visual art
February 7, 2019
Facing fear through connection
On Tuesday, Feb. 5., Merrill Krabill, professor of art at Goshen College and the department chair, delivered the 2019 C. Henry Smith Peace Lecture. In Krabill’s lecture, titled, “A Visual Reflection on Fear and Connection,” he reflected on the topic of fear, often asking the audience,“How do we live with fear?” Drawing from the work of other scholars, artists, and personal experiences, Krabill shared how he has learned to view fear in a different way. The lecture is named after C. Henry Smith who was a distinguished Mennonite historian who taught at Goshen College from 1908 to 1913....
January 17, 2019
The juxtaposition of art and IT
Every once in a while, it’s discovered that a staff member at Goshen College has an alternate identity. Pamela Osborne, the help desk manager at ITS, is one of these people. In addition to saving the lives of people unfortunate enough to encounter the many faults of modern technology, Osborne is the founder and owner of Juxtapose, a vibrant art gallery and shop in downtown Elkhart that displays everything from sculptures and paintings to handmade jewelry and chocolates. Osborne grew up in Upland, Indiana, living there through high school. After graduating, Osborne attended Indiana State University for two years. “The...
January 17, 2019
“Society and the Other” exhibit highlights diversity of student artwork
Walk down the flight of stairs to the Good Library basement, take a right and you’ll enter a room full of color. Sculptures, paintings, photographs and drawings cover the walls of the Library Gallery, all responding to the same theme: “Society and the Other.” The collection of artwork displays the contributions of over 30 artists from the student body at large. With so many different pieces and contributing artists, the exhibition presents an impressive diversity of approaches to the given theme. Merrill Krabill, professor of art, said, “The thing I like and that surprises me is how creative people are...
November 28, 2018
Merry Lea event to turn trash into art
This Saturday, Dec. 1, Sustainability Leadership Semester (SLS) students Lydia Dyck and Rheannon Starr, both juniors, will be leading a trash cleanup of an old farm dump in the woods on Merry Lea property. Students will have an opportunity to clean up the local environment; the discarded objects will then be used by Goshen College’s sculpture class. Dyck and Starr have been working on finding a creative way to deal with the discarded glass, metal and garbage in the Elkhart watershed as part of SLS at Merry Lea. The dump site is located directly above High Lake and all water...
September 18, 2018
Amish Folk Arts exhibit moves to Good Library
The collection of local Amish folk art which has been displayed in the Hershberger Art Gallery for the past several months is moving to the Good Library Gallery, where it will remain until Nov. 18. “The items on display come from a collection purchased for the college by alumni who support the Mennonite Historical Library and the Mennonite-Amish Museum Committee,” said Ervin Beck, a former GC professor, who has worked with the museum to display Mennonite and Amish art since 1985. Beck explained that all of the items are antiques, but that some even date as far back as...
April 5, 2018
Local artist brings new life to an old form
Amy Worsham is bringing the oldest form of graphic design into the modern era. Tympanum Press, located in an alley in downtown Goshen, specializes in the art of the letterpress. Amidst shelves of loose type and nine presses, Worsham has carved a space for her unique business while also expanding to take on the role as arts director of the city of Goshen. Recently, I had the privilege of working alongside Worsham during a workshop at her studio. As I fumbled through the process of setting and pressing type, Worsham guided me through it with expertise. Her well-trained eyes could...
March 29, 2018
Senior spotlight: Caitlyn, Jill, John and Maddy
Last Saturday, March 24, the Hershberger Art Gallery opened its doors for the 2018 Goshen College Senior Art Exhibition. The show features GC’s four senior art majors: Caitlyn O’Neal of Russiaville, Indiana, Jill Steinmetz of Bluffton, Ohio, John Schrock-Shenk of Goshen, Indiana, and Maddy Keener of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. As the culminating requirement for a major in the visual art department, each student-curated a selection of their work to be displayed. The show runs through April 28. Caitlyn O’Neal O’Neal uses her experiences as a twin as inspiration for her senior show. Her pieces are also inspired by the poem “Twins”...
February 15, 2018
Red Cents: open to all
Thirteen years ago, Goshen College student Rosanna Nafziger (now Rosanna Henderson) saw much unsung talent among her peers and decided to do something about it. With her creative mind under the guidance of Ann Hostetler, and English professor at GC, “Red Cents” was born. “There was [no publication at Goshen] that represented the collective work of the whole student body,” Henderson said. “Professor Ann Hostetler [and I] agreed that it would be great to have a place for students’ art and literary work to exist side by side.” Hostetler noted that from the beginning there has been a very deliberate...
February 8, 2018
60-year-old cards still used today
Back in September, during a visit to Rachel Yoder’s apartment, Grace Leatherman was delighted to discover that Yoder had placed a selection of art history cards all around her window. These cards were used by Leatherman 60 years ago, when she was a student herself at Goshen College. Leatherman used the cards in an Arts Appreciation class in 1958 with Mary Oyer. She gave them to Yoder, who is an art major, as a gift when she found out she was taking the class. “It made me smile.” Leatherman said. “I loved it because I had all the memories which...
January 18, 2018
Recycled: A Thematic Student Art Exhibit
Walk down to the basement of the Good Library and you’ll find a wide variety of art on display. The pieces, which range from pottery to collages to paintings to photography, are united by a common theme which doubles as the title of the exhibit: “Recycled.” The theme was introduced at the beginning of the year and students across the visual art department began work last semester, according to Randy Horst, Goshen College art professor. Horst helped to coordinate the exhibit. “It’s another way of engaging ideas that are being brought up in a class context, in various convocations, and...
November 9, 2017
Artist Feature: Maddy Keener
Through her art, Maddy Keener aims to show that women have depth and should be conveyed as more than just beautiful or romanticized. She wants to make sure that women are being widely represented in artistic ways. Keener is a senior studying Art Administration with an English minor. Her main focus is portraits and figures of women. Even though she has a love for art history, she does not agree with some of the views presented throughout, with a slant toward entertainment and objectification. She wants to create something new, something that will empower women. This year she is working...
September 28, 2017
Stutzman exhibit opens
This past week, Goshen College welcomed Eugene Stutzman ’73, a nationally-recognized fashion designer, back to Goshen. He and the Eugene Alexander Hope Foundation sponsored Fashion Week, an event in northern Indiana that is the first of its kind. As Fashion Week came to a close on Sept. 24, the exhibit “Eugene Alexander: The Fashion of Eugene Stutzman” opened at the Hershberger Gallery, located in the Music Center. Stutzman was one half of Eugene Alexander, a fashion company Stutzman ran along with his late partner, Alexander Wallace. Stutzman and Wallace created fashion pieces under the Eugene Alexander label throughout the 1980s...
September 21, 2017
LightBox workspace sparks creativity
LightBox, located downtown across the street from the Goshen Theater, is a studio space used by local artists to work independently or collaboratively on projects involving photography and graphic design. The studio was founded by Rafael Barahona, a Goshen College graduate, who uses the space at LightBox as a graphic designer. Anne H. Berry, another GC graduate, is a professor at Cleveland State University, also specializing in graphic design. Stuart Meade shares the space as a photographer and business owner of his company. There are other recent grads who use the space for their projects, including Jordan Kauffman, and Jill...
September 14, 2017
Goshen Fashion Week
Next week a flurry of fabric and dresses will descend upon northern Indiana with the first ever Fashion Week taking place Sept. 18-24. The week will feature promotions from Goshen retailers, stylish events and high-fashion couture, with over 10 events taking place in Elkhart, Middlebury, and Goshen during the week. Goshen College alumnus Eugene Stutzman’s designs will be featured in a runway show alongside fashion from local retailers on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Goshen Theater. All of the Eugene Alexander dresses that will be shown are originals crafted in the...
September 14, 2017
Artist Feature: John Schrock-Shenk
It didn’t come as a surprise when senior art major John Schrock-Shenk arrived at the interview with a sketchbook in tow. Schrock-Shenk recalls that his long-standing passion for art began with drawing, particularly as a kid when he would draw during church on Sundays. From then on he “clung to that ability.” Although he has always been passionate about art, he shied away from it in high school. Other activities like marching band, track and other team sports consumed his time. Additionally, he wanted to avoid the stigma that sometimes comes with being an artist, one he described as a...