Mills Gallery, Lubbers Center for the Visual Arts on Central College’s campus, currently has an exhibit titled, “Works from the College Collection.” Featured artists include Jolene De Jong, 1955 Central graduate, Gary Olson, 1968 Central graduate, and Grant Thye, 1993 Central graduate, along with Tim Fredricks, Louis Aston Knight, Bobbie McKibben and John Fraser.
A new exhibit by Heather Whittlesey, 2010 Central graduate, will begin Monday, Sept. 22, for Homecoming and when Whittlesey joins her fellow alumni for their 15th class reunion.
Whittlesey’s art exhibition will feature works of paper and mixed media. She was named “best in show” for the 2015 Biorenewables Art Competition, held in the Biorenewables Research Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
“It’s always exciting to have a former student showcase their work in the gallery and to see their personal evolution with art making,” says Brian Roberts, professor of art and 1992 Central graduate. “Heather is a software engineer which informs her artwork, and she’s really interested in working with others in the art of data visualization. I think students will be intrigued with how Heather uses recycled and reclaimed materials in her art installations to visually represent the more technical side of programming.”
Roberts will install a special “50-Year Celebration of Glassblowing at Central” exhibit for Homecoming. The gallery will host an open house for alumni to tour the John Vruwink Glassblowing Studio, view glass-blown pieces created over the past 50 years and make a small item. This display includes pieces from John Vruwink, professor emeritus of art and a 1958 Central graduate, Lee Wassink, 1992 Central graduate, Eoin Breadon, 1997 Central graduate, Roberts and visiting glass artists. Roberts welcomes alumni between 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 27.
The Mills Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The gallery curates exhibits throughout the academic year to expand opportunities for students to experience artistic styles and cultural interpretations.
