The five artists who contributed to 91短视频鈥檚 Centennial art installation offered new perspectives 鈥� 500 of them 鈥� on the theme 鈥淪erving, Leading, Transforming.鈥�
Exhibited in the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery during Homecoming and Family Weekend, Oct. 13-15, 2017, 鈥�10x10x100鈥� featured five artists and their 100 new works, each measuring 10 by 10 inches.
At the opening reception, Centennial Committee chair Louise Hostetter 鈥�79 welcomed two honored guests. Professor Emerita was the university鈥檚 first female graduate to earn a doctorate 鈥� in art education in 1962. was the college鈥檚 first graduate with an art degree, and became an advocate for the arts at 91短视频 and for Christian art worldwide. The campus features two of her installations: Guns into Plowshares, from Washington D.C., and Love Essence, near the seminary.
In her thanks to the committee for including the arts in the weekend, curator Ashley Sauder Miller 鈥�03 noted how artists embody 91短视频鈥檚 鈥淪erving, Leading, Transforming鈥澛燙entennial theme.
鈥淭he artist is a servant, silently showing up,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e lead through vision.鈥� Artists are transformed by creating works that transform others, too, she said, by helping them 鈥渟ee things in a different way.鈥�
Read more about each artist .
Unique media
The artists 鈥� Barbara Gautcher, Rachel Herr 鈥�04, Zachary Nafziger 鈥�01, and Melinda Steffy 鈥�03, along with Miller鈥� each selected a specific focus to express in a unique medium.
When creating her abstract collage paintings for 鈥淭hrough the Window,鈥� Gautcher, an art teacher for 32 years at EMS and 91短视频, thought of the past century of people who, while 鈥渟tudying, writing, praying and daydreaming,鈥� looked through windows on campus for 鈥渁 view into the landscape, a vicarious peek at people passing by, and a vision into the future.鈥�
Herr鈥檚 contribution began with a photograph of a female friend who she thought embodies 鈥渢oday鈥檚 deeply Mennonite, modern woman.鈥� Herr then reproduced parts of that photograph onto 96 of her 100 squares as a reflection on change in women鈥檚 roles in the Mennonite church. (She invited other photographers to fill remaining four squares.)
In the process of creating the project, she realized that women from across the spectrum of Mennonite diversity are all 鈥渢rying to figure out what we鈥檒l do in the same way as our ancestors, and what we will do differently. We鈥檙e each making our way.鈥�
Miller used mixed media 鈥� from paints to graphite to embroidery floss to donated materials from 91短视频鈥檚 facilities management, and more 鈥� to image chairs on campus or shown in historic photos.
In his Tiffany-style stained-glass panels housed in four-sided wooden frames, Nafziger expressed 鈥渋deas of tradition, history, location, connections to each other and Earth,鈥� he said 鈥� 鈥渢he light and love of culture and humanity that can be found as the basis for 91短视频鈥檚 core values and ethics.鈥�
He decided to make his works into lamps because, he said, 鈥淢ennonites love things to have purpose.鈥�
Steffy鈥檚 100 paintings of color reinterpretations of 鈥淧raise God from whom鈥� 鈥� widely known as the 鈥淢ennonite anthem,鈥� or simply by its number in the old (606) or new hymnal (118) 鈥� portrayed a 鈥渇our-part worldview鈥� that 鈥渆mbraces diversity, listens to and draws out marginalized voices, and acknowledges that no single part holds all the answers.鈥�
Four-part church singing is less about being perfect than about being present and participating, Steffy said, and following the opening ceremony, she led exhibit attendees gathered around her paintings in singing the hymn.
Responses
Steffy鈥檚 work 鈥� specifically her inclusion of imperfection 鈥� left at least one visitor 鈥渋n awe.鈥� 聽Valerie Lane, who with her husband Darren was on campus visiting their daughter Michaela, a first-year student in the visual and communication arts program, said finding 91短视频 was a 鈥淕od thing.鈥� The arts education at 91短视频, she said, is broader than would be offered at a traditional art school.
Augsburger said that each artist in the exhibit 鈥渋s different from the others. Each one is very creative. They bring a lot of energy.鈥�
The exhibit was 鈥渁 rich display of depth of personalities and expressions of gratitude for the heritage and experiences received here at 91短视频,鈥� said Evon Bergey 鈥�79, a member of the board of trustees. Herr鈥檚 work, she noted, points out 鈥渢he impact that strong women have had on the university and on the larger human experience.鈥�
Twenty percent of sales from the exhibit were donated to the 91短视频 arts program.