Finlandia University International School of Art & Design Faculty Exhibit 2023
Phyllis Fredendall in her studio
Exhibit Dates: February 23 to April 13, 2023
Artist reception: Thursday, February 23th, 7:00-8:30 pm
HANCOCK, MI Finlandia University’s International School of Art and Design will present a faculty exhibit at the Finlandia University Gallery, located in the Finnish American Heritage Center (FAHC), Hancock, February 23 to April 13, 2023.
Recent works by full-time, adjunct, and emeritus faculty representing a diverse range of media and concepts will be on display. Artists include Carrie Flaspohler, Phyllis Fredendall, Gini Gesler, Levi Grannis, Kenyon Hansen, Lindsey Heiden, Joyce Koskenmaki, Laura Smyth, and Denise Vandeville.
A reception for the artists will take place on February 23rd from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. with an artist talk beginning at 7:20 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Ceramics, fiber art, digital art, sculpture, drawing and painting are several of the media that will be represented in this exhibit. “This exhibit is a great opportunity to share and celebrate the talents of our faculty with the community and Finlandia students, faculty and staff”, notes Carrie Flaspohler, Gallery Director/Curator of the Finlandia University Gallery. “Their creative works are an inspiration, bringing insight, inquiry and poetry into our lives.”
“Nesting”, Earthenware clay, fabric, marker, wood by Lindsey Heiden
Visiting Assistant Professor and studio artist Lindsey Heiden will exhibit a large sculpture made of clay titled “Nesting”, an interactive installation that invites the audience to participate in the piece by adding their interpretation of the word nesting. “Nesting is something that is perceived and acted upon differently among every animal species, but yet there is a strong underlying base of connectivity,” says Heiden. “Each response added to the sculpture will transform the nest from a singular pile of ceramic sticks, to a living community piece with color, texture, warmth and energy.”
“Defragmentation” 2023, Digital Art by Levi Grannis
Levi Grannis, who teaches Graphic Design for the International School of Art & Design and also for the Copper Country ISD Career and Technical Education program will be displaying a series of eight digital media pieces.
Pandemic Poem and Watercolor by Laura Smyth
Laura Smyth, adjunct professor of Typography and Creative Writing will display excerpts from her poem “Sacred. Eternal. Domestic” printed on original watercolor paintings.
“Three and a Half Birch Trees”, 2023, Acrylic on wood, 16″x20″ by Joyce Koskenmaki
Emeritus Professor Joyce Koskenmaki’s paintings have all been completed within the past three months. “The paintings are about the spaces between things, and the relationship of shapes,” says Koskenmaki. “The trees are part of the environment I see every day and which function as protectors.”
`”Remembering”, 2023, Jacquard wall hanging, 28″x48″ by Gini Gesler
Gini Gesler, alumni of the International School of Art & Design (2013, Fiber and Fashion) and former instructor of Weaving and Off Loom Structures, Garment Design, and Geometry for Artists for Finlandia ISAD is now an Academic Advisor/Media Coordinator for the TRIO Pre-College Programs. She will be displaying “Remembering”, 2023, a Jacquard woven piece that includes 11 different weave structures creating the values needed to bring the image to life in a woven structure that honors the rich history of the Fiber & Fashion program at Finlandia.
“She Listened and then Stayed Still”, 2023, Gouache on Paper, 22″ x 30″ by Carrie Flaspohler
Carrie Flaspohler, Director and Curator of the Finlandia University Gallery will present gouache on paper paintings that use nature as a metaphor for a fleeting, yet resilient sense of wonder.
Soda fired porcelain pot by Kenyon Hansen
Kenyon Hansen, ceramic artist and educator in both the ISAD and the Finnish American Folk School shares his ceramic work. “The pulse of my practice lies in the rhythm of making and through repetition the work evolves, changing slowly in response to each firing cycle,” says Hansen. “Ideas are generated and inspired by the everyday experience, patch work quilts, structure and patterns found in nature.”
“Notre Dame Cathedral”, 2022, Ink on Paper, 22″ x 30″ by Denise Vandeville
Denise Vandeville, former Professor and Dean of the ISAD exhibits a drawing from a recent series titled, Notre Dame 2022. “Being an art history professor and in class at the time, I watched with my students as the great structure burned in 2019. The restoration, with the light of God through the scaffolding instead of stained glass, is a visual metaphor of hope for anywhere the arts have suffered,” states Vandeville.
“Leppäkerttu (my December Muse)”, Wool and silk felted, 25″ x 25″, 2023 by Phyllis Fredendall
Phyllis Fredendall, Co-Director of the Finnish American Folk School and Emeritus Professor will be including weavings and a felt piece honoring a series of ladybugs that have graced her home this winter. “I have always had a varied art practice driven by the range of fiber/textile processes I teach. As a longtime weaver, I enjoy learning from other weavers. So the Finnish American Folk School has allowed me to teach new weavers and learn from visiting instructors,” notes Fredendall.
Finlandia University International School of Art and Design 2023 Faculty Exhibit is on display at the Finlandia University Gallery through April 12.