The De Pree Art Center and Gallery at Hope College is featuring the exhibition “Felt Sincerity” by Nick Fagan, who was the Borgeson Artist-in-Residence at the college this summer, from Monday, Aug. 22, through Thursday, Sept. 22.
Fagan will deliver an artist’s talk on Thursday, Sept. 22, at 5 p.m. in the Fried-Hemenway Auditorium of the Martha Miller Center for Global Communication. A closing reception will immediately follow in the De Pree Gallery.
The public is invited to the exhibition, artist’s talk and closing reception. Admission to each is free.
Fagan’s summer research and resulting exhibition revolves around the concept of sincerity and using repurposed objects found in the community. Recently, he’s been working with the idea of residue or spirit in repurposed objects, or more specifically the accomplishment or purpose of objects left behind. With specific interest in things like doilies, crocheted blankets, things that are handmade and likely served as gifts, he believes these objects wear the residues of their past owners’ lives. The sincerity in the object or in the presence of the object comes embedded in its form.
Inaugurated in 2016, the Borgeson Artist-in-Residence Program is a 12-week summer artist residency program, hosted by the Department of Art and Art History. The residency supports the creation of new work and culminates in an exhibition in the De Pree Art Center and Gallery. The artist-in-residence program was created through the generosity and enthusiasm of Hope alumni Clarke and Nancy Rayner Borgeson.
The gallery is open Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those without a Hope College ID (necessary to gain access to the building) should call 616-395-7500 to visit.
The De Pree Art Center and Gallery is located at 275 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets. The Martha Miller Center for Global Communication is located at 257 Columbia Ave., at the corner of Columbia Avenue and 10th Street.