Finlandia Gallery to host International School of Art and Design Alumni Exhibit Jan. 21 - March 19

"Opportunities in Color," 2014, Digital Print by Amanda (Moyer) Rogers. A 2011 Finlandia alumna, Rogers now lives in Metro Detroit and works as marketing coordinator at Pewabic -- a non-profit historic ceramic studio located in Detroit. (Photos courtesy Finlandia University)

HANCOCK -- The Finlandia University International School of Art and Design (ISAD) will present an alumni exhibit at the Finlandia University Gallery, located in the Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock, from Jan. 21 to March 19, 2016.

An opening reception for the artists will take place at the gallery from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21. An artist talk will begin at 7:15 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

"Great Blue," Watercolor and Ink, 2015, by D.C. Wilson, a 2010 Finlandia alumna. Wilson now lives in Madison, Wis., where she is the Arts and Web Coordinator at a day center for adults with developmental delays. Wilson designs art projects and helps arrange gallery shows for her clients.

In the 17 years since the bachelor of fine arts (BFA) degree program began at Finlandia University, 148 students have graduated in five concentration areas: Ceramic Design, Fiber Arts and Fashion Design, Integrated Design, Graphic Design and Digital Art, and Studio Arts.

The Alumni 2016 exhibit spotlights the current work of 20 Finlandia BFA graduates.

"Osteology," woodblock print book, three-page spread, by Bonnie Loukus. Finlandia graduate Loukus combines letterpress printing, bookbinding, papermaking and block printing to create limited edition books, cards, broadsides and prints. She currently works as Assistant Director at the Copper Country Community Arts Center in Hancock.

"Our graduates have moved to all parts of the world to pursue their careers in art," notes Gallery Director Carrie Flaspohler. "It is wonderful to see where their life journeys have taken them."

Flaspohler says Finlandia's ISAD alumni study and work as far away as South Korea and Oregon, while some continue to live and work in Hancock.

The Finlandia University Gallery is in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy Street, Hancock. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday noon to 4 p.m., or by appointment. Please call 906-487-7500 for more information.

Finlandia Gallery to host student art exhibit opening, fashion show April 2

HANCOCK -- A juried exhibit of artwork by students in the Finlandia University International School of Art and Design (ISAD) is featured at the Finlandia University Gallery, Hancock, from April 2 through April 22, 2015. A reception for the artists will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, at the gallery, located in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy St. A student and alumni fashion show will begin at 7:15 p.m., followed by a presentation of awards for student excellence. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

The exhibition includes works by students working in media including drawing, painting, illustration, ceramic design, fiber arts and fashion design, sculpture, integrated design, graphic design, digital media, photography, and mixed media/installation.

"The annual student juried exhibit provides a venue to celebrate the talents of our students," notes Carrie Flaspohler, gallery director/curator of the Finlandia University Gallery. "For many students this is their first experience entering work into a juried exhibit. It is a great learning tool for their professional career."

Much of the student artwork featured in the juried exhibit will be available for purchase.

The awards include best of show, awards for freshman, 2-D and 3-D, a faculty award, and a purchase award. The jury included a faculty member, a graduating ISAD senior, and a community member.

For more information, contact the Finlandia University Gallery at 906-487-7500.

Finlandia's International School of Art and Design to host student art exhibit, fashion show TONIGHT, March 27

Artwork by students in the Finlandia University International School of Art and Design is on exhibit from now through April 15, 2014, in the Finlandia University Gallery in Hancock. An opening reception and fashion show will be held TONIGHT, Thursday, March 27. (Photos courtesy Finlandia University)

HANCOCK -- A juried exhibit of artwork by students in the Finlandia University International School of Art and Design (ISAD) is featured at the Finlandia University Gallery, Hancock, from March 27 through April 15, 2014.

An opening reception will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. TONIGHT, Thursday, March 27, at the gallery, in the Finnish American Heritage Center. A fashion show will begin at 7:15 p.m. and awards for student excellence will be presented. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

 

Fiber arts and fashion design are among the variety of media included in the student exhibit.

The exhibition includes works by students working in media including drawing, painting, illustration, ceramic design, fiber arts and fashion design, sculpture, integrated design, graphic design, digital media, photography, and mixed media/installation.

Much of the student artwork featured in the juried exhibit will be available for purchase.

The awards include Best of Show, awards for Freshman, 2-D and 3-D, a Faculty award, and a Purchase award. The jury included a faculty member, a graduating ISAD senior, and a community member.

The Finlandia University Gallery is in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy St., downtown Hancock.

For more information, contact the Finlandia University Gallery at 906-487-7500.

Tony Orrico: Penwald Drawings/CARBON exhibit opens Feb. 27 at Finlandia University Gallery

HANCOCK -- Tony Orrico: Penwald Drawings/CARBON is on display at the Finlandia University Gallery, located in the Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock, from TODAY, Feb. 27, to March 19, 2014.

Tony Orrico, /Vessel for Governing and Conception/ (2012). (Photo by Juan Cano.  Courtesy of the artist and MARSO.)

An opening reception for the artist will take place at the gallery from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. TONIGHT, Thursday, Feb. 27. Orrico will present an artist talk beginning at 7:15 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

This exhibit is part of a week-long artist residency with Finlandia University and Michigan Technological University. Orrico is collaborating on research and exhibition with Finlandia University Gallery and the International School of Art and Design, along with Michigan Tech’s Visual and Performing Arts and Computer Science Departments.

Through initiatives coming from both campuses, students and faculty from several concentrations at Finlandia and the Creative Drawing class in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Michigan Tech will be involved as Orrico works in The Mind Music Machine (tri-M) Lab, an interdisciplinary research group based in Cognitive and Learning Sciences and Computer Science at Michigan Tech. Materials from his collaboration with the lab will be on display in the Finlandia University Gallery exhibition.

Orrico’s Penwald Drawings are a series of bilateral drawings in which Orrico explores the use of his body as a tool of measurement to inscribe geometries through movement. He uses a physical practice, symmetry practice (circa 2005), as point of entry into this work. In his termed "state of readiness," he is interested in the application of a present body to a surface, object, or course.

Tony Orrico, Penwald 1: 1 circle (studio impression 1) 2011. (Image courtesy of Shoshana Wayne Gallery.)

His gestures derive from the limitation of (or spontaneous navigation within) the sphere of his outstretched arms. Line density becomes a record of his mental and physical sustain as he commits his focus to a greater concept of balance throughout extended durations of drawing. Centralizing on themes of cyclic motion and the generation and regeneration of material, the work draws on the tension between what is fleeting and what is captured.

"Orrico’s practice is rooted in tenets of performance art including using the body as a tool, engaging in physically demanding actions which push the body to limits of endurance and challenging the viewer to engage in non-traditional viewing practices," writes Collete Copeland in her article "Waxing and Waning: Tony Orrico at the MAC (Dallas’ McKinney Avenue Contemporary)." Copeland continues, "His practice is one of exploration and wonder. He challenges all of us to engage with the world as a kinesthetic learner, using all of our senses to approach life with the curiosity of a child and the intellect of an adult."

In the CARBON series, body, graphite, plane, time and space combine to become powerful reflections on life cycles, energetic flows and complementary opposites. His repetitious movements, often leading to exhaustion, become deep metaphors about life and death simultaneously.

Tony Orrico has performed/exhibited his work in the US, Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. His visual work is in collection at The National Academy of Sciences (Washington, DC) and Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo (Mexico City) as well as prominent private collections. He has recently been presented at SCAD: deFINE ART, Cranbrook Art Museum, New Museum, and Poptech 2011: The World Rebalancing. In June he will perform Penwald: 2: 8 circles: 8 gestures at Center Pompidou-Metz.

As a former member of Trisha Brown Dance Company and Shen Wei Dance Arts, Orrico has graced such stages as the Sydney Opera House, Teatro La Fenice, New York State Theater, and Théâtre du Palais-Royal. He was also one of a select group of artists to re-perform the work of Marina Abramovic during her retrospective at MoMA.

The Finlandia University Gallery is in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy Street, Hancock. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 12 noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment. For more information, call 906-487-7500.

Finlandia to present Student and Alumni Fashion Show Nov. 9

HANCOCK -- The Finlandia University International School of Art and Design will present a Student and Alumni Fashion Show at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, in the Finnish American Heritage Center Theater, 601 Quincy Street, Hancock.
 
The event is free and open to the public.

The show will feature fresh work by Sarah Jalkanen, Carol Kozminski, Eric Hinsch, Ansley Knoch, Yana Weglarz, Eileen Sundquist, Sara Beckley, Gini Moreau and Emily Pierce.

Finlandia Gallery to exhibit Diploma Works, opening Apr. 27

HANCOCK -- The International School of Art and Design (ISAD) 2013 Diploma Works Exhibition is featured from April 27 to May 24, 2013, at the Finlandia University Gallery,  located in the Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock.

Metalwork jewelry by David Sarazin. (Photos courtesy Finlandia University)

A reception for the artists will take place at the gallery from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27. The artists will be introduced at 7:15 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

The artworks featured in the annual Diploma Works Exhibit represent the final body of student work for each graduating bachelor of fine arts (BFA) student. The works include intensive research projects, series of individual artworks, and design prototypes. A variety of media is represented, including painting, illustration, sculpture, fiber design, graphic design, and integrated design.

Eric Hinsch hangs his Diploma Works exhibit at the Finlandia University Gallery.

The 2013 ISAD graduating seniors are Margo Anderson, Sara Beckley, Erika Gerstner, Dawn Hilts, Eric Hinsch, Sascha Hirzel, Jessica Hurkmans, Jessica Ingold, Sarah Jalkanen, Lauren Jarvinen, Charmaine Manansala, Gini Moreau, David Sarazin, Michael Simila, Audrey Small, and Cait Spera.

Please call 906-487-7500 for more information.

Opening reception, fashion show for Finlandia art and design students is Mar. 28

HANCOCK -- An opening reception for a juried exhibit of artwork by Finlandia University art and design students will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. this Thursday, March 28, at the Finlandia University Gallery, Hancock.

Melanie Houghton: Homage to Hofmann, oil painting. (Photos courtesy Finlandia University)

A fashion show will begin at 7:15 p.m., and awards for student excellence will be presented. Much of the artwork will be available for purchase. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

The exhibition includes art by students working in media including drawing, painting, illustration, ceramic design, fiber arts and fashion design, sculpture, integrated design, graphic design, digital media, photography, and mixed media/installation.

Dylan Peterson: Reuse Chair, old walkers and scrap canvas.  

Gallery director Carrie Flaspohler notes that the structure of the juried student exhibit has been changed this year.

"This year students entered work in one of three categories: two dimensional, three dimensional, and freshman work," Flaspohler says, explaining that the reduced number of categories is intended to eliminate artificial separations of media and encourage students to be inventive in their use and combinations of artistic media.

Sarah Jalkanen: Original Bag Design with Jacquard Fabric, designed fabric and hand-woven strap.

In each of the three categories, the jury will select a first and second place award, and an honorable mention award. The jury is comprised of a faculty member, a graduating ISAD (International School of Art and Design) senior, and a community member.

Finlandia art and design student Tori Schwanke installs work by Hailey Macias: These Nuts, digital photography.

New awards this year are a Best of Show Award, a Faculty Award -- an outstanding work selected by ISAD faculty -- and a Purchase Award -- a work which the ISAD will purchase for its permanent collection.

The exhibit is featured from March 28 through April 17, 2013.

The Finlandia University Gallery is in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy St., downtown Hancock.  For information, call 487-7500.

Finnish American Heritage Center to host Prom Fashion Show Feb. 17

HANCOCK -- A Prom Fashion Show 2013 will be presented at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at at the Finlandia University Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock.

Rosanna Chopps models one of the dresses that will be shown at the Prom Fashion Show, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock.(Photos courtesy Finlandia University)

The free, public fashion show is presented by Celebrations Bridal of Hancock and coordinated by Finlandia University fiber/fashion design senior Lauren Jarvinen as part of her diploma works project.

Garments modeled will include short and long prom dresses, ball gowns, and tuxedos of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Celebrations Bridal accessories, jewelry, and shoes will also be featured.

Rosanna Chopps models an elegant gold gown from Celebrations Bridal of Hancock. It will be part of the Prom Fashion Show tomorrow, Sunday, at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served and prizes awarded.

For more information, call Celebrations at 906-482-4946 or e-mail Lauren Jarvinen at lmjarvinen@fu.edu.

Finlandia Art and Design Diploma Works Exhibit to open Apr. 28

 Amanda Mears, Finlandia University International School of Art and Design student in ceramic design, displays her work, "It's a Mad, Mad World," for the 2012 Diploma Works Exhibition opening Apr. 28 in the Finlandia University Gallery of the Finnish American Heritage Center. (Photos courtesy Finlandia University)

HANCOCK -- The Finlandia University International School of Art and Design (ISAD) 2012 Diploma Works Exhibition is featured from April 28 to May 26, 2012, at the Finlandia University Gallery, which is in the Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock.

Mallory Torrala, "From Here to Eternity," mixed media.

A reception for the artists will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.at the gallery Saturday, April 28. The artists will be introduced at 7:15 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

 Rebecca Langlais, "A Route's Ending," digital illustrations.

The artworks featured in the annual Diploma Works Exhibit represent the final body of student work for each graduating bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.) student. The works include intensive research projects, series of individual artworks, and design prototypes. A variety of media is represented, including painting, illustration, sculpture, fiber design, graphic design, integrated design, and ceramics.

 Kari Heikkinen, "#182," paste resist on cotton.

The 2012 ISAD graduating seniors are Illustration majors Brooke Cummings (Bergland) and Mallory Torola (Calumet); Fiber and Fashion Design majors Kari Heikkinen (Mohawk) and Eileen Sundquist (Hancock and Jamestown, NY); Graphic Design major Ashley Hoeper (Houghton); Digital Art major Rebecca Langlais (Norway, MI), Ceramic Design major Amanda Mears (Houghton); and Integrated Design major Christine Westrich (Ewen).

For more information please call 906-487-7500.

Graphic design exhibit at Reflection Gallery in March

HANCOCK -- The Finlandia University Reflection Gallery, Hancock, will host "The History and DNA of a Designer," a graphic design exhibit by Robert Grame, March 1 to March 31, 2012.

Dallas Community Lighthouse Proposal Designs by Robert Grame. (Image courtesy Finlandia University)

An opening reception for the designer will take place at the Reflection Gallery from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 1. The reception is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served.

As a practicing designer, Grame believes strongly in the social and ethical responsibility of design. He is driven to broaden connections and develop new relationships in regard to non-profit and not-for-profit design.

"As a design generalist, I believe in pursuing balance in terms of creative output between industry related activities (print/interactive publication work, information architecture and identity) and personal experimentation (digital illustration, motion and typography)," Grame explains.

Grame’s experimental/expressionistic efforts are focused on creating statements about typography and producing digital illustrations. His personal experimentation fuels the network of ideas and aspects of his professional activities and informs and strengthens his efforts in industry.

Robert Grame is the head of the Graphic Design degree program at Finlandia University. He has taught at the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of South Dakota, the University of Wyoming, and Kansas State University. He has held industry positions with FryeAllen, Inc., an advertising agency in Topeka, Kan., and with KSN News Channel 3 of Wichita, Kan.

Grame received a master of fine arts from Kansas State University, Manhattan. He has completed national and regional design activities with organizations including the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), the Jentel (Wyoming) Artist Residency Program, the U.S. National Park Service, among others.

Grame has received awards including the Sixth District Case Bronze Award for the 2000 Department of Theatre and Dance Film Festival Poster, and he was Runner-up Recipient of the "Millennial Design Contest" awarded by Adobe Systems, Inc.

Grame’s work has been exhibited internationally in numerous juried and invitational venues, including shows at The Smithsonian Institute Arts and Industries Building, Washington D.C.; the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Senyang, China; and the "United Designs" Biennial International Design Exhibition in Amman, Jordan, among others.

The Reflection Gallery is located on the second level of Finlandia’s Jutila Center campus, 200 Michigan St., Hancock.

For additional information, please contact Yueh-mei Cheng, professor of studio arts, at 906-487-7375 or e-mail FinlandiaReflectionGallery@gmail.com.