According to an artist’s statement:
鈥淪alt & Fury鈥� is an evocative body of work that delves into the profound connection between environmental forces and psychological states, utilizing the dynamic coastline as a powerful metaphor for internal experiences of anger, grief, and transformation. This collection comprises oil paintings of fractured shorelines, envisioned not as traditional landscapes but as 鈥渋mpact zones鈥� where human emotion confronts the boundaries of language, alongside abstract color works that surrender to pure sensation, embodying affect in raw, visceral form.

Gusler presented on her artwork at a sabbatical spotlight and opening reception on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

View a photo gallery of the reception below.

Gusler holds an MFA in painting and drawing. At 91短视频, she shares her love of immersion into these practices with her students.

To see more of her art, visit or follow her on Instagram at .

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.

Lila Marks describes Hawaii鈥檚 landscapes as 鈥渆ffortlessly beautiful,鈥� but when the 91短视频 photography major traveled there this summer for her senior project, she had something else on her mind, too: Hawaii鈥檚 homelessness rate, the highest of any state.

The resulting exhibit, called 鈥淭he Ignored,鈥� features 75 frescos showing Hawaii鈥檚 beauty but also portraits and candid portrayals of homeless people and images of and from the Boat Harbor, an organized community of 鈥渉ouseless鈥� people led by a matriarch. The frescos range in size from 5×5鈥� to 24×36鈥� and are created by transferring a print made on plastic onto a wooden surface.

The show runs Monday-Friday, Oct. 2-6 in the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery, open during Common Ground Coffeehouse hours (7:30 a.m.鈥�4 p.m. and 8 p.m. 鈥� midnight on weekdays) or by appointment by calling (540) 432-4360. An artist鈥檚 talk and reception with light refreshments will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6.

The senior show, required for , is one culmination of Marks鈥� education at 91短视频, a place she came to as an older transfer student with a goal of becoming a more skilled photographer.

鈥淟ila goes after photography like someone who got to the party late and wants to make sure she gets it all,鈥� Professor said. 鈥淲hat will make her a great photographic storyteller is that she cares about the woman dying of cancer, or the one challenged by a debilitating disease, or by the pain of being homeless in a paradise. I hope she never finds the easy answer.鈥�

A serendipitous leap to 91短视频

Marks said that becoming a photographer and studying at 91短视频 started on a whim. She鈥檇 been studying global affairs at another university, but didn鈥檛 feel passionate about her coursework. She dropped out, and used her student loan money to buy a camera.

鈥淚t was for no reason,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had never really taken photos. I just thought I should do it.鈥� She started taking a lot of pictures, 鈥渇illing up memory card after memory card,鈥� learning, getting better. Eventually, at age 25 and living in Harrisonburg, she realized that she couldn鈥檛 imagine her life without photography in some capacity.

She was taking classes at a nearby community college, 鈥渇or no reason other than I felt like I should be in school,鈥� when a professor told her that 91短视频鈥檚 Holsopple 鈥渨as a 鈥榗razy genius,鈥� and I should apply for 91短视频. I was like, 鈥�91短视频? I don鈥檛 know.鈥� I鈥檓 not Mennonite. I didn鈥檛 even know then what being Mennonite was.鈥�

Though she said it was a 鈥渓eap, and probably serendipitous,鈥� Marks surprised herself by both applying and being accepted into 91短视频. But it wasn鈥檛 until she was on a cross-cultural trip led by Holsopple to Lithuania that she finally decided: 鈥淥K, I can do 91短视频.鈥�

Holsopple, she said, has been 鈥渁 huge mentor to both my personal life and my photographic life. I don鈥檛 know if I 100 percent believe in fate, but only good things have come from being at 91短视频.鈥�

The cliche of Hawaii 鈥� and its crisis

It鈥檚 expected to see homeless people in big cities, Marks said. She grew up in Washington D.C., and was always fascinated with homeless people: She鈥檇 go around the city with a bag of fast food, just talking to them and 鈥渉earing their stories.鈥�

For this project, though, Marks was drawn to Hawaii, where for most island visitors homelessness is just a disregarded subtext overshadowed by natural beauty.

鈥淲e all have these cliche’d views of what Hawaii is and what it should be,鈥� Marks said, when in fact the state is facing 鈥渁 crisis that doesn鈥檛 get talked about nearly as much as it deserves.鈥�

Ignored

The exhibit鈥檚 title 鈥淭he Ignored鈥� has two meanings. First, it reflects the reality that society often ignores homeless people.

鈥淲e鈥檇 rather not see them or deal with them,鈥� Marks said.

But there was another reason, too, that she gave the exhibit its name: while working on the project, she often felt ignored. Whether it was due to homeless people鈥檚 sense of self-preservation, or her awareness that approaching someone on the streets of Honolulu could cause discomfort or suspicion, or her own sense of vulnerability as 鈥渁 small female, unarmed, with a nice camera,鈥� the difficulty of meeting and connecting with homeless people at some times left Marks discouraged.

鈥淚t was an immense challenge even to make initial eye contact,鈥� she said, so she developed a plan: smoking cigarettes 鈥渒ind of close to groups, in hopes that I would capture someone鈥檚 attention.鈥�

鈥淭hey actually worked,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey were my biggest tool in doing street photography.鈥�

But successfully starting a conversation didn鈥檛 always mean that things would go as planned. While Marks wanted to talk about homelessness more broadly, many people she met instead were focused otherwise, on day-to-day realities or maybe remembering 鈥済lory days.鈥�

鈥淚t was definitely not what I was expecting,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had these really big conceptions going in that people would want to talk to me and, you know, share their experiences, share their pain, get their story out, but it wasn鈥檛 exactly like that. What I bumped into a lot was mental illness and drug addiction, people that didn鈥檛 want to talk, people that didn鈥檛 want their photo taken, and people that didn鈥檛 really want to talk about the issue. I had to be really open to what was offered.鈥�

No easy answers

Marks had also thought she would come away from her trip with 鈥渟ome sort of culmination, or a solution, and idea of what I felt like should be done鈥� about homelessness 鈥� but that didn鈥檛 happen.

鈥淲hen I got back I just had bits and pieces of everything, sound bites. I never felt like there was ever any uniformity even in the struggle of being homeless, any concrete thread. Every single person鈥檚 different,鈥� she said.

Marks hopes to return to Hawaii to 鈥渄ig deeper. A month is not a very long time when you鈥檙e trying to do something with the enormity of homelessness or mental illness or addiction,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 month was a really, really short amount of time.鈥�

For now, Marks plans to donate 10 percent of the profit from the show to the Boat Harbor community in Waianae, which she said is a 鈥渓arge and unified community鈥� that is fighting for their right to stay on public land.

Westfall鈥檚 statement for the installation, titled 鈥淪earching the Unseen,鈥� includes the following description: 鈥渙rganic steel sculptures tangling like roots or unseen bursts of energy, and plastic and silicone curling like membranous surfaces of microscopic images speak to the phenomena of repeating systems found in the macro to the micro. The light pulsing with the sounds from cosmic background radiation, heartbeats in utero, and waves of resonating sound from percussion instruments, hopefully will stir a response on a visceral level.鈥�

Westfall earned an MFA from the University of New Mexico and a BFA from James Madison University. She is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work often explores the complex relationship between memories, genetics, cycles in nature and the larger system of culture that inform identity.

Westfall has exhibited her work in Virginia, New Mexico, Georgia, Washington D.C., and Massachusetts.

From the artist鈥檚 statement

“Searching the Unseen” is an installation that explores the search for understanding which often leads to complexity and ambiguity rather that an expected clarity. Westfall聽borrows from recognizable images in both the microcosm and macrocosm, looking at the concept of dark matter and energy to microscopic views of cells such as neurons within our own bodies to speak to the search and ever expanding perspective science has provided. Often intriguing yet disquieting, knowledge gained continues to bring focus to our lack of understanding.

Specifically, the theories regarding dark matter and energy prompt unexpected questions.聽 If we have focused most of human history on the visible 5% of known space, missing the other 95% of darkness beyond our notice, what truths have we been blinded to by the blazing matter filling our visual frame? Additionally, as scientists map neural connections in simple organisms as a way to understand behaviors in a more complex brain, I began to wonder how these scientific advancements will challenge our definition of self, identity, and what it means to be human.

The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.