Current Exhibition

Treasures from Our Past

September 7 - October 15, 2006

Opening Reception:
Thursday, September 7th 5:00 - 7:00

The Department of Art and Art History faculty takes immense pride in the accomplishments of our students and, with great pleasure, presents this inaugural Hope College Invitational Alumni Art Exhibition.

One of the great challenges of teaching art is that the ultimate goal is for each individual to develop answers to their own questions. Our pedagogical objective is to provide a strong foundation in the practice of art, and the technical and conceptual tools with which to build a life in art. As studio artists, we teach by example, although our aim is not to indoctrinate students in our solutions to art's eternal questions, but by modeling our own studio practice, students experience diverse means to employ in giving expression to their own vision.

The broad array of works in this exhibition is a testament to the varied journeys these artists have taken since their studies at Hope, and also evidences the versatility of a liberal arts education. All of these alumni studied art at Hope, although not all were art majors. Elona Van Gent, an English major at Hope, is now on the faculty of the University of Michigan School of Art. Kathleen Dustin, a math major, and Naomi Tsukamoto, a psychology major, went on to earn Master of Fine Arts degrees and to establish careers as studio artists. Many of these artists have also been adroit at moving between art disciplines. For example, John Saurer, a sculpture major, is now teaching printmaking at St. Olaf College, and Matt Vander Borgh, also a sculpture major, is an architect whose firm is based in Den Haag, Netherlands.

For more information, please contact the De Pree Gallery Office at (616) 395-7500. Regular Gallery hours for the Academic Year are Monday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday 1:00 until 5:00 p.m. The De Pree Art Center and Gallery is located at the corner of 12th Street and Columbia Avenue. The gallery is handicapped accessible. Admission is free.