The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University

It has been great to have so many friends, neighbors, artists and art enthusiasts in the gallery! Just two more days to see Work from … show closes at 6 pm this Saturday, 7/31.



[images: Alyssa Hahn, “Human Nature” (detail), gelatin silver prints; Susan Gangsei, “Discernment” (detail), tapestry; Sydney Ockenga, “Take the key, turn the wheel” (detail), Sumi ink]

“‘What is my responsibility/opportunity to confront/engage/interrogate the art historical canon? What are the characteristics of the community I would want to make art in and how would I engage and contribute to it?’ These were two of the questions established for consideration by the participants in the 2021 Women’s Art Institute Summer Studio Intensive in their just-completed four-week course. Each of the 17 women and non-binary artists created a new portfolio of work from which this exhibition is curated by co-instructors Paige Tighe and myself. Pandemic protocols changed things this year: we met daily and engaged with artists, art historians, and art curator presentations via Zoom. Students were able to work in the Visual Art Building’s studio classrooms. Ranging in age from 21 to 73, the participants explored a wide range of new directions, often surprising themselves and asking: How do I start thinking creatively? How can I trust the process when in the middle of it? How do I know when a piece is finished?” –Patricia Olson, Director of the Women's Art Institute // “Work from the 2021 Women’s Art Institute” is on view now.



[images: Courtney Miller Bellairs, “Lounge,” oil on canvas; Shannon Dallenbach Durbin, “Daphne” (detail), photograph, bark; Ellie Leonard, “I’ve not gone crazy.” (detail), watercolor]

ON VIEW NOW: “Work from the 2021 Women’s Art Institute.” The gallery is open (in person!) to the public July 17–31. Gallery Hours: Mondays–Saturdays, 1–6 pm. Closed Sundays. See you soon!




[images: Amy Usdin, “And Through the Wood” (detail), fiber, seen with Megan McNinch’s charcoal and gesso drawing, “Sheltering”; Christy Dickinson, “desire.joy.reflection.a time to pause” (detail), oil on panel; Rebecca Oehler, “collected #4” (detail), Kraft paper, graphite, colored pencil; Lin Lacy, “POV 3” (detail), watercolor, ink, paper.]

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Autumn Nuss Oehlke ‘21 // “In my most recent work, I aim to create a world in which Death is a less misunderstood main character. I hope that others take the opportunity by observing my pieces to further understand their individual narratives surrounding the process of death and the journey of the soul. The end of our adventures during this lifetime is something we must all come to face. This will look different for all individuals; so I have intentionally left much unseen in the space I have created. Here the audience has the ability to imagine more tools, environments, and characters that may come into play. By reflecting on how and why they choose to include these imagined elements, there is opportunity to better understand their own narratives on death and the ways in which they interact with their individual and joint realities.” –Autumn Nuss Oehlke, artist statement // Visit “Journey; Body Guiding Soul – St. Catherine University Senior Juried Exhibition” at gallery.stkate.edu.



[images: Autumn Nuss Oehlke, “Innocent," mixed media, 40" x 30" x 8"; “Plucking Weightlessness” (detail 1 & 2), mixed media, 16" x 13" x 4"] @ The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Sydney Ockenga ‘20 // “I believe art is a unifying experience. Not only in the making of artwork, but also in engaging with it. Thoughts and feelings are shared through art and it is fascinating to me to witness all of the unique ways that different audiences can find a connection through art. I don’t set out in hopes of changing the minds of the masses with my art. In my own experience, however, we can speak to one another through art. How we react to it creates a bond between us. My philosophy of art is that it provides us with a common ground that we can use to expand our ability to empathize and communicate. Art can exist as a medium of understanding that is not explicitly binary or stagnant. New perspectives are out there waiting to be discovered and shared with each other, art is just one of the pathways that allow that discovery and conversation. It seems pretty radical, but it all starts with a story.” –Sydney Ockenga, artist statement // Visit “Journey; Body Guiding Soul – St. Catherine University Senior Juried Exhibition” at gallery.stkate.edu.



[images: Sydney Ockenga, “Body Resting," gouache, watercolor, ink, 20" x 16’’; “Lilac Reign,” gouache, 15” x 11”] @ The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University

We are looking forward to tomorrow’s (5/6/21) artist talk by Autumn Nuss Oehlke and Sydney Ockenga! Join us from noon–1 pm to learn about the work on view in their virtual senior juried exhibition, “Journey; Body Guiding Soul.” To join the artist talk via Zoom, visit gallery.stkate.edu > exhibitions > Journey; Body Guiding Soul. See you there!



[images: Sydney Ockenga, “Road Trip With Grandpa Buzz" (detail), gouache on paper, 11" x 15"; Autumn Nuss Oehlke, “Pick Me Up,” vinyl, 14.5” x 18.5”] @ The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University

💫Congratulations💫 to our 2021 class of studio art majors, Autumn Nuss Oehlke and Sydney Ockenga! Their virtual juried exhibition, “Journey; Body Guiding Soul,” is ON VIEW NOW at gallery.stkate.edu. Join us for Autumn and Sydney’s artist talk this Thursday, May 6, noon-1 pm via Zoom. (To RSVP, visit gallery.stkate.edu/exhibitions/journey;-body-guiding-soul)



[images: Autumn Nuss Oehlke, exhibition postcard design; Sydney Ockenga, “Floating By” (detail), gouache, ink, watercolor, 20” x 16”; Autumn Nuss Oehlke, "Deliverance” (detail), acrylic on canvas, 18" x 18"] @ The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University

“Speculative Futures, Present Imaginations” is on view through April 30 // “Q***r Masses is a series of risograph and letterpress printed artist books being distributed through the mail in 2021. In this issue, we focus on OPPOSITION, a mode familiar to people inhabiting a society which has no space for them. However, we are not only interested in the way that social forces oppose us but in the way that we as q***r people, by holding our ground, oppose them back. We find power in this ability to oppose the oppressor. The accordion text block of this book fights against its binding and can be manipulated to expand beyond its original confines. This reflects this structural tension in which we find ourselves and signals the path forward we must take as we fight for a better future, namely breaking down and establishing new forms and structures rather than fighting for inclusion into those established by the oppressive society.” – RUMTUM (Sarah Evenson and Jade Juno)

For subscriptions to Q***r Masses: http://sarahevenson.com/shop/subscribe



[images: Q***r Masses Issue 1: Opposition, artist book, 3.5” wide x 5” tall x .25” deep, 11” long when expanded] @ The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University

“What does community look like in a society defined by isolation and upheaval? Using digital fabrication technology, I create installations informed by research in Levittown, New York–a housing development that is both the forebear of American suburban design and a prominent symbol of racial exclusion in residential planning. My resulting installations question how our built spaces result in dramatic class divides. I connect linear imagery of property lines and streets to the use of the ladder in art history to communicate the desire for movement to better place–from the Christian Byzantine ‘Ladder of Divine Ascent’ to Martin Puryear’s ‘Ladder for Booker T. Washington’. In doing so, I seek to visualize the territorial and sociopolitical web we weave on the places we inhabit and explore land use alternatives for a more equitable world.” –Steven Lemke // ON VIEW NOW in “Speculative Futures, Present Imaginations” at gallery.stkate.edu/exhibitions/speculative-futures,-present-imaginations



[images: Steven Lemke, Deconstructed Paradise, wood, concrete patch, polystyrene, housepaint & ink, installation dimensions variable] @ The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University

Tori Hong’s vibrant illustration tells the stories of our time. Visit her works in the virtual exhibition, “Speculative Futures, Present Imaginations,” on view now at gallery.stkate.edu.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Tori Hong is an independent illustrator q***ring knowledge and culture. Hong uses bold lines and vibrant colors to interweave tales from her q***r, Hmong, and Korean heritage as well as stories from the land she now calls home: Minneapolis, Mnisota Makoce.

[image: Tori Hong, “Abolitionist Elder,” digital illustration, 14” x 11"]

Wow! We are honored by the immense response to our call for art for “Speculative Futures, Present Imaginations,” a virtual community art exhibition celebrating the visionary writings of Octavia E. Butler and ON VIEW NOW at gallery.stkate.edu. This exhibition features a variety of media by 49 artists from across the United States and beyond, including London and Toronto. The work in this show reveals a talented, creative and thoughtful community of artists who are responding to, questioning and addressing the challenges of our time. Through their artistic practices, they are expanding on Octavia E. Butler’s aspirational vision for the future.

ABOUT THIS EXHIBITION
“Speculative Futures, Present Imaginations” complements the annual conference of the Octavia E. Butler Literary Society, presented online and co-sponsored by the , in honor of International Women’s Day. This year’s conference, The Confluence: Octavia E. Butler at the Intersection of Cultural Critique and Climate Collapse, takes place this weekend, and recognizes the work of Butler through scholarship, discussion, community engagement and art.

[images: Kimberly Marie Ashby, PhD, "Rock Steady," multi-media collage, 17” x 14” // Jennifer Lord, “Mudslide [California, Sierra Leone]," detail, acrylic on panel, 36” x 48” // Dustin Steuck, "Hyacintha," detail, four monitors, moving-image, media player, HDMI Splitter, power strips, extension cords, LED lights, dimensions vary] @ The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University

A friendly reminder about our CALL FOR ART: “Speculative Futures, Present Imaginations,” a virtual community art exhibition celebrating the visionary writings of Octavia E. Butler. Deadline for submissions is February 15.

Speculative Futures, Present Imaginations | The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery The Catherine G. Murphy invites artists to participate in Speculative Futures, Present Imaginations, a virtual community art exhibition celebrating the visionary writings of Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006).