December 20, 2005
Purdue Galleries new exhibits have link to Dayton, Ohio
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University Galleries will present a pair of exhibits originating in Dayton, Ohio – various works by Wright State University professor emeritus Ray Must and postmodern artwork from the Wright State permanent collection in two new exhibits that will be on display from Jan. 9 to Feb. 19.
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"Ray Must: Paintings, Prints & Sketchbooks," featuring a variety of images from the last 20 years, will be presented in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery in Purdue Memorial Union. Must is a multifaceted artist and a well-established presence in the Dayton art community. His works include large, abstract paintings on unstretched canvas, figurative drawings, technically inventive prints and intimate and inspiring daily sketchbooks.
Must's printmaking skills and flair for social commentary are evidence of early studies with Sidney Chafetz at Ohio State University. After more than 30 years of teaching, achieving emeritus status at Wright State, Must has committed his retirement to pursuing new directions and technical possibilities in his work. This exhibition is presented through the support of the Ben and Louise Klatch Jewish Arts Series.
Craig Martin, director of Purdue Galleries, has known and enjoyed Must's work for almost 20 years.
"Ray is an inspiring figure to be around," Martin said. "He's an extremely generous, soft-spoken and inventive artist and he never ceases to amaze me with his skill and adventurous passion for making art."
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The artist will discuss his work at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 19. His comments will be immediately followed by a reception. Both the lecture and reception will be held in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery.
The Stewart Center Gallery will feature "reCON(TEXT): Postmodern art from the Wright State University Permanent Collection." In 1989, the Wright State University Art Galleries became a collecting institution focused on works of art created post-1967 and Western in origin. The year was selected not only because Wright State was founded in 1967, but also because it marked a period of political and artistic turmoil, the aftermath of which caused significant changes in contemporary art.
The works selected from the university's collection represent landmark statements of the social, political and economical conditions of our culture during the last third of the 20th century. Modernism in art was giving way to new ways of thinking and reacting to the world. Many artists were less concerned with obtaining the established ideal of aesthetic beauty and instead sought to express individual reactions to capitalism, mass media and the act of viewing art in the traditional gallery setting.
As former coordinator of the Wright State University Art Galleries, Martin looks forward to revisiting the collection with which he is so familiar.
"Wright State has pursued a very aggressive and forward-thinking practice of acquiring notable works of contemporary art. These works have been shared with Dayton audiences for years, and they are now a readily identifiable cultural treasure. I look forward to sharing them with a new audience in Lafayette-West Lafayette and seeing their reaction."
At 5:30 p.m. Jan. 24, Elizabeth K. Mix, contemporary art historian in the Division of Art and Design at Purdue, will present a lecture on postmodernism and the Wright State collection pieces in Stewart Center, Room 206. The lecture will be immediately followed by a reception in the Stewart Center Gallery.
The Robert L. Ringel Gallery and the Stewart Center Gallery are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday; and from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. For class or group visits, contact Mary Ann Anderson at (765) 496-7899. All Purdue Galleries exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Source: Craig Martin, (765) 494-3061, cdmartin@cla.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
"The Invention of Gunpowder," an intaglio print from 1988, will be on display Jan. 9-Feb. 19 in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery in the Purdue Memorial Union as part of "Ray Must: Paintings, Prints & Sketchbooks." (Photo provided by Wright State University)
PHOTO CAPTION:
Sandy Skoglund's "The Cocktail Party," a Cibachrome exhibit from 1992, will be on display Jan. 9-Feb. 19 in the Stewart Center Gallery as part of "reCON(TEXT): Postmodern Art from the Wright State University Permanent Collection." (Photo provided by Wright State University)
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