As this new semester begins, there have been some changes happening around campus. Some of those changes have happened and will continue to happen, at the DeVos Art Museum. Three new exhibits will be present at the museum this semester for students, faculty and the public to view. ‘By Design: Looking at Living,’ ‘True Likeness’ and ‘Fred Brian: Lake Gogebic Memories & Myths’ are currently on exhibit.
Emily Lanctot, the director and curator of the DeVos Art Museum, said ‘By Design: Looking at Living,’ which is currently on display, is “really about how materials and technology changed the way that we live and influenced design.”
‘True Likeness,’ which opened on Aug. 28, will feature 17 artists along with multiple anonymous artists.
“It’s all portraiture, so it’s really thinking about how we use this document, identities, social status, commemorative moments … it’s a real range of work that includes performance videos, photographs, paintings and prints,” said Lanctot.
Some of the 17 artists in this exhibit include faculty from NMU, along with some locals from Marquette and Munising.
This exhibit will also feature two visiting artists later this fall. One of the artists will give a keynote talk and a limited workshop in October.
“[The workshop] will be limited to 30 people using artwork as the center of looking at how we view others and maybe where we’re at in terms of diversity and inclusion,” Lanctot said.
The second visiting artist is Bill Thelen, who will also be leading a prompt-based workshop to create artwork along with a collaborative installation.
“It is a really great opportunity for communities across campus to engage with artists in an in-person way,” Lanctot said. “It is really a great hands-on experience to work with others and try something new.”
The third exhibit coming to the museum this fall is the ‘Fred Brian: Lake Gogebic Memories & Myths.’ This show features the works of rural artist, Fred Brian, who taught at a university in Illinois but spent his summers on Lake Gogebic – which became the inspiration for many of his pieces.
“He makes these really wonderful prints, which are really about the mythology of the western Upper Peninsula. They’re based on the stories he heard as a kid at the kitchen table. But they’re also based on events that happened to him, like bringing a boat inside the house to store it for the winter,” Lanctot said. “So, he would sort of save up all these adventures from the summer and then make work about it all winter.”
This show will open in September, beginning with a brief talk by Brian’s daughter.
There will also be the senior exhibition at the end of the semester, which will feature students graduating from the Art and Design program, encompassing a wide range of majors and mediums.
It’s important for students and faculty to visit these exhibits, as “it allows us to experience a wide range of voices and ask questions about our own experience,” Lanctot said. “Art is one of those things that you don’t really know how it will affect you until you’re in front of it and you ask some questions.”
The museum is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m., but Thursdays are from noon to 8 p.m. The museum also takes appointments for tours as well.
