Art exhibits abound this fall at Pitt State

Art lovers will have several opportunities this fall to view exhibitions and attend receptions in Porter Hall, home to Pittsburg State University's Art Department and its two galleries.

The Harry Krug Gallery is open 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday. The University Gallery is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

All exhibits and receptions are free and open to the public. For more information, call 620-235-4302.

Sept. 3 to Oct. 10
"Centripetal: The Return to the Self"

Artist: Katie Petersen
Location: Harry Krug Gallery
Reception: Oct. 8 from 5 to 7 p.m.

This exhibition explores movement towards balance and health, whether that is physical, mental, or spiritual. Combining her passion for art and personal battle with scoliosis, Katie Petersen uses her work to focus and reflect on the balance of communication between the body and the mind. Pastel colors, layered figures, framed motion, and luminous x-rays illustrate meditation as both a subject and a practice.

Petersen received her MFA in Art from Fort Hays State University, where this exhibition was first presented as her thesis. Petersen is a faculty member at Sterling College Department of Art & Design in Kansas. Her work is both personal and universal, using her own experiences, while also allowing others to reflect on the ways art can demonstrate resilience, balance, and self-discovery.

"Unreal city"
Artist: Diane Bronstein
Location: University Gallery

Blending both vintage and original photography, with a touch of vibrant embroidery, Diane Bronstein creates pieces that showcase the reluctance of humanity in facing climate change.

Bronstein, a graduate from Carnegie Mellon with a degree in Design and Illustration, worked as a graphic designer for the Exhibits Department of the Museum of Science in Boston for 14 years, creating hundreds of unique exhibits. Since 2016, she has embroidered vintage and original photos, collaging them into streetscapes that are out of kilter; roads abruptly end, buildings have odd angles to reveal the unrelenting battle of climate change.

Bronstein's work captures man-made work, not for its beauty, but to provide a different aspect on our environment. Often contemporary people walk unconcerned with their surroundings, but Bronstein incorporates people from vintage photos to create a surrealistic use of time and space.  The embroidery in these images may include massive vines, three dimensional trees or rocks and lava under the streets.

The vintage photos are sourced from thrift stores, antique shops, flea markets, or online, usually identifiable. But those photos were documented for a reason, for a specific purpose, ultimately lost in time.

Bronstein's vision is to let nature rule in her fabricated world in response to the idea that we choose to live on this planet. The dominance of the natural elements presents a reality that may not have ever been imagined but may someday be faced.

Her work has been exhibited in Chicago, Dayton, Asheville, and Spruce Pine.

Oct. 15-Nov. 10
"Seeded: Art After Investment"
Artists: Faculty and Staff
Reception: Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This exhibit will highlight diverse works from faculty and students that are being produced with new equipment obtained by grant funding.

Oct. 22-Dec. 15
"Finder"

Artist: Jason Tanner Young
Location: University Gallery
Reception: Oct. 23 from 5 to 7 p.m.

"Finder" embraces the network of vessels and highlights the complex system of everyday objects into hybridized sculptures, conveying the relationship between object and memory. Objects act as markers for experiences as well as internal landmarks, providing physical connection to the past, extending infinitely into the future. The explicit use of materials creates a blend of personal truths, events, and behaviors, igniting a spark, bridging between the real and imaginary, the past and the present.

Jason Tanner Young, associate professor and director of the Sculpture concentration at the University of Montevallo in Alabama, received his bachelor's in fine arts from the University of Texas and earned his master's in fine arts in sculpture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

His work has been exhibited across the country, including the Sculpture Center in Cleveland, Axis Gallery in Sacramento, Weston Art Gallery and Manifest Gallery, both located in Cincinnati, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Alabama, Visual Art Exchange in North Caroline, Evansville Museum in Indianapolis, and the Rosa Lux Gallery in Minneapolis.

- By Kaylee Dillow, student intern / Communication major