Fall Exhibitions Include Art from Himalayas and Otterbein’s Permanent Collection
Posted Aug 22, 2024
Otterbein’s art museum and galleries will host Himalayan art for the annual Opening Doors to the World arts series, as well as pieces from the university’s permanent collection this fall. All exhibitions are open to the public. Details are below and online at www.otterbein.edu/art/art-exhibit-schedule/.
Aug. 28-Dec. 12, 2024
Project Himalayan Art – The Rubin Museum, NY
Elena Pakhoutova and Karl Debreczeny, Curators
The Frank Museum of Art, 39 South Vine Street, Westerville
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. during the University’s academic year.
Contact: 614-818-9716 or visit https://www.otterbein.edu/art/art-exhibit-schedule/
Otterbein University presents Gateway to Himalayan Art, a traveling exhibition organized by the Rubin Museum that introduces the main forms, concepts, meanings, and traditions of Himalayan art and cultures,
Gateway to Himalayan Art is a traveling exhibition for colleges and universities, based on the Rubin Museum of Art’s cornerstone exhibition of the same name, which introduces the main forms, concepts, meanings, and traditions of Himalayan art. It is part of the Rubin’s multi-part educational initiative Project Himalayan Art: A resource that aims to support the inclusion of Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian art and cultures into undergraduate teaching on Asia.
The exhibition features objects from the Rubin Museum’s collection as well as multimedia elements — audio, videos, essays, maps, and more — from the Rubin’s recently launched educational initiative, Project Himalayan Art, a resource designed to support the inclusion of Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian art and cultures into undergraduate teaching on Asia.
“Project Himalayan Art is the most significant advancement in Himalayan art education in more than 30 years, and an exemplar for educational resource development in general. It is a privilege to host the Gateway to Himalayan Art exhibition for the benefit of students, educators, and community members throughout the Midwest,” said Janice Glowski, director of Otterbein’s Frank Museum of Art and galleries.
The exhibition is part of the Otterbein & the Arts: Opening Doors to the World – Himalayas programming for the fall semester and will be incorporated in classes across the curriculum.
Gateway to Himalayan Art invites visitors to enter into the art and cultures of the greater Himalayan region — Indian, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Tibetan — and the interrelated Mongolian and Chinese traditions. Much of Himalayan art is informed by Buddhist, Hindu, and indigenous religions, and images play a prominent role in cultural practices.
The exhibition highlights the fundamental visual language and meanings of Himalayan art, the materials and techniques used, and the purposes for the creation of these objects, often in the context of religious and secular well-being. It also includes voices from Himalayan artists and contemporaries, along with connections to related digital content to learn more.
Gateway features traditional scroll paintings (thangka), sculptures in various media, medical instruments, and ritual objects. Among the featured installations are in-depth displays that explain the process of Nepalese lost-wax metal casting and the stages of Tibetan thangka painting.
Gateway to Himalayan Art is an integral component of the Rubin Museum’s Project Himalayan Art, a three-part initiative that also includes the publication Himalayan Art in 108 Objects and a digital platform, a hub for the study of Himalayan art. Together they provide introductory resources for learning about and teaching Himalayan art, with focus on cross-cultural exchange with Tibet at the center, and Buddhism as the thread that connects these diverse cultures.
Against the Current/Lain S. Bangdel: Art, National Identity, and a Modernist Critique
Aug. 26-Nov. 8, 2024
Janice Glowski, Curator
Miller Gallery, Art and Communication Building, 33 Collegeview Road, Westerville
Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 1-4 p.m.; closed holidays.
Contact: 614-823-1792 or visit https://www.otterbein.edu/art/art-exhibit-schedule/
Against the Current: Art, National Identity, and a Modernist Critique features the paintings of eminent Nepali artist Lain Singh Bangdel. Born and raised on a tea plantation in Darjeeling, India, Bangdel went on to study visual art in Kolkata (Calcutta) and Paris, eventually serving in leadership positions in the Royal Nepal Academy, the Nepal Association of Fine Art, and the Nepal Art Council. A recognized polymath, Bangdel also was a novelist and art historian whose published research has played a key role in the repatriation of stolen sculptures back to Nepal. The exhibition is broadly organized around Bangdel’s historical trajectory and features twenty-five paintings not previously exhibited in the United States, as well as large-scale works that he created while teaching at Denison University as a Fulbright faculty.
Against the Current is part of the Otterbein & the Arts: Opening Doors to the World (ODW) – Himalayas programming for the fall semester. ODW is a programming and publication series that seeks to dissolve deeply rooted patterns of “othering” and to move audiences beyond single narratives toward more nuanced understandings of peoples, cultures, and identities.
Aug. 26-Dec. 6, 2024
Audrey McCutchen, Curator
Fisher Gallery, Roush Hall, 27 S. Grove St., Westerville
Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
Contact: 614-823-1792 or visit https://www.otterbein.edu/art/art-exhibit-schedule/
The exhibition features abstract art from Otterbein’s permanent collection (1977-present) and includes work by Otterbein students and faculty, as well as visiting and global artists. The selections explore how abstraction can function as a unifying language of human experience, ideas, and emotions. Immerse yourself in the colors, forms, and atmosphere that only abstract art can elicit.
6th Annual Juried High School Art Exhibition
Nov. 23-Dec. 6, 2024
Miller Gallery, Art and Communication Building, 33 Collegeview Road, Westerville
Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 1-4 p.m.; closed holidays.
Contact: 614-823-1792 or visit https://www.otterbein.edu/art/art-exhibit-schedule/