Northland hosts student art show and holiday art bazaar

December 3, 2012

Northland College students are putting their best brush forward in the annual student art exhibition and holiday art bazaar. A public reception for student artists will be held on Friday, Dec. 7 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Mary Van Evera Visual Arts Center on campus. Friday also kicks off the holiday art bazaar at Northland College, featuring arts and crafts from student and community artists. The bazaar runs Dec. 7-9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Craig A. Ponzio Campus Center. The events, offerings in the Northland College Community Connections series, are free and open to the public.

More than 40 art students will exhibit a variety of work ranging from paintings, prints, ceramics, photographs and more at Friday's reception.

"It's rewarding to see the end result of all that students have learned over the course of their studies," says Jason Terry, associate professor of art. "The artwork these students create is always something new and exciting, reflecting their own individual creativity and original perspective on the subjects they cover."

Students are exhibiting artwork based on the basic skills they have learned through their art process and observation coursework at Northland College.

"Most of our educational system is devoted to focusing on the conceptual," says Terry. "The intuitive, creative side of ourselves can sometimes get left behind, but we feel it's important for students to explore and develop the visual and expressive sides of their nature alongside that."

Each semester, students display artwork as a visual record of their 14 weeks of study. Northland College students, as well as community artists, will also exhibit arts and crafts for sale during the holiday art bazaar. The Student Art League at Northland College organized the event and extended this year's bazaar to give artists more opportunities to participate.

"The Chequamegon Bay area is a beautiful region with many artists who are inspired by it and we want to do whatever we can to encourage them to showcase their talents," says Debra Douglas, president of the Student Art League. "The bazaar gives people an opportunity to explore and discover what the region has to offer while also speaking to the College's mission of sustainability by supporting the purchase of local goods."

Event organizers are seeking additional artists who may be interested in taking part in the art bazaar. The deadline to respond is Thursday, Dec. 6. Those seeking more information should call Debra Douglas at (715) 292-9612 or email her at douglasd01@myemail.northland.edu.