“Homecoming”

Art alumni return to share their creative work with campus and community

The Nightingale Gallery at Eastern Oregon University opens its 2015-16 exhibition season by welcoming back several talented alumni of the EOU art program. “Homecoming” presents a selection of work by 10 EOU graduates who have gone on to pursue advanced degrees in the visual arts. The exhibit opens Friday, Oct. 2 with a reception from 6-8 p.m. in the gallery in Loso Hall.

Sponsored in part by the EOU Alumni Association, the exhibition will also be open from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 during Homecoming activities on campus. Works on display encompass a variety of media, from drawing and painting to mixed media and sculpture. The artists included represent a span of almost 40 years of art program graduates.

“We are pleased to have such a variety of talent out in the world representing the strengths of our program and this university,” said Cory Peeke, Nightingale Gallery director. “We are even more pleased they have chosen to come home to where they began their careers to share their creative work with our current students and the regional arts community.”

In addition to presenting a diverse selection of creative work by alumni, the gallery will also host Aaron McNamee giving a  presentation on his current body of work at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30 in Huber Auditorium, Badgley Hall. McNamee graduated from EOU in 2003 and is currently an artist in residence for sculpture at the University of New Orleans. His presentation is free and open to the public.

The exhibiting artists are: 1978 graduate Greta Ashworth, who went on to pursue an apprenticeship in biological illustration at the University of Kansas; Shannon Berg, class of 2006, who went on to receive her MFA in sculpture from Montana State University; Mariah Boyle, who graduated from EOU in 2009 and went on to Washington State University to obtain her MFA in painting and drawing and currently teaches at Spokane Falls Community College; another 2009 graduate, Devin Farrand, who went on to Cranbrook Academy of Art for his MFA and currently lives and works in Los Angeles; Jaime Gustavson, who graduated in 2000, received her MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Art in 2007 and teaches in Union; Aaron McNamee, who graduated in 2003 went on to the University of New Orleans for his graduate degree; Andrew Myers, class of 1995, received his MFA from Portland State University and currently teaches at OSU; Dawn (Lepper) Norman, class of 2006, who is currently in the final year of her MFA program at Washington State University; 2013 grad Henrik Soerensen, who just finished his MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art; and Brandon Whitacre, class of 2006, who holds an MFA degree in ceramics from The Ohio State University.

See “Homecoming” through Friday, Nov. 6. Gallery hours are 12-4 p.m., Monday-Friday. For more information follow the gallery on Facebook.