Purdue Galleries presents 'The Lonsford Impressions' and 'Living Graphic Novel'

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University Galleries on May 12 and 13 will open two new exhibits, one a collection of prints purchased through a campus endowment and the other a review of a collaborative outreach project funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

"The Lonsford Impressions: Global Matrix Acquisitions for the Permanent Collection" will be presented from May 12 through June 13 in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery in Stewart Center.

Installments of Global Matrix: an International Print Exhibition have been presented by the Purdue Galleries in 2002, 2007 and 2012 as traveling exhibitions in the United States. Global Matrix exhibits have featured 225 works, representing 180 individual artists from 31 countries around the world.

Global Matrix - Sarojini Jha Johnson (US), Bitter Melon, color intaglio, deep etch, soft ground aquatint, 2004 Download Photo

The Florence H. Lonsford Endowment, established through the gift of a Purdue graduate and artist, has funded the purchase of an ongoing series of permanent and temporary art pieces for the Purdue campus. In 2009 and 2014, the endowment purchased the entire body of works from the Global Matrix II and Global Matrix III exhibits for the permanent collection.

"It's a unique opportunity to be able to hold onto a complete exhibition of artwork once it's been shown, said Purdue Galleries director Craig Martin. "Purdue Galleries is thrilled to retain these magnificent images from a worldwide group of artists, which will continue to supply our exhibits and educational offerings for many years to come."

Lori Sparger, director of Advancement for the College of Liberal Arts, said, "Gifts of arts, or for the acquisition of art, enrich our campus and in the words of Florence Lonsford, 'enhance the cultural environment in which students, faculty, and staff make the journey of humankind through the ever-changing into the uncharted.' By transforming the view around us, gifts of art transform how we view the world around us and prepare our students to emerge from Purdue with a broader understanding of people and cultures and a more thoughtful capacity for leadership."

"Living Graphic Novel: Education, Collaboration and Outreach through Comics" will be presented from May 13 through June 14 in the Fountain Gallery in downtown Lafayette.

Living Graphic Novel is a collaborative arts program presented by Purdue Galleries and Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, which offers the opportunity for participants to write, illustrate and appear in short stories in the style of graphic novels or comic books. In LGN projects, participants create their own story from plot development and storyboarding, through costume and set design, to staging and photographing scenes in real time and space. Read all about the project at http://www.living-graphic-novel.com

For the past two years, the LGN project has been supported in part by Arts Education in American Communities grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. This exhibition documents the individual projects accomplished during that grant period.

Visitors will also be able to use backdrops on display, costumes and props, and speech bubbles to stage and photograph their own graphic stories.

From 6-8 p.m. May 16, Purdue Galleries will host a reception for the exhibition in conjunction with the downtown Gallery Walk.

Living Graphic Novel – promotional image from recent "Alien Invasion Epic" book Download Photo

The Robert L. Ringel Gallery is located in Stewart Center on Purdue's campus. Summer hours for the Ringel Gallery are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment.

The Fountain Gallery is located at 330 Main Street, Lafayette, in the historic Perrin Building. The gallery is open from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

All Purdue Galleries exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.

For class and group visits, contact Craig Martin at Purdue Galleries at 765-494-3061. For more information, visit http://www.purdue.edu/galleries

Contact: Craig Martin, 765-494-3061, cdmartin@purdue.edu