The Kruizenga Art Museum at Hope College will host a reception on Thursday, April 25, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in conjunction with its two ongoing spring exhibitions.
The museum is currently featuring the exhibition “Once Were Nomads: Baluch Textiles and Culture” and the focus exhibition “Rembrandt Etchings.”
The reception is an after-hours event to celebrate the museum’s spring exhibitions. Visitors are welcome to enjoy refreshments and view the works of art on display in the galleries.
The public is invited to both the reception and the exhibitions. Admission is free.
“Once Were Nomads” features 45 examples of textiles from the nomadic peoples of Baluchistan, a territory that straddles the borders of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Included are rugs, clothing, animal trappings and other such items dating from the mid-19th to the late 20th centuries. The exhibition uses the textiles to examine the traditional life and cultures of the peoples of Baluchistan, and demonstrates the idea that art can be something both beautiful and practical. To show how some of these textiles are used in daily life, the exhibition includes a reproduction of a traditional tent, and a life-sized camel sculpture (affectionately dubbed the KAMel) models customary animal trappings. The exhibition opened on January 15 and will continue through May 11.
2019 is the 350th anniversary of the 17th-century Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn. The focus exhibition, “Rembrandt Etchings,” includes 13 etchings by the artist that were recently donated to the permanent collection of the Kruizenga Art Museum. The etchings on display were created by Rembrandt between 1632 and 1655, and include some of his most famous works in that medium. The exhibition opened on April 9 and will continue through June 1.
Admission to the Kruizenga Art Museum is always free. Public visiting hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please check the museum’s website or social media for additional information about special programs and events.
The museum functions as an educational resource for Hope College and the greater West Michigan community. The museum features two public galleries as well as a classroom and climate-controlled storage space for its 4,500-object permanent collection. It is named in honor of a leadership gift from Dr. Richard and the late Margaret Kruizenga of Holland, both of whom graduated from Hope in 1952.
The Kruizenga Art Museum is located at 271 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets.