February 25, 2016  

Purdue Galleries to feature collection objects in 'Divine Likeness' and 'On or About: Rockwell Kent'

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St. Sergius of Radonezh, tempera on wood with gold leaf and gold paint, 1904, Collection of Purdue University Galleries, gift of Katherine "Betsy" Scheuring. (Photo courtesy of Purdue Galleries)
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University Galleries will open two new exhibits on March 7 and 8, based around objects from the permanent collection.

"Divine Likeness: Interpreting Orthodox Icons" will be presented from March 7 through April 23 in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery in Stewart Center.

The permanent collection of Purdue Galleries is home to a collection of Russian and Ethiopian Orthodox Christian icons, a gift of Katherine "Betsy" Scheuring. Orthodox iconography combines theological, aesthetic and technical considerations into powerful and intimate objects of beauty and devotion. Curated by Ashley M. Purpura, this exhibit thematically connects sacred images with hymns, stories of holiness, and practices of veneration used by Orthodox communities to interpret icons as portraying and producing divine likeness.

Purpura is a visiting assistant professor in religious studies at Purdue who specializes in the study of Eastern Orthodox Christian thought and practice. Purpura will give a talk 5:30-7 p.m. in Ringel Gallery, with a reception to follow.

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Rockwell Kent (1882-1978), Generator of Jobs, oil on linen, 1946, Gift of the Bituminous Coal Institute. (Photo courtesy of Purdue Galleries) 
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"On or About: Rockwell Kent" will be presented March 8 through April 23 in the Fountain Gallery in downtown Lafayette.

This exhibition features a highlight of the Purdue Galleries collection, "Generator of Jobs," a painting by American artist Rockwell Kent from 1946, and positions the work as a source of inspiration and discussion alongside the works of local, regional and national contemporary artists. Included will be additional collection works from Purdue Galleries, the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, and the Dayton (Ohio) Art Institute. 

Featuring new artworks inspired by a singular piece from the collection highlights the "nucleus" work, illustrating how it can be viewed by contemporary artists from a variety of perspectives. Artists in the exhibit have approached the Kent painting from the perspectives of its color system and spatial arrangement, the artist's history and political leanings, and the legacy of the coal industry the painting was intended to promote and its effects upon the environment.

Participants include a wide range of local artists, Indiana and regional artists and recent exhibitors at Purdue Galleries: Scott Anderson (Hartford City, Indiana); Petronio Bendito (Lafayette, Indiana); Tom Berenz (Milwaukee); Dwayne Daehler (West Lafayette, Indiana); Elizabeth Diaz (West Lafayette, Indiana); David Johnson (Muncie, Indiana); Sarojini Johnson (Muncie, Indiana); Lynn Lee (Lafayette, Indiana); Dora Natella (South Bend, Indiana); Kathryn Reeves (West Lafayette, Indiana); Tom Shafer (West Lafayette, Indiana); Eleanor Spiess-Ferris (Chicago); Temre Stanchfield (West Lafayette, Indiana); Kim Vito (Fairborn, Ohio); David Weinberg (Chicago); Etty Yaniv (Brooklyn, N.Y.); and Sigrid Zahner (Lafayette, Indiana).

From 6-7 p.m. Mar. 25, Purdue Galleries will host a reception in Fountain Gallery to celebrate the new artworks created for this exhibition, with music by the Danny Weiss Trio.

The Robert L. Ringel Gallery is located in Stewart Center on Purdue's main campus. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and until 8 p.m. on Thursday.

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Tom Berenz (Milwaukee) Clowns Following the Light, acrylic and spray paint on canvas (Photo provided) 
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The Fountain Gallery is located at 330 Main St., Lafayette, in the Perrin Building. The gallery is open 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, 765-494-3061. Regional K-12 teachers are reminded that Galleries has funds available for bused class visits to exhibits through a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission through the Tippecanoe Arts Federation. For more information, visit http://www.purdue.edu/galleries or follow @PurdueGalleries on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

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

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