Northwestern College's Te Paske Gallery features exhibit by South Dakota artist

Northwestern College is opening its 2024–25 art exhibit season with a show by South Dakota artist Molly Wicks.

Titled “phases for now,” Wicks’ exhibit is on display through Oct. 17, with a public reception with the artist scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m.

Wicks’ artwork features suspended plexiglass, metal and canvas on which she has cut out or painted organic shapes inspired by sedimentary layers, fungus and mold forms. The paint and cutouts create refractions and shadows, and her use of vibrant colors produce both tension and harmony.

“My goal is to generate visual compositions that evoke sound,” Wick says. The media she employs include oil paint on board, acrylic paint on canvas, nail polish on plexiglass, and copper cutouts.

Wicks is a graduate of the University of Minnesota who earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in drawing, sculpture and painting from Washington State University. She has taught in the Minneapolis Public School District, at Washington State University, and for South Dakota State University (SDSU).

Large projects by Wick are in the permanent collection of Johns Hopkins University and SDSU. Her artwork has also been exhibited in Florida, Idaho, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Washington. She has also held residencies at the Vermont Studio Center and at the Art Farm in Marquette, Nebraska.

Northwestern’s Te Paske Gallery is located in the Korver Visual Arts Center, on Highway 10 at 214 8th Street SW in Orange City. Gallery hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.