Northwestern to host collaborative event

Northwestern College’s art, English and music departments will present a collaborative event, “Into the Gloaming,” on Monday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. in the college’s Te Paske Gallery.

The event will feature a small ensemble of musicians performing original pieces written by Northwestern students and area composers. Visual and literary artists will be stationed around the ensemble and will paint, sculpt and write in response to the music. The finished artwork will be exhibited in the college’s gallery through Nov. 20.

“The idea is somewhat modeled after an event from the 2015 Day of Learning in Community last February,” says Emily Stokes, assistant professor of art at Northwestern. During the college’s annual event, six student, faculty and guest composers, and three student and faculty poets, presented a workshop titled “The Cruci Project.” During this event, the composers and poets presented the audience with music and poetry that was created in response to viewing Eric Robinson’s print, “The Crucifixion.”

“This event will essentially be like that workshop, but in reverse,” says Stokes. “This seemed like a fun idea to try on a grander scale in the gallery, and all participants in the event are from the Northwestern community.”

Participating visual artists include Northwestern art majors Katlyn Loeschen, Osiris Ordaz, Hannah Shie and Kali Wolkow. “They were chosen to participate because they have the ability to work effectively under time constraints and would be comfortable with an audience,” says Stokes. Student artists will be working with clay, paint, drawing materials and collage.

Northwestern English professor Sam Martin and senior writing/rhetoric major Lydia Steenhoek will write and edit each other’s poetry on large sheets of paper during the event, eventually transferring their final drafts directly onto the gallery walls.

Composers include music students Andrew Currier, Michael Sandmeyer and Jacob Ven Huizen, in addition to music professor Heather Josselyn-Cranson and former professor Luke Dahn. Musicians performing the written compositions include English professor Michael Kensak on trombone and Northwestern alums Anna Bartlett ’12 on flute and Ashley Van Wyhe ’14 on percussion.

The event is free and open to the public, and takes the place of a typical art reception held at the beginning of an exhibit. Audience members are encouraged to enjoy the music and watch the artists and writers as they create. Time-permitting, some of the participating artists may offer insights about the creation of their pieces.

Northwestern’s Te Paske Gallery is located in the Thea G. Korver Visual Arts Center, on Highway 10 at 214 8th Street SW in Orange City. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to midnight Sunday.