New Ortlip Gallery Exhibit Reunites Alumni to Share their Experience

Article by Elise Koelbl, with contributions from Josiah Wiedenheft

The Ortlip Gallery has had many interesting and unique creations from artists displayed in its hall before. This new exhibit is no exception. The Art Alumni Show: RECOLLECTIVE is an exhibit being shown from September 4th to October 3rd. This exhibit was organized by Houghton College graduate Joshua Duttweiler (‘15). 

RECOLLECTIVE is an exhibit built on experiencing familiar places with new perspectives. The artists involved are all Houghton graduates. Each one of them has some of their most recent art on display. Many of the artists have different talents and practices put into their work, ranging from photography to quilting, to painting and much more. These artists are breathing new life into the Ortlip Gallery as artists from over the years return to the campus that helped them develop such abilities. 

Joshua Duttweiler found himself inspired when he came to visit campus last spring, saying that it was his first in almost four years since graduating. When he arrived on campus to speak at the Fine Arts Seminar he was surprised when he realized that many current students had so much they wanted to learn from an experienced artist such as himself. 

“I was pleasantly surprised how much can happen in five years and how eager the students were to hear. It was this task of preparing a lecture about my journey that made me curious about where my fellow alumni were in theirs,” he says. It was moments such as this that made Duttweiler wonder if sharing knowledge and wisdom from beyond college experience would be beneficial to current students.

It was from this idea that RECOLLECTIVE was born. “I reached out to a variety of recent alumni artists that I knew had a current art/design practice,” explained Duttweiler, “I wanted to show a range of media as well as ideas about what life after Houghton can be.” He highlights that there isn’t really one overall message other than that “each of us takes our own path and we all have a lot to learn from each other.”

The artists that have their works on display are as listed: Merritt Becknell (‘15), Amy Coon (‘14), Joshua Duttweiler (‘15), Alex Hood (‘15), Natalie Moffitt (‘14), Hannah Jennings Murphy (‘13), Brady Robinson (‘15), Lindsey Seddon (‘13), and Laurissa Widrick (‘15). Each of these individuals provided not only artwork, but also short essays to the college and its students, collected together and available at the gallery. Both the artwork and the essays are also available online at the exhibition’s website www.recollective.site, which forms a “large component of the exhibition” due to the pandemic circumstances, allowing even those absent from campus a form of access.

Joshua Duttweiler had this to add: “This exhibition would not be possible without the support of Professor Alicia Taylor who gratefully allowed me to follow my initial curiosity last spring. Special thanks Professor Ryann Cooley for overseeing the final details and installation. And of course, thanks to the Art Department at Houghton College who have inspired our artistic endeavors past and present.” 

What are your thoughts on the RECOLLECTIVE exhibit? Impressed? Inspired? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (editor@houghtonstar.com)!