LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY Diary of a Mad World Artworks by Derrick Burbul July 20 to September 7, 2019 Artist Statement My images and writings have sometimes been juxtaposed, but never combined, until this body of work. The relationship between images and words can be traced back all the way to fourth century B.C. Greece to the Poet of Simmias of Rhodes, who wrote his writings in the forms of images, much like the Futurist poets of the early…

LOCATED IN THE SMALL WALL GALLERY From Megan Anderson: I have always been in awe of nature and its beauty. I see the world through a photographer’s eyes and always wish I had a camera permanently attached to my hand. With the invention of cell phones, my dream came true. I want to show that it doesn’t matter what fancy equipment you possess, you can still capture beautiful and interesting photography. Art is what you make of it. I have…

LOCATED IN MAIN GALLERY Let’s do a little math! A = πr2 There are 70,686 square miles in a circle with 150 square mile radius. Thus the name for this exhibit…  70K is a juried exhibition of artists located 150 miles from Ames or nearer. This focus on local and regional artists is an important part of the mission of the Octagon Center for the Arts. Opening Reception: August 30, 2019, 5-7pm. Awards at 6pm.   Juror:  Allison Sheridan Museum Collections Manager, Publications Coordinator, &…

LOCATED IN SWEENEY GALLERY (3RD FLOOR)   Angie Huffman I try to render scenes from generally unremarkable life events that bring me joy when I first see them. Though mundane, they reach out with a harmonious balance of composition and color. Quiet and wordless, they imply a visual narrative and ask for further consideration. Transporting these moments in time onto canvas allows me freeze them in a state where others also have the opportunity to reflect on their harmony. Hopefully…

LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY (1st FLOOR/STREET LEVEL) Artist Statement Using site-adjusted installations as my primary mode of practice, I deploy an integrated and focused approach to both theoretical and practical questions pertaining to the nature and impact of materiality specific to the re-occupation of post-industrial spaces. My works provoke a temporal-spatial encounter that reconciles the simultaneous and complex nature of cerebral and corporeal experience. Each inquiry utilizes a range of domains including art, architecture and anthropology as a means…

LOCATED IN THE SMALL WALL GALLERY Artist Statement I first fell in love with the prairie when studying art at UNI. Wandering the twisting paths of the restored prairie calmed my mind. As I drank in grasshopper droning, late summer’s scent of grass, the pollen, the leaves, and the many colors, I felt grounded and renewed. The prairie sang to me in a way that allowed me to simply be. I began my prairie series after I moved to Des…

LOCATED IN SWEENEY GALLERY (3RD FLOOR) Emily Verdoorn Through drawing, I form vital relationships with the world of my everyday experience. My process often begins by drawing on location. I enjoy drawing places and spaces steeped in the personality of their inhabitants. My drawings develop in response to time spent observing places and things – their habits, personality, rituals, and the people that frequent them. I love discovering the mundane glory in the commonplace. From observational drawing, I often collect…

LOCATED IN THE SMALL WALL GALLERY (3RD FLOOR) I think of these works as inklings, for their humble beginnings as tiny ink doodles, and for those small, nagging ideas, fears, and behaviors that have the power to become reality – whether beautiful or monstrous in their realization. The earliest works date back to 1997, when my mother was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. They represent the management of multiple internal struggles – first with my own body image and the desire…