January 30 – March 17, 2017
Artist Reception: Saturday, February 4, 6 – 8 p.m.
All events are free and open to the public

The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery opens its winter exhibition season with Vision + Vocation: St. Catherine Alumnae Invitational Exhibition, featuring the work of nine alumnae of the studio art program at St. Kate’s. The exhibition runs January 30–March 17. Using a variety of styles, media and methods, this diverse group of women carries the vision of their artistic endeavors into their professional and everyday lives.

Curated by Nicole Sirek Watson

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About the Artists

Nine Participating Artists

• Anna Garski '07, painter, performance artist and co-instructor for the Women’s Art Institute, confronts the gendered body defined by art history and popular culture.
• Marie Schrobilgen '09, sculptor, offers an unconventional self-portrait made with a suspended magnet and a cast steel object.
• Desirée Olson '02, photographer, documents her father’s experience re-entering society after being incarcerated for 25 years.
• Lys Akerman-Frank '01, graphic designer, sculptor, is interested in the ubiquitous selfie. For her “St. Kate’s Selfie-Project,” she collected dozens of selfies from students at St. Catherine University, combining them in a 5-foot-tall three-dimensional collage.
• Annie Hejny '12, painter, collects water and sediment from the Mississippi River and incorporates them into her acrylic compositions.
• Kristina Fjellman '07, visual arts, performance, set-designer and fiber artist, created an installation of swirling wires covered by sheer fabrics to express her fascination with the aurora, star clusters and The Milky Way.
• Whittney Streeter '08, illustrator, reframes the viewer’s impression of the hag, an elderly and seemingly wicked woman, who is found in folklore throughout the world.
• Ida Kumoji-Ankrah '01, graphic designer, combines traditional Adinkra symbols from Ghana with Western alphabets to create a visual language that bridges cultures.
• Alex Poepping '12, printmaker, creates monochromatic compositions of bold, black lines and emblematic forms that suggest themes of ritual, secrecy, isolation and suspicion.

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In the Exhibition

Image Gallery

Click an image to view in larger size or to begin slideshow:

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Events

First Look with the Artists: A Preview Party for Alumnae & The Friends of the Gallery
Co-Sponsored by Alumnae Relations
Thursday, February 2, 6:30-8 p.m.
Alumnae and The Friends of the Gallery are invited to a special preview of the work in the upcoming winter show, Vision + Vocation: St. Catherine Alumnae Invitational Exhibition, at The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery. Join us as we celebrate the emerging artistic careers of nine studio art alumnae, who will introduce their work on view. Please RSVP to Ann Buchen by Monday, January 30th: 651-690-6636 or ambuchen@stkate.edu.

What's in Your Selfie?
A dialogue between artist Lys Akerman-Frank ’01 and art historian Emma Flood ’15
Thursday, February 16, 6:30 p.m.
Akerman-Frank and Flood will discuss the selfie image within our evolving visual culture, exploring the roles of history, portraiture, technology, identity and individuality in this ubiquitous form of self-expression.

What Women Artists Want (and how they plan to get it)
Sponsored by the Women’s Art Institute
Thursday, March 2, 1:30 p.m.
Over half of the artists in Vision + Vocation are graduates of the Women’s Art Institute, a summer studio intensive course for women artists to explore and refine their art in the context of contemporary women's art practice. Moderated by Patricia Olson, Director of the Women’s Art Institute, artists Anna Garski ’12, Annie Hejny ’12, Kristina Fjellman ’07 and Desirée Olson ’02 will talk about their work and discuss the ways this innovative and unique program expanded their artistic expressions and enriched their experiences as artists.

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