Les Nabis: French Prophets of Modern Art, A Selection from the Robert L. Hoskins and Erwin A. Raible Collection of Fin de Sicle French Prints. A Gift of Elaine Rutowski Shay
August 22, 2014 to March 11, 2015
West Wall Gallery, L. V. Eberhard Center, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus
The word “Nabis” means prophet in Hebrew and Arabic and was a term applied to a rebellious group of young art students at the Académie Julian in Paris, France. The poet Henri Cazalis (1840 - 1909) coined the term “Les Nabis” by drawing parallels between these artists, who aimed to revitalize painting much as the ancient Jewish prophets rejuvenated Israel. This movement set an avant-garde pace for art, one that was distinctly different from the Impressionist painters who used small, thin brush strokes to emphasize accurate depictions of light. Erv Raible began collecting when he and his business partner opened cabaret and piano bar style clubs in New York City. A critical question they faced was, “what should the club's ambiance be?” One of the clubs Raible revitalized had chandeliers that resembled Moulin Rouge in the 1890s and Raible quickly thought of the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Fin de siècle French prints became the collectors’ focus. GVSU acquired this collection of French Prints in 2009 and has made numerous reproductions since for display purposes. This French print collection today may be found on the GVSU Allendale Campus, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus, and the Detroit Center.

"The Evolving System" Group Portfolio and Recent Printmaking Work by Bill Hosterman 
January 5 to March 13, 2015
Lake Ontario Hall, Allendale Campus
Creative new work by GVSU art Professor Bill Hosterman in company with a diverse group portfolio he curated.

Veracity, Distortion, Reduction: Visual Explorations by Ed Wong-Ligda
January 15 – March 20, 2015
Opening Reception:  January 15, 5-7 p.m.
GVSU Art Gallery, 1121 Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus
An exhibition of recent works marking the retirement of Grand Valley State University art Professor Ed Wong-Ligda. The coordinator of illustration in the Department of Art & Design, Wong-Ligda has been associated with GVSU since 1996.

Wong-Ligda completed his undergraduate work in Advertising Design and Illustration at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He has a MFA in painting is from the University of Tulsa. Among his clients as a designer/illustrator are Benjamin Cummings, Cheshire Books, Dell Publishing and Van Nostrand Reinhold.

His works are in many private and public collections including the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, the Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Appalachian State University, the State of Oregon, the State of Missouri and Grand Valley State University.

BFA Exhibition: LINKS
Art Gallery, 1121 Performing Arts Center
April 6 - 9, 2015.
Reception:  April 9 from 5-7 p.m.
Illustrators .Daniel Beebe, Chrissy Hess, Sarah Lapp, Sienna McCone, Josh Stauber will be showing their senior work in their exhibit "LINKS."

fishladder : Student Scholars Day Exhibition
March 23 to April 17, 2015
Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall, Allendale Campus
Now in its twelfth year, fishladder is a student-run journal at Grand Valley State University. fishladder publishes students’ fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, drama, photography, and art. Students from across all disciplines in the university are encouraged to submit work in all styles, genres, and forms. The editors of fishladder aim to select the best, most artistic work for publication.

Student Artwork for the New Science Laboratory Building
August 22, 2014 – April 25, 2015
Thornapple Gallery, Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
The Art Gallery acquires artworks from students in the Art & Design Department and School of Communications to add to the collection whenever possible. The pieces on display in the Thornapple Room are examples of what has been acquired for inclusion in the new Science Laboratory Building, currently under construction across from The Padnos Hall of Science.

The School of Communications Senior Thesis Photography Exhibition:  Penultimate
April 14 - 25, 2015
Reception: Thursday, April 16, 5-7 p.m.
Special Showing: Saturday, April 25 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Art Gallery, 1121 Performing Arts Center
Those who participated in Penultimate included: Janet Brown, Ashli Cathey, Nicole Chiaravalli, Andrea Czarnota, Victoria Devine, Marissa Dillon, Austen Ezinga, Teagan Frazier, Autumn Johnson, Sarah Kraft, Ashley Marcangelo, Matthew Oberski, Jessica Uccello.

The GVSU Library Preview Show ran from Monday, April 13 to Friday April 24, 12:00 p.m. with a reception on April 16, 4:00 - 4:45 p.m.

China: The Life of the Civilian
January 5 to July 13, 2015
Blue Wall Gallery, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Life in the sprawling city of Kunming, in southwest China, reminded Grand Valley State University student photographer, Megan Lendman of the vitality of Chicago or New York City.  Megan’s images of her month-long study trip to Kunming capture both the exotic and the familiar; while exploring the often times remarkable similarities and differences of our two cultures.

To view the photographs included in this exhibition, please visit our online collection by CLICKING HERE.

Aqui Estamos, Here We Are
Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall
August 31 – October 1, 2015
On display were photographic selections from the portfolio of Pulitzer Prize winning documentarian Jose Galvez. This special display was part of the university's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.

China in Western Minds
Blue Wall Gallery, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
July 20 to October 29, 2015
From early Roman trade contact through the Silk Road to the modern television comedy Fresh Off the Boat, China has asserted its influence upon western culture, philosophy, and the decorative arts in a myriad of ways. China in Western Minds explored this phenomenon and provided a striking overview of this intriguing history over the last twenty-one centuries. Created by the Art Gallery in collaboration with Dr. Sufen Lai, of the GVSU English Department, this exhibition was a visual accompaniment to the department's fall 2015 course offering, "China in Western Minds."

 

Fall Arts Celebration:  Dusk to Dusk: Unsettled, Unraveled, Unreal
August 28 – October 31, 2015
Opening Reception: September 10, 2015
Welcome to a beautiful world, unsettling in its vision of personal isolation, but collectively bound by the small comfort of knowing that we are all alone. Through painting, photography, sculpture, and video this convincing aesthetic of anxious beauty showed us a strange contemporary familiarity in our collective darkness.

A collaborative project between the GVSU Art Gallery and the De Pree Art Center and Gallery at Hope College, this exhibition turned a mirror to our world, examining individual isolation, political repression, and collective ennui during the decline of the industrial age, an age in which people are simultaneously singular and collective beings.

The School of Communications Photography Senior Thesis Exhibition: Tumultuous
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Performing Arts Center » 1121 - GVSU Art Gallery
The Photography Program of the School of Communications is honored to present Tumultuous, a photographic exhibition will show the work of twelve student photographers. The exhibit will be open from December 1 to 11 with an opening reception on Thursday, December 3, 5:00-7:00 p.m. The photographers will be present to discuss their work. The event is free and open to the public. The Art Gallery is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and on Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. A Special Viewing will be held on Saturday, December 12 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. The exhibition will feature photography by Kaitlyn Bowman, Jordan Furest, Nicole Gafa, Megan Kafka, Daniela Lisi, Jane Matta, Jacob Nuss, Doralynn Runyon, Jess Weal, Erin Williams, Christi Wiltenburg, and Natasha Yeager.