Galleries summer exhibits highlight collection prints, precious metal clay

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Coming May 5-June 2 to the Wells Community Cultural Center, West Gallery, "60 x 60" presents the premiere of a new traveling exhibit of artwork from the Purdue Galleries collection with a display in Lafayette-West Lafayette. The exhibit will be featured during the Downtown Gallery Walk 6-10 p.m. on May 5.

The gallery is located at 638 North St., Lafayette.

For the past 28 years, the Purdue University Galleries has presented a national biennial small-scale contemporary printmaking competition called Sixty Square Inches.

"The Galleries are committed to acquiring new works from each Sixty Square Inches exhibit and building the collection of contemporary printmaking while helping to support the community of modern artists," said Craig Martin, director of the Purdue Galleries.

With the benefit of community support, the Galleries have been able to purchase a total of 167 artworks during the years for the collection. "60 x 60" will feature a select group of 60 images acquired from previous Sixty Square Inches exhibits. After the Wells Center show, the exhibit will be available to travel to museums and art centers throughout the United States.

In support of the traveling exhibition project, Purdue Galleries has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant under the Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Invitational Initiative, Martin said.

"Revolution/Evolution: Contemporary Work in Precious Metal Clay" will be presented May 15-Aug. 4 in the Stewart Center Gallery. The Precious Metal Clay Guild is sponsoring this exhibition in conjunction with its biennial conference to be held at Purdue on July 20-23.

In the early 1990s, M. Morikawa of Mitsubsihi Materials Corp. in Japan developed this material as a way to join jewelry making and ceramics. Made of tiny particles of silver and gold suspended in an organic and water binder, precious metal clay can be worked like clay. After work is formed, it is fired in a kiln, the binder burns away, the metal particles fuse together and the result is an object of pure silver, 22 carat or 24 carat gold. This non-toxic material is used to make items such as jewelry, small sculptures and home decor pieces.

"PMC is proving to be such an incredibly versatile material that new methods and techniques are constantly being developed," Martin said. "This exhibition of 141 pieces from an international group of artists illustrates the diversity of PMC and will teach and inspire."

Summer hours for the Stewart Center Gallery are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. For class or group visits, contact Mary Ann Anderson at (765) 496-7899. All Purdue Galleries exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Source: Craig Martin, (765) 494-3061, cdmartin@cla.purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2006/galleries-woell.jpg

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