nSetting The Oppressed Free URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/2021-octagonal-the-all-media-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/2020/11/SM-Graphic-Octagonal-2021-1-1.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 BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210417 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210523 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20210112T212548Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220228T050345Z UID:12398-1618617600-1621727999@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:What's Good Project JENNIFER DRINKWATER DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY \nPlease join us for a closing reception on  Thursday\, May 20th\, 5 – 7pm with artist\, Jennifer Drinkwater! The reception will be at the Octagon Community Gallery. \nWhat is What’s Good\, you ask. \nCulturally\, it seems that we are addicted to negativity. What happens when we deliberately acknowledge and discuss the assets in our communities? What happens when we make a choice to look for what is working where we live? Can this build community momentum and lead to a “spiraling up effect” within the community? \nThe What’s Good Project stems from asset-based community development and highlights community strengths. According to research\, shifting focus from community challenges to strengthening community assets can result in more effective community improvement. Using that as a framework and art as the output\, The What’s Good Project explores what we value where we live. \nA Mississippi native\, Jennifer Drinkwater has lived in various communities across the country – including the Mississippi Delta\, a state park in Western Massachusetts\, New Orleans\, multiple Appalachian Trail crew base camps\, a Blackfoot reservation in Montana\, along the shoreline of Lake Turkana in Kenya\, Eastern North Carolina\, Mississippi suburbia\, college-town Iowa\, Atlanta\, and artist residencies in Truth and Consequences\, NM; Peoria\, IL; Marquette\, NE; Johnson\, VT; and New York Mills\, MN.\nShe has spent one year of her life in tents\, and currently lives with her beloved husband and dog in a house in Ames\, Iowa. \nJennifer is an assistant professor with a joint appointment between the department of art and visual culture and Iowa State University extension and outreach. She has a B.A. in both studio art and anthropology from Tulane University and earned an M.F.A in\npainting from East Carolina University. Her paintings have been exhibited nationally in juried and solo exhibitions and have been featured in New American Paintings and Studio Visit magazine. \nJennifer explores how we bring artwork from the studio into the world\, and accordingly\, how this work can both build and shape community. During the past few years\, she has partnered with communities in Iowa and Mississippi in various community\nart projects\, programming and theatre productions. She helped to organize a community-wide steamroll printmaking event in Perry\, Iowa; created installations in restored prairies in Nebraska; collaborated on public art projects in vacant sites on\nIowa main streets; spearheaded a community knit-bombing project; and painted two murals with middle school children on a juke joint in the Mississippi Delta. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/whats-good-project-jennifer-drinkwater/ 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/2021/01/Reflection-web-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 BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210529 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210704 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20210112T212921Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210112T212921Z UID:12400-1622246400-1625356799@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Octagon Member Show DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY \nMore information coming soon. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/octagon-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:20210710 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210814 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20210112T213853Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210811T164447Z UID:12412-1625875200-1628899199@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Theater of The Absurdo LEON RICHMOND DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN COMMUNITY GALLERY \nArtist Statement \nWhy is when\, and now is why\, and we will ALWAYS want\, AND all is “What the holy crap!” \nNever has this been an obstacle for lucid critical or crucial thought for whom the dummbbbell tolls in the skies of material wantonness. Q: How did we even get here? The needs\, creeds and greeds of all the wants are re-assembled in this body of work. Faux luxury facilitated by dead corporate machines like Sears\, JC Penny’s and Montgomery Wards with 1200 page catalogs are a good place to begin perhaps. Paper bricks printed on glossy non-archival paper layered to the sky for empire building. If aliens from outer space were to visit us right now\, many of their questions could be answered in those catalogs. Core samples have been gathered in these non-fine art things and born again from merely rummaging through the grave yards of consumable “goods” re-swapped for $$ in the stores of thrift and performing fleas. By the process of cultural anthropology\, many of these cheap consumer goods have been given a new life\, again to adorn the walls and tables of mainstream America. The artist has found inspiration in the cheap stuff of yester-year\, thusly re-arting the stuff that was mass-produced to give the façade of style and class. So hurry! We’re running out of stuff fast! \nThe white middle/upper/other classes examined have been recorded in both the good and bad books of history and consequently flushed out the birth canals of the unimaginative landfills (progress). Facsimiles with objective meanings defy our understanding in the rubbish now\, yet provide proof-positive of who we were\, who we are and what we mostly still want to be. So uselessly useful in their time now become “utilitarian fine art” again for their utilitarian purpose in the third place. Artistic alchemical license has freely given the artist a full-on-all-out-all-American stratagem with these junk store findings. America in its most peculiar vintage hour… American at its final artistic process… \nSo for now\, we look to the past for where we went wrong\, right and/or left. Based on the hunting and gathering of antiquated pictorial evidence\, allegorical signifiers\, aggressive branding and personal insider insights\, observable clues are given in an absurdist\, unflinching and often lowbrow way for your viewing entertainment. To laugh or to cry?… You decide… \nMeet the artist at the closing reception Friday\, August 13\, 5 – 7pm in the Community Gallery. Everyone is welcome and masks are required. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/leon-richmond/ 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/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-05-25-at-6.24.11-PM.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:20210821 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211003 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20210112T214305Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210924T214202Z UID:12414-1629504000-1633219199@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Image & Text: Visual Art and Creative Writing in Partnership DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN COMMUNITY GALLERY \nImage & Text features visual and written artworks crafted from partnerships between visual artists and creative writers. Whether the individual artworks or the overarching concepts behind the artworks are the collaboration\, this gallery installation intends to show artwork generated by the interplay between (or among) visual artists and creative writers. A call for artists took place in the summer of 2019. Originally planned for the 2020 gallery season\, the pandemic required rescheduling of this gallery show. \nAdditionally\, throughout the month of September\, The Octagon will be hosting several events to celebrate the collaboration of visual art and writing. We would love to have you join us! \n  \nWednesday\, September 1st\, 7:00 PM  \nGallery Talk with Debra Marquart and Ingrid Lilligren \nA conversation with Ingrid and Debra involving art\, readings of poems and excerpts\, and a view into how collaboration between the artists creates new visual art. Watch the recording here: https://fb.watch/8b3U_6AZd4/ \n  \nThursday\, September 9th\, 6:00 – 8:00 PM  \nEraser Poetry + Collage and Open Mic Night \nA drop-in activity to learn about and create eraser poetry and collage alongside a public open mic night. Share the creative writing in your life. $5 suggested donation to help The Octagon cover material costs. Partnership with the Emerging Writers. \n  \nThursday\, September 16th\, 6:00 – 8:00 PM  \nGalley Show Reception \nA reception to celebrate the works of all artists in the show. Plus impromptu poetry readings of the show artists in attendance. See the Facebook event here. \n  \nThursday\, September 23rd\, 6:00 PM NEW TIME! \nWords Meet Art with Ana McCracken \n A literary arts event that demonstrates through words how art invokes feelings\, triggers memories\, and inspires conversations across divides and demographics\, plus a special announcement. \n  \nThursday\, September 29th\, TBA \nReading Night with the Emerging Writers at Dog-Eared Books \n A literary arts event that demonstrates through words how art invokes feelings\, triggers memories\, and inspires conversations across divides and demographics. \n  \nSaturday\, October 2nd\, 12:30 – 4:00 PM \nBookbinding: The Cross Structure Book\, Ages 16+ \nA class on bookbinding. The Cross Structure binding is a non-adhesive structure that offers much freedom to the text block. This 20th century design is greatly inspired by the Long Stitch bindings of the medieval era. It is suitable for conservation or new bindings\, such as travel journals or decorative bindings. The structure is uniquely constructed by interlocking the front and back covers at the spine. Instructed by Peggy Johnston. Pre-registration is required. Cost $95 class fee. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/image-text-visual-art-and-creative-writing-in-partnership/ 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/2021/01/image-and-text-collage-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;VALUE=DATE:20211012 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211107 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20210112T214613Z LAST-MODIFIED:20211011T034938Z UID:12417-1633996800-1636243199@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:The Art of Climate Planning DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY \nThe Art of Climate Planning is produced by The EcoTheatre Lab and funded by a City of Ames Small Art Grant. The project is inspired by the City of Ames’ commitment to developing a climate action plan in the coming months. The EcoTheatre Lab commissioned seven local artists to develop art pieces with the aim of encouraging community participation in the climate action planning process. These art pieces will be displayed in various community spaces through March 2022. A big thank you to everyone involved in the Octagon Center for the Arts’ Outrage to Change Project in Summer 2020\, which inspired the structure for The Art of Climate Planning.  \nAbout The EcoTheatre Lab: The EcoTheatre Lab is a small collective of three Ames artists (Charissa Menefee\, Taylor Sklenar\, and Vivian M Cook). They partner with fellow ISU and Ames artists and community members to produce arts events that build community and engage audiences in sustainability conversations. They approach their work from an asset-based perspective\, examining the many assets that exist within our community and identifying ways to amplify and build on those assets through art. Follow The EcoTheatre Lab on Facebook and Instagram.  \nWork in image by Keygan Sands. \n  URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/art-of-climate-planning/ 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/2021/01/climate-planning.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:20211113 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211225 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20210112T214800Z LAST-MODIFIED:20211011T035808Z UID:12419-1636761600-1640390399@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:AMENDA TATE DESCRIPTION:LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY \nArtist Statement: \nIn Latin\, the word Manibus means “from the hand.” I created the Manibus robotic painting device to utilize as an extension of the artist’s hand. A dancer wears a motion-sensing remote directing Manibus to render an artistic depiction of elapsed time and motion. Using this tool\, I capture and translate the movement and visceral dynamics of dance into painted works of art.  \nI facilitate collaborative processes as a director combining the necessary components for creating the work of art. With a nod to Abstract Expressionism\, I allow for spontaneity in the mark\, but utilize my own set of constraints to orchestrate order in the process. I determine the scale\, width of the brush\, the color\, the starts and stops\, while resigning myself to accept some aspects of the output as they occur.  In the spirit of Happenings\, I encourage the contribution of creative energy within a prescribed structure.  \nMy process yields an observable abstract representation of what has transpired. It is an opportunity to analyze the fleeting movements of dance. The works take shape as dynamic linear renderings that embody kinetic verve. The emotion of the dance becomes a painted vestige honoring that instance in time. The lingering traces are mapped connections facilitated by social interaction\, art\, engineering\, and technology. \nMy work explores how art and dance can be utilized in a participatory way to cross societal divides\, break down barriers and increase empathy through tangible and embodied interactions.  Through imagination\, curiosity\, and courage\, we can increase our self-awareness to grow introspectively and consciously thereby enabling us to better understand the experiences of others. I have been conducting happenings/events that encourage public participation in the performative and improvisational creation of a collaborative work of art as a means to explore social structures and confirm connections to being emotionally intelligent humans. \nThis work questions responsible use of technology\, the construction of identity in a socially digitized world\, authorship and ownership\, privacy\, and legacy. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/amenda-tate/ 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/2021/01/Amenda-tate.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:20211230T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20220130T173000 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20211228T223142Z LAST-MODIFIED:20211228T223142Z UID:13246-1640858400-1643563800@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:The Colors of Nature BRIDGET MARCUS & PAMELA DOUGLAS DESCRIPTION:Bridget Marcus has been bird watching for most of her life and her wonder and love for birds is only increasing as the vulnerability of our avian neighbors becomes ever clearer. Growing up in South Africa much of her free time was spent in the “bushveld” resulting in a deep knowledge of South African birds. Since emigrating to the midwest United States\, she has grown to know and love the birds of eastern deciduous forests and urban gardens. \nBridget loves intense\, highly saturated color and so has been drawn to pastels. Jack Wilkes\, her private teacher and mentor\, has exposed her to the magic of this medium. \nInspired by the depth of color with pastels\, Bridget has recently started developing a body of work depicting American birds that are attracted to the Michigan woodland property where she and her husband\, Rick\, are actively birdscaping by planting native plants to attract the insects on which specific bird species depend. This summer’s birds of note include scarlet tanagers\, indigo buntings and cedar waxwings bathing in the pond\, which was built as a source of water for the birds. \nAs a part of Bridget’s commitment to aid in bird conservation\, she will donate 30% of any sales at this exhibition or from online sales to the Audubon Society to assist them in the meaningful work being done by this important organization. \n“My lifelong connection with nature feeds my soul but I fear that opportunities to experience first hand its exquisite beauty and wonder are rapidly diminishing with the inexorable rise in extinction rates of so many species. I aim to share my love of and reverence for some of these magnificent creatures by depicting them through the use of texture and vibrant color. I hope to inspire those who see my work to slow down\, notice\, and feel.” \nPamela Douglas specializes in painting and drawing. She has worked in a lot of dierent mediums\, but over the last several years\, her works are primarily created in pastel. Landscapes and still life are the subject matter she paints most often. Rather than represent the row crops of the midwest\, Douglas is  drawn to the beauty of the natural landscape. Her still life work contains contemporary compositions representing simple objects set in a specific orientation in space. \nWhether in the studio or outside along a dusty road\, Douglas enjoys the experience of being in the moment while painting. Through her works\, she invites the viewer to imagine the serenity found in nature and hopefully to realize how important those places are in our world. \nIn Douglas’ work\, the interaction of color intensity and temperature strengthens the illusion of light\, color\, and form. Through her continued investigation of the use of color\, she intentionally works to produce the limits of depth or atmosphere. \nDouglas applies pastel in a layered method\, working first with the hardest density pastels and then finishing with soft pastels. Values are generally applied from dark to light. Depth of space is created by applying just the right temperature\, value and intensity of color where needed. \n“As a child\, most of my fondest memories are about creative play. I believe being actively creative was something important enough to have brought me to what I do today. Making art teaches me something new about myself and the creative process every day. I feel most fulfilled when I am alone and experiencing the creative process.” URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/the-colors-of-nature-bridget-marcus-pamela-douglas/ 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/2021/12/Screen-Shot-2021-12-28-at-4.29.58-PM.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:20220205 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220220 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20220204T210316Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220210T162017Z UID:13517-1644019200-1645315199@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:Catching My Breath CAMERON GRAY DESCRIPTION:Community Gallery — View from the Sidewalk \n \nShow Statement\n \nDo we have time to slow down? And I don’t mean that Only in the sense of physically\, but mentality. Though we are living in a pandemic and things are to supposed to me moving much slower\, I feel that is far from the truth. From the multiple Deaths to trials\, when have we had time to be at Peace! \n \nCatching my Breath is the visual representation of me finding (or trying to find) that peaceful state through the trauma and chaos. We live in a society where it is not hard to be wrapped up in the sensationalism of the media with Black death being the tagline. That you can get lost in it all. This installation is all about taking and making space/room to breathe.\n \nThe gallery space will not be entered after install to allow the Black Spirit to be able to flow and breathe uninterrupted! I truly believe that is what Every Black person deserves and needs! \n \n \nBio\n \nCameron Gray was born in Birmingham\, Alabama in 1991. It was growing up in Birmingham when he started to see the effects of racism. He focused on feelings stemming from these effects when he entered his first art class at Auburn University. He graduated from Auburn University in December of 2013 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Printmaking. In 2014\, he moved to St. Louis\, Missouri to work as a press assistant with a printmaker. In 2020\, he graduated from Iowa State University with a Master of Fine Arts.\n \nGray has shown his artwork in solo and collaborative shows\, nationally and internationally\, including in Cortona\, Italy\, Oklahoma\, Alabama\, Texas\, Iowa\, North Carolina\, California\, and New York. In 2020\, he founded a community-based initiative called The Buxton Initiative where he conceives community-based projects that celebrate Blackness in art\, literature\, music\, and film. His first major project is the Black’d Out Book Library where he is providing space where only Black voices are being heard and felt. URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/catching-my-breath-cameron-gray/ 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/2022/02/cam-Gray.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:20220304 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220410 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 CREATED:20220308T225540Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220318T161940Z UID:13613-1646352000-1649548799@octagonarts.org SUMMARY:2022 Octagonal: The All Media Show DESCRIPTION:Located in the Community Gallery \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 53 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. \nJoin the Octagon staff\, exhibit artists\, and exhibit juror for the 54th annual Octagonal: The All-Media Show’s opening night reception on Friday\, March 4th at 6:00 p.m.! Juror Akwi Nji will announce Octagonal 2022 award winners and share juror comments. Then\, join four Octagonal artists in a panel discussion on “Identity and Connection: Art as a Reflection of our Environments.” Featured artists are Natalie Deam\, Jennifer Gauerke\, Kimberlee Rocca\, and Anda Tanaka\, who will discuss how connections to their environments – social\, ecological\, occupational – shape their identities and their artwork.  \nOctagonal 2022 will be open for viewing in the Community Gallery\, starting March 4th at 6:00 p.m. and until April 9\, 2022. The Octagon requires proper mask wearing and physical distancing while in all parts of the building. \nThis event is in partnership with the Ames Community Arts Council. A big thank you to the 2022 sponsors: 10Fold Architecture + Engineering\, Cook’s Emporium\, Dog-Eared Books\, Gilger Designs\, Nook & Nest\, Sherwin Williams\, Z.W. Mercantile\, Brown Family Endowment Fund\, Huff Endowment Fund\, Iowa Arts Council\, City of Ames Commission on the Arts.  \n\nAwards\nWinifred V. Brown Best of Show award:  $1000 \nMedia award for each category: $250 \nPriscilla Sage Fiber Award\nSponsored by: Z. W. Mercantile\n“Siphonophore” by Betty Busby \nJanet Harris Squires Clay Award\nSponsored by: Cooks’ Emporium\n“Socially Distanced” by Hank Hall \n\nMartha Benson Metal Media Award\nSponsored by: Gilger Designs\n“Exhale” by Katie DuVal Mihelich \n\nVeronika Ruedenberg Mixed Media Award\nSponsored by: Nook & Nest Ames\n“Forces of Change” by Maggie Douglas \n\nPaper Media Award\nSponsored by: Dog-Eared Books\n“Stink Eye” by Mattea Whetstone \n\nGlass Media Award\nSponsored by: 10Fold Architecture + Engineering\n“Highland Meadow” by Jerene Kruse \n\nWood Media Award\nSponsored by: 10Fold Architecture + Engineering\n“Carousel” by Amelia Currier \n\nPainting Media Award\nSponsored by: The Sherwin-Williams Company\n“Beautiful Nymph” by Jess Quinn \n\nEmerging Artist Award\nSponsored by: The Octagon Center for the Arts and Brown Family Endowment Fund\n“Untitled (For Nona)” by Anda Tanaka \nWinifred V. Brown Best of Show Award\nSponsored by: Brown Family Endowment Fund\n“We’re all under the same sky” by Linda Lewis \n\n2022 Juror: Akwi Nji\n\nAkwi is an award-winning artist creating in words\, performance\, and visual art. She specializes in creative personal narrative storytelling across artistic mediums. Her work and words have appeared on stage from California’s Wine Country to New York’s Fashion Week. \nShe is owner of Threshold Gallery\, an artist-run gallery and micro venue with a mission to support women artists and artists of color in the Midwest; creator of The Remoir Project\, a nationwide audio and visual storytelling arts initiative\, and a champion of the artist and the arts through her role as producer of multi-media arts events in the Midwest. \nAkwi has served as an arts ambassador in multiple roles including as founding executive director of The Hook\, an Iowa Arts Council board member\, producer of nearly 100 events in recent years\, involving more than 300 writers and performers; and advisor of Arts Midwest initiatives. \nHer art serves as manifestations of her exploration of race\, gender\, Black history as American history\, and a parallelism of current social issues with their historical and cultural counterparts\, tensions between the ‘outsider’ and ‘insider’\, and concepts of spiritual and geographic home. As a writer\, voice artist\, performer\, and producer her collaborative partners include Emmy-award winning composers and nationally-renowned dancers and choreographers. She has been an Iowa Arts Council Fellow and\, for her efforts in the business community\, she was named one of Corridor Business Journal’s Forty Under 40.  \nAkwi was born in Iowa City\, Iowa\, and raised in Cameroon\, Africa. Her experiences as a Cameroonian and Cameroonian American inform her work as artist and advocate. She lives in the Midwest with her two daughters\, the family dog\, and her daughters’ cats. \nPROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND\nAkwi’s professional background is in nonprofit leadership\, public education\, journalism\, and strategic communications. Prior to launching her businesses\, she was most recently Director of Communications at the fourth largest employer in her county and serving more than 20\,000 stakeholders. Her professional expertise uniquely spans the corporate and creative world\, positioning her as a sought-after voice on strategic creative communications in the Midwest region. \n\nWe would like to thank everyone who submitted work to be juried for Octagonal 2022: The All Media Show. The following artworks have been accepted by juror\, Awki Ngi. Congratulations!\n 2022 Accepted Artworks\n\n\n\n\nLast Name \n\n\nFirst Name \n\n\nTitle \n\n\n\n\nAdam \n\n\nPenny \n\n\nSunny Day Window \n\n\n\n\nAlberda \n\n\nJoanne \n\n\nWoven Toss \n\n\n\n\nBauerle \n\n\nMarcia \n\n\nSaint Analogous \n\n\n\n\nBrown \n\n\nSara Slee \n\n\nSouls Ascending Green Gate \n\n\n\n\nBusby \n\n\nBetty \n\n\nSiphonophore \n\n\n\n\nCourter \n\n\nCherie \n\n\nBuck Run #2 \n\n\n\n\nCurrier \n\n\nAmelia \n\n\nCarousel \n\n\n\n\nDayton \n\n\nA K \n\n\nLarch Creek \n\n\n\n\nDeam \n\n\nNatalie \n\n\nBloom (Invasive) \n\n\n\n\nDouglas \n\n\nMaggie \n\n\nForces of Change \n\n\n\n\nDouglas \n\n\nMaggie \n\n\nWhere does the time go? \n\n\n\n\nDuVal Mihelich \n\n\nKatie \n\n\nExhale \n\n\n\n\nEastburn \n\n\nJudith \n\n\nGolden Hills #2 \n\n\n\n\nEllis \n\n\nAmee \n\n\nLaundry Day \n\n\n\n\nElshout \n\n\nKaren \n\n\nWild Hair \n\n\n\n\nFlynn \n\n\nMeghan \n\n\nTiger (Lily) Queen \n\n\n\n\nGauerke \n\n\nJennifer \n\n\nSister Earth \n\n\n\n\nGuffy \n\n\nJill \n\n\nMini quilt Aerial Blocks \n\n\n\n\nHall \n\n\nHank \n\n\nSocially Distanced \n\n\n\n\nHarris \n\n\nAmy \n\n\nEbb and Flow 2 \n\n\n\n\nHensley \n\n\nKatharine \n\n\nSeawall \n\n\n\n\nHerren \n\n\nKenneth \n\n\nShofukan \n\n\n\n\nJoffe-Bouska \n\n\nMarcia \n\n\nRio De Memoria (River of Memory) \n\n\n\n\nKruse \n\n\nJerene \n\n\nHighland Meadow \n\n\n\n\nLaursen \n\n\nAnnie \n\n\nLandscape Nesting Bowls \n\n\n\n\nLehmkuhl \n\n\nGayle \n\n\nGus\, Mike and me: we are from the land \n\n\n\n\nLewis \n\n\nLinda \n\n\nWe’re all under the same sky \n\n\n\n\nLopez \n\n\nAna \n\n\nLondon Wall \n\n\n\n\nPasutti \n\n\nLynsi \n\n\nCoil Vessel Part 1: Wave \n\n\n\n\nPiippo \n\n\nMariah \n\n\nUntitled Textural Painting (Size: 16Hx20Wx2D) \n\n\n\n\nQuinn \n\n\nJess \n\n\nBeautiful Nymph \n\n\n\n\nRocca \n\n\nKimberlee \n\n\nFish Out of Water \n\n\n\n\nSchnitzer \n\n\nAmy \n\n\nThe Quest \n\n\n\n\nShook \n\n\nRichard \n\n\nThe Magician \n\n\n\n\nSorrell \n\n\nJosh \n\n\nErupt \n\n\n\n\nStewart \n\n\nLori \n\n\nMaintaining Equilibrium \n\n\n\n\nTanaka \n\n\nAnda \n\n\nUntitled (For Nona) \n\n\n\n\nTanaka \n\n\nAnda \n\n\nWalking With Amira \n\n\n\n\nWhetstone \n\n\nMattea \n\n\nStink Eye \n\n\n\n\nWhetstone \n\n\nMattea \n\n\nTomorrow \n\n\n\n\nWilkinson \n\n\nAlicia \n\n\nHealing Landscapes Series: From Mexico City to the Midwest\, USA \n\n\n\n\nYavorskaya \n\n\nIrina \n\n\nDancing Penguins ’19 \n\n\n\n\nZeitler \n\n\nDeborah \n\n\nThree Bowls in a Bowl URL:https://octagonarts.org/event/13613/ 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/2022/02/octagonal-reception-2022.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;VALUE=DATE:20220416 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220424 DTSTAMP:20260423T100045 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 END:VCALENDAR