Work Study Make

| Catherine Nelson

This exhibition features art made by the six students who currently work as gallery assistants in the Bush Art Center Galleries: Catherine Nelson, Jade Ruiz, Molly Wardius, Nikki Tranel, and Sydney Suchy.

Jackson Venski, Einstein. Oil on canvas.
Molly Wardius, Delphinium. Poster design

Working in the gallery provides the opportunity to see things from the other side of the desk, so to speak. Gallery skills include learning a myriad of ways to install art, problem-solving complex installations, writing blog posts, answering visitor questions, and many, many other miscellaneous tasks. There’s much more to gallery work than meets the eye!

This year’s staff includes students studying Art Education, Studio Art, and Graphic Design.

Jade Ruiz, Playroom. Milk paint on wood

Work Study Make is on display from October 2 through December 1 in the Godschalx Gallery.

Sydney Suchy, Dessert. Acrylic on canvas
Nikki Tranel, Cardigan. Yarn
Catherine Nelson, Self Portrait 2021. Acrylic on canvas
Poster designed by Sydney Suchy.

2023-24 Juried Student Art Show

| Catherine Nelson

The annual juried exhibition of work by current St. Norbert College students is on display! All current students were able to submit work made during their time in college.

This year’s strong show features six award-winning artists, selected by juror Laura Schley, the Public Arts Coordinator for the City of Green Bay. Laura graduated from UWGB with a double major in Art and Arts Management with emphases in Painting, Textiles and Gallery and Museum Practices. Her personal artistic practice includes painting murals, sewing and mending clothes, and experimenting with fibers and natural dyes.

Congratulations to the following award winners:

  • First Place: Maddie Smith
  • Second Place: Catherine Nelson
  • Third Place: Gia Minneci
  • Honorable Mentions:
    • Emma Fry
    • Tylie
    • Samuel Satterlie

Honorable Mentions

Emma Fry, Smile. Illustration, print on paper.

Samuel Satterlie, Ghoul. Monotype print on paper

Tylie Scheetz, Orange You Glad It’s Tea Time? Clay

Tylie Scheetz, Orange You Glad It’s Tea Time? Clay

Third Place

Gia Minneci, Cavities. Monotype print on paper

Gia Minneci, Cavities. Monotype print on paper

Second Place

Catherine Nelson, Room to Grow. Relief print on paper

Catherine Nelson, Room to Grow. Relief print on paper

First Place

Maddie Smith, Behind the Scenes of An American Farmer. Photograph on paper.

Maddie Smith, Behind the Scenes of An American Farmer. Photograph on paper.

The exhibition will be on display from November 6-December 1, and the reception was on November 9th from 5-6:30 p.m.

Congratulations to all!

Poster, marketing materials, and awards cards designed by Sydney Suchy.

Storied Lives: Select Works by David Graham and Terri Warpinski

| Catherine Nelson

Storied Lives is an exhibition of remarkable photographs, featuring portraits by David Graham from his book Land of the Free and selections from Death|s|trip by Terri Warpinski.

Terri Warpinski, Anton Walzer, October 8, 1962

Accompanying Warpinski’s photographs are laser-cut text panels, which overlay historical maps. According to Warpinski’s artist statement,

Death[s]trip is a story of human mortality written on the landscape. In looking at present day Berlin through the filter of history, these works combine contemporary photographs and text with archival elements to reveal some of the consequences of enforced political borders. From 1961-1989, 140 individuals died in failed attempts to flee over the Berlin Wall from Soviet occupied East Germany to freedom in West Berlin. Focusing on these victims, Death|s|trip probes the contingent properties of meaning, memory, and reflection in relation to both the landscape and the photographic image.

Each site was photographed on the date that coincides with the anniversary of the victim’s death, in the specific location where the event took place.

David Graham describes his work as follows:

Land of the Free is photographer David Graham’s tribute to the American people in all their idiosyncratic splendor. A tireless traveler and a natural-born visual storyteller, Graham has photographed ordinary folks in their homes, at work, and at play across the nation to assemble a composite picture of America. Graham’s colorful portraits showcase the personalities who give America its character.

David Graham, Todd Gerding as a Hessian Granadier, Richboro, PA

Storied Lives is on display now in the Baer Gallery until September 21. Graham and Warpinski are the directors and curators of NewARTSpace, a local gallery and studio just across the bridge in downtown De Pere, Wisconsin.

Fall 2023 in the Galleries

| Shan

Storied Lives: Select Works by David Graham & Terri Warpinski

Baer Gallery, August 28 – September 21

Reception: September 7, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Storied Lives features portraits by David Graham from Land of the Free and selections from Death|s|trip by Terri Warpinski.

Land of the Free is photographer David Graham’s tribute to the American people in all their idiosyncratic splendor. A tireless traveler and a natural-born visual storyteller, Graham has photographed ordinary folks in their homes, at work, and at play across the nation to assemble a composite picture of America. Graham’s colorful portraits showcase the personalities who give America its character.

Death[s]trip is a story of human mortality written on the landscape. In looking at present day Berlin through the filter of history, these works combine contemporary photographs and text with archival elements to reveal some of the consequences of enforced political borders. From 1961-1989, 140 individuals died in failed attempts to flee over the Berlin Wall from Soviet occupied East Germany to freedom in West Berlin. Focusing on these victims, Death|s|trip probes the contingent properties of meaning, memory, and reflection in relation to both the landscape and the photographic image.

Each site was photographed on the date that coincides with the anniversary of the victim’s death, in the specific location where the event took place.

April Beiswenger: Grace Me No Grace

Godschalx Gallery, August 28 – September 21

Saturdays Are For Road Trips: Photographs by Frank Juárez and Pat Ryan

Baer Gallery, October 2-October 26

Exhibition Reception: October 19, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. 

Saturdays became an excuse to get in the car to embark on random road trips throughout Wisconsin and neighboring states to explore, connect, and decompress from life’s stressors centered around covid. This photographic exhibition is a testament to their friendship, love for photography, and traveling. It highlights two distinct perspectives of turning the mundane to a thing of beauty and capturing life as it happens through the eye of the lens. 

Frank Juárez is an award-winning art educator, publisher, art coach and former gallery director. His photographs are driven by daily observations and interactions. He aims to tell a story that connects viewers’ experience, emotions, and memory. 

Pat Ryan is a photographer who attended Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) in the 1970’s. He started with film cameras then transitioned to digital. His photographs are inspired by shapes, textures, and symmetry that he encounters during his travels.

Work/Study/Make

Godschalx Gallery, October 2-December 1

This exhibition features art made by students who work in the St. Norbert College Art Galleries.  

2023-24 Juried Student Art Exhibition 

Baer Gallery, November 6 – December 1

Awards Reception: Thursday, Nov. 9, 5-6:30 p.m.

The Juried Student Art Exhibition features art made by current St. Norbert College students. The works in the show are selected by the St. Norbert College Art faculty and awards are judged by an arts professional. Entry forms will be available in the Bush Art Center at the beginning of the semester.

Spring 23 in the Galleries

| Shan

Stephanie Carpenter, Kinship: Belonging, 2019, Letterpress print from wood type

Stephanie Carpenter: Cultivating Community 

Baer Gallery 

January 23 -February 16

Coffee and Pastry Reception: Tuesday, February 7, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 

Stephanie Carpenter examines the way we create unique communities. She explores modularity and the use of language related to how we are connected. She earned an MFA from Indiana University and her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally in Australia, Brazil, India, Italy and Japan. 

Object Matters

Godschalx Gallery 

January 23 -February 16

Explorations in clay, wood, and found objects by students in Art 224, Introduction to Sculpture. 

Speculative Futures: Visions from Caregiving Printmakers

Baer Gallery 

February 27 -March 28

Exhibition events: 

March 23, 10 a.m. Bush Art Center: Panel discussion in BAC 130 with artists Katie Ries and Carrie Scanga, and labor historian Jessica Wilkerson. Panel followed by a reception in the gallery.

Speculative Futures is a portfolio of prints that imagine the future of caregiving. All of the participating artists are caregiving printmakers. The portfolio includes an essay by labor historian Jessica Wilkerson. 

Design Localitas

Godschalx Gallery 

February 27 -March 28

Featuring designs by the St. Norbert College Student Design Center.

2023 Senior Art Exhibition

Bush Art Center 

April 11- May 4

Reception: Friday, April 21, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

The Senior Art Exhibition is the capstone experience for all St. Norbert College art majors.

2022-23 Juried Student Art Exhibition

| Catherine Nelson

The annual juried exhibition of work by current St. Norbert College students is on display! The juried show is open to all current students. This year’s jurors are David Graham and Terri Warpinski, professional artists and curators of NEWArtSpace, a gallery and studio space in downtown De Pere.

This year’s award winners with the jurors. From left to right: David Graham, Sydney Suchy, Logan Elkin, Catherine Nelson, Emma Fry, Emily Friday, Jackson Venski, Terri Warpinski.

This year’s winners were selected based on the quality of the entire body of work featured in the show, rather than a specific piece. Congratulations to all!

  • First Place: Catherine Nelson
  • Second Place: Emma Fry
  • Third Place: Jackson Venski
  • Honorable Mentions:
    • Sydney Suchy
    • Emily Gonnering
    • Logan Elkin
  • Work by Sydney Suchy
  • Work by Catherine Nelson
  • Work by Jackson Venski
  • Work by Emily Friday
  • Work by Emma Fry

Aram Han Sifuentes — Let Us Vote!

| Catherine Nelson

According to exhibition curator Brandon Bauer, “this exhibition brings together works by Aram Han Sifuentes that focus on democracy, citizenship, and political participation. The works in this exhibition manifest the notion of democracy as a contested space in which one can gain a political voice through citizenship, protest, or giving voice to those excluded politically.” It includes handmade protest banners, an Official Unofficial Voting Station, and a banner lending library.

A central feature of the exhibition is a wall of handmade protest banners. Sifuentes hosts workshops to teach sewing skills and banner-making techniques, passing on a traditional, intergenerational skills while drawing communities into conversation about protest and demonstration. Some banners were created by Sifuentes or during previous lending libraries, but a collection of banners made by campus community members are available to be checked out. Next to the poster is an instructional video on how to create a fabric banner with felt letters. A banner making workshop, with instruction by Moki Tantoco, will be taking place at noon on Thursday, October 20 at noon in the Mulva Library.

The St Norbert Community’s Protest Banner Lending Library

The Official Unofficial Voting Station is a symbolic voting station open to all. In addition to creating opportunities for anyone to cast a vote, stations bring together communities for conversation, protest, and celebration. Sifuentes, as a noncitizen immigrant, created the program in response to her inability to vote. The first iteration, prior to the 2016 election, included 25 collaborative activations of the station through performances and installations. The project was reiterated during the 2020 elections, with 50 voting station kits sent across the nation. A voting station is housed online, along with a developing archive of responses and vote tallies.

At the Bush Art Center’s Official Unofficial Voting Station, gallery visitors can fill out a freeform kind of ballot, sharing the reasons that they vote, as well as listing local, national, and global issues they’d like to vote on. The Official Unofficial Voting Station, a station for all people and for all issues, creates conversation around who can vote, and what issues visitors most want brought to the ballot. The anonymous ballot responses will be recorded and archived.

Ballots, a ballot box, and stickers, as well as voting rights informational handouts.

The exhibition will be on display between October 3 and October 27, with a reception from 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m., on Thursday, Oct. 20.

Brandon Bauer — A Call to Halt

| Catherine Nelson

A Call to Halt is an installation and critical timeline of the Euromissiles Crisis, and the nuclear abolition movement in the United States from 1977-1987. The installation includes a reenactment of the 1982 Nuclear Freeze Referenda, in which Wisconsin was the first in the nation to put international nuclear disarmament policy to a popular vote.

Th exhibit includes a timeline of important events during the crisis as a series of archival images and captions superimposed with stenciled spray paint. Cultural, political and activist events are referenced, telling a story of collective public outcry and the power of ordinary people.

Visitors can use provided ballots and reenact Wisconsin’s nuclear disarmament referendum. The reenactment is both a reminder of the power of democracy and an opportunity for viewers to become active participants.

A Call to Halt will be on display from September 26 to October 27 in the Permanent Collection Gallery.

April Beiswenger: An Advocate for an Imposter

| Catherine Nelson

Through a broad, tactile mixture of textiles, printmaking, painting, and sculpture, An Advocate for an Imposter explores the nuanced relationship between imitation and authenticity. Beiswenger’s embroidery, sculpture, and weavings comprise an expansive, kind, and thoughtful conversation.

The central feature of An Advocate for an Imposter is a formal armchair upholstered in AstroTurf, flanked by two log end tables and resting on a large rug. On one side is a bowl of acorns. The arrangement creates interesting conversation about the distinction between “imposter” and “genuine.”

The AstroTurf upholstery is a particularly entertaining juxtaposition. AstroTurf is definitely an imposter, oversaturated plastic pretending to be a perfect, living yard. As upholstery, it’s doubly false–fake grass pretending to be an appropriate fabric for a seat (but actually a prickly, unpleasant surprise). The natural end tables, however, complicate the situation. Raw, unfinished wood–bare nature–is inserted into this indoor, almost domestic scene, yet the AstroTurf upholstery attempts to imitate the vibrance of living plants outdoors. Which belongs where? Who is really the imposter?

The rug below the chair has been printed with scrabble-worthy words that would pose a challenge for even the most experienced elementary school spelling bee champion. The nest of words is beautiful but overwhelming. It can be easy to feel like an imposter, standing in a space covered in terms you are ashamed you don’t know.

The wall facing the gallery entrance is dedicated to a life-sized skeleton, layers of patterned fabric exactingly embroidered with tight, floral embellishments. Next to it is pinned a small, three-inch square portrait. The contrasts between the two–in size, media, style, and presentation–are stark. The portrait, in its intimately small scale and open, unguarded expression, offers a deeply genuine moment of connection, while the skeleton is a much more precisely arranged look inside a person (literally). Both are undeniably appealing, but deeply different.

A series of cloth panels juxtapose carefully embroidered forms with sketches, splotches, and smudges. The organic, unintentional flaws and the precisely realized diagrams both have an appealing integrity to them. Sketches, coffee stains, and wrinkles–the fingerprints of an imperfect reality–honor the time, effort, and person beside the ideals of their work.

An Advocate for an Imposter will be on display in the Godschalx Gallery through October 20.