The De Pree Art Center and Gallery at Hope College is featuring “Middle Grounds,” an exhibition of work by Jonathan Clyde Frey, from Monday, Jan. 7, through Thursday, Feb. 7.

Frey will deliver an artist’s talk on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 4 p.m. in Cook Auditorium of the De Pree Art Center and Gallery, with a closing reception following in the gallery from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The public is invited to the exhibition, artist’s talk and closing reception.  Admission to each is free.

The work in the exhibition explores national identity, largely focusing on iconic representations of the United States and the myths, clichés and stereotypes they often come to represent.  In addition, Frey has always identified as a person somewhere between the mainstream and the marginalized, which informs his way of thinking about art and the world, and has led him to explore what it means to occupy a middle ground and whether or not it is a beneficial position.

Frey is an artist and designer whose work broadly explores the influences of ideology on contemporary culture.  He has earned degrees in art and design from the University of Dayton, the University of Florida and the Pratt Institute, and is currently an assistant professor at Bucknell University.

The De Pree Art Center and Gallery is located at 275 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets.  The gallery is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.