Shattered glass, scorched wood, picture frames and a TV screen make up four NMU students’ interpretations of the term “Lost and Found.” These intricate and unique art pieces using the mediums of photomontage, 3D sculpture, photography and animation creatively use the space of a small gallery in the lower level of the Peter White Public Library.
The Marquette Arts & Culture Center March SmallWorks Gallery’s exhibit titled “Lost and Found” holds the work of Emma Goebel, Zachary Halford, Jeni Ihrke and Truman Jones who collaborated, curated and created this interpretive gallery.
The four brainstormed themes for the art exhibit and agreed upon a topic they could all take their own direction with, said sophomore graphic design major Emma Goebel.
“I think [“Lost and Found”] is something like self-exploration, since college is kind of the time that you make for yourself and find for yourself.”
Goebel said her interpretation came from a class project. The idea was to pick a song and show it through photomontage or the process of selecting and editing separate sections of images to form a cohesive picture, which she took her own twist upon.
“I really liked that idea because I love music. Except I chose to use songs from my past and use people I’m close to, to also make it more personal,” Goebel said.
With this focus she was able to revisit the art of photomontage, a medium she hasn’t used since her youth, and find songs from her past to interpret for her additions to the exhibition, she said.
The three other students found their inspiration in other places. Ihrke chose photography as a medium and took her photos with disposable cameras. Jones used lost and found parts to make sculptures and Halford created an animation about a robot finding parts, Goebel said.
The SmallWorks gallery allows for more flexibility with artwork.
It’s a smaller-scale gallery that looks beautiful even with few pieces, said City of Marquette Arts & Culture Center Manager Tiina Harris.
Harris is impressed with the high-end work students created for the gallery.
“I like the fact that the students did it independently outside of class or a teacher suggesting it,” Harris said. “I think it’s a really great community connection these students made.”
The gallery is an interesting opportunity for the community to see what students are working on, which can inspire local artists as well, she said.
“I think the student body really offers a glimpse into what is happening in the contemporary art world.”
The Arts & Culture Center is a resource for students and offers a way for them to exhibit locally. The Center’s goal is to support and advocate for a vibrant arts and culture community here in Marquette, Harris said.
“It’s definitely a hub for the arts and culture community,” she said.
The Center is currently working toward a public art ordinance that would lead to one percent of capital improvement projects going towards public art and an arts and culture commission to decide on these projects and installations, Harris said.
“When students come back a few years from now I think the city is going to look really different.”
The gallery will run until March 31 with a closing reception offering food and drink from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 30.
