MHC Faculty Art Show opens in One on One Gallery
A collection of works from the instructors of Medicine Hat College’s (MHC) art and design program is on display this month for the annual Faculty Art Show, highlighting the diverse talent and skill that each member brings to their teaching.Printmaking, graphic design, sculpture, painting, and drawing is available for viewing, each reflecting the artists’ specialties and interests.
Program coordinator and instructor, Jessica Plattner, is one of seven artists participating in the show. She says the faculty exhibition is an opportunity to share research being done by the instructors in the program.
“People often associate research with academic fields in the sciences and humanities, but for us our research is our artwork,” explains Plattner. “One of the roles of art in society is to help us understand ourselves and the world around us, and each of us embodies this role in different ways.”
Featured artists include Craig Cote, Melissa Johnston, Koi Neng Liew, Jessica Plattner, Ian Richmond, Dean Smale, and Yulin Wang. Combined, the artists have over 125 years of teaching experience in higher education and over 150 years of creating and displaying art and design across the world.
“It’s easy to tell the artists apart by our differences - contrasting approaches to colour, material, subject matter, and content. With closer contemplation, however, similarities reveal themselves,” says Plattner, who notes the artists are unified in their interest in layering, stacking, and juxtaposing images or materials to create new meaning.
Plattner adds that each artist has included written statements for their work so viewers can gain insight into the ideas and process that went into its creation.
The exhibition is open to the public from Nov. 13 to Dec. 11 during gallery hours, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Community members are also invited to attend the reception on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.
“We want students, colleagues, and the public to feel welcome in the gallery, and to hopefully learn something about themselves, the artist, or the world. The gallery is a quiet space to contemplate life, beauty, and meaning.”
For additional information about the 2024-25 art exhibits, visit www.mhc.ab.ca.