Tag: ortlip gallery

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Campus News

Ted Murphy Legacy

Ted Murphy standing in front of Gallery wall
Ted Murphy standing in front of Gallery wall - Courtesy Kaitlyn Avery
By Evan Babbitt ('25)

UPDATED: OCTOBER 8, 2024 7:32 PM EDT | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 4, 2024 11:50 AM EDT

The Ortlip Gallery will host a reception for the Ted Murphy Legacy exhibition on Saturday at 7 p.m. 

The show is composed of 77 alumni artists and includes over 80 pieces—ranging from landscapes to abstracts, and watercolors to fabrics. It celebrates Professor Ted Murphy’s 38 years of teaching art and art history at Houghton University. 

“It means a great deal to me,” Prof. Murphy said. “It is visual evidence of not only my influence on past students but our entire department’s.”

According to the Gallery Director, Linda Knapp, about 80% of the alumni represented in the show are full time artists. Murphy also notes that 12 of the alumni shown are now professors as well. 

“Many are professional artists,” he said. “Some just manage to continue to work despite their complicated lives with family and their other work. It is gratifying to see such outstanding work from these wonderful people.” 

One of the alumni presenting work in the show, Jeff Babbitt (Class of ‘96), recalled: “It was during Painting I class with Murph when I decided I wanted to major in art. Murph was the perfect combination of hilarious and brilliant. He was a true connoisseur of the liberal arts, seamlessly blending literature, history, and culture into classroom discussions and everyday conversation.” 

Knapp noted that a flood of people wanted to be in the show when asked, which stands as a testament to Prof. Murphy’s presence in the classroom.

“[Murphy] is really adept artistically and has created a safe space for generations of students to find their calling as artists,” Knapp commented. “He has influenced people by his works, but more greatly by who he is—not flashy, but by his daily interactions and listening ear.” 

People are flying in from the Netherlands and California to come to this show, Knapp added.

“Houghton has [had] a rich art tradition here long before I arrived,” Prof. Murphy said. “The artist that preceded me fought the good fight to make Art matter.”

Prof. Murphy finished his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1980 at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and then received his Master of Fine Arts in 1983 at The Ohio State University. Before coming to HU he was an assistant professor at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine.

“[T]o be a teacher you must have students. But nowhere is it required that we like them,” Prof. Murphy noted. “Just teach them.”

Many who came into the art program were glad to be able to study art seriously and have many mediums to work with. Prof. Murphy feels blessed to have students who he loves and appreciates.

“In the twilight of a career,” he said, “every person is aware of the question Henry James said we should all ask. “Was it worth it”? I believe it has all been worth it. It has been a very privileged life here in Houghton. Nancy and I raised our children here and by their reports they each also love this place. God has blessed us beyond measure.”

Prior to the beginning of the show’s reception will be an open panel discussion hosted by alumni artists at 4 p.m. in the CFA Recital Hall. ★

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Campus News

The Senior Art Show

Senior Art Show Poster - Courtesy of Houghton Art Department
By Rebecca Dailey ('25)

This Friday, on April 12, the 2024 Senior Art Show will open in the Ortlip Gallery in the Center for the Arts. Thirteen senior art students will be showcasing their work in tonight’s gallery, including, Tamara Edwards (‘24), Aubree Niles (‘24), Hannah Smith (‘24) and Savannah Stitt (‘24). Various art pieces such as paintings, sculptures and photography will be displayed throughout the gallery for viewer appreciation. 

Professor John Rhett is the Senior Art faculty advisor and instructor for Senior seminar and Studio. His main goal is making sure the students exhibit a maturity within the medium of their choice.

“We are creative beings, God is the Heavenly creator,” Professor Rhett stated. “There is a need to create with these gifts gracefully through challenges and be grateful for them.”

A few seniors took time out of their busy schedules to speak about their work and the gallery.

Smith explained her process around her work, “A big part about it is being balanced and coming to your artwork with a peaceful mind and not cluttered with everything you have to do … I like to think of it as forever honing my craft. I am a tinkerer. I like to play with different mediums. I’m not afraid of losing art and not doing it because I’ve been doing it my whole life.”

Niles has been working in art since childhood. It has been her way of expressing herself even when words cannot. 

“Looking back to my work from freshman year,” Niles stated, “I am blown away by the development of quality and sincerity in my work. I started college with little education on art and had this horrible opinion that abstract art wasn’t art … I quickly learned that abstraction (well, good abstraction) is difficult. I am so thankful that I was taught the importance of abstract work. It reveals something true, raw, and honest about the artist. 

Edwards transferred to Houghton in the Fall of 2022. 

“I learned the importance of process,” Edwards explained, “art develops with time and a support group who challenges me in the quest to understand art not as an individual activity. Individual as an artist but built in community and communication.” 

Stitt reflects on her growth as an artist and in life.

“I have learned that a huge part of growing as an artist involves time, and within that time, experience.” Stitt explained that “Some things are only learned through the process of doing something over and over. And other times, I have grown as an artist because I am growing as a person and that informs and influences my art.” Rhett shared his excitement about seeing the students’ work be displayed and the growth they have shown.

“The show is a time of celebration,” Rhett stated. “They’ve been students their entire lives sitting in class and doing assignments. This is their chance to start taking ownership of who they are as artists.” ★

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Campus News

The 35th Annual Juried Student Show

35th Annual Juried Student Show poster - Courtesy of Linda Knapp
By Rebecca Dailey ('25)

The 35th Annual Juried Student Show Exhibition will open on March 8, 2024 in the Ortlip Gallery, housed in the Center for the Arts. The gallery reception opens at 6:30 p.m. and continues until 8:30 p.m.. Students of both art and non-art majors may participate in the exhibition, and have leeway in both the subject and art form of their works. However, they are limited to the number of works they can enter. The art featured in the exhibition will be a range of ceramics, sculptures, photos, drawings, and oil and watercolor paintings, among others. The exhibition judges will be accompanied by a guest juror, who decides the pieces that will appear in the show, as well as the pieces that will receive awards.

“The Student Juried Show provides a really neat opportunity for students to demonstrate their artistic abilities to their friends, family, and all of us in the Houghton Community,” Professor Linda Knapp, the Ortlip Gallery Director & University Art Collection Manager, stated. “My role as gallery director falls under the leadership of the Art Department. I work alongside our art faculty and help them to make the gallery function smoothly. It’s so much fun to see the different works that get submitted and then solve the puzzle of figuring out how to display them in a way that’s aesthetically and visually pleasing.” 

The Ortlip Gallery has previously featured works from professors of Houghton University and outside artists. 

“The Ortlip Gallery serves to further educate our art major students by exposing them to outside artists, as well allowing our students to have the hands-on experience of displaying their own work in a professional gallery,” Professor Knapp added.

Some of the students entered in the Juried Student Show are Savannah Stitt (‘24), Hannah Smith (‘24), Aubree Niles (‘24) and Aubrey Armes (‘25). 

This is the third year Stitt has displayed her work in the Gallery. She predominantly works with photography, but has submitted oil paintings in the past. 

“In my experience as an artist, I have come to realize two things. I am creative in ways I didn’t realize for a long time, and inspiration comes and goes in waves,” Stitt explained. “It’s important to grab hold of those ideas when they come because they’re not guaranteed to stay.”

Niles is also participating for the third year. Her main art form is oils, but she also works in watercolor, ceramics and photography. 

“Art has been a way for me to process difficult emotions and complex life events,” Niles stated. “My current body of work is especially evident of that. I focus the most on my use of color and brushstrokes to convey emotion.”

Professor Knapp would like to express her gratitude towards being able to open the Juried Student Show and playing a role in the Gallery’s exhibitions. “I love how the Gallery brings us all together into these sacred spaces and moments,” Professor Knapp said, “granting us pause to reflect on our lives and to understand each other better. It has been a real honor for me to be a part of such a successful Art Program here at Houghton, and I just want to send out a big thanks to all the students who have submitted their work for this upcoming show!” ★

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Campus News

Professor John Rhett’s “Self-Evaluation”

By Kelsey Curtis ('27)

This October, Houghton’s Ortlip Art Gallery will host a retrospective exhibition of art by Professor John Rhett. The exhibition, titled “Self-Evaluation”, will open on Friday, Oct. 27, starting at 6 p.m., and feature a gallery talk with Rhett at 7 p.m. The reception will also offer an opportunity for students to earn Around the Table credit for their attendance. The exhibition will share select works from Rhett spanning nearly five decades in art.

Gallery Director, Professor Linda Knapp expressed her excitement for the show, praising Rhett as “such a gifted painter.” Knapp shares her love of Rhett’s perspectives illustrated in his paintings with Rhett’s long-time coworker and friend, Professor Ted Murphy. 

Murphy says he looks forward to seeing the progression of Rhett’s art and that it is valuable for students “to appreciate a painter’s evolution in skill, depth of ideas, experimentation, and maturity.”

Commenting on Rhett’s eye for subject matter, Murphy appreciates how he “paints the ordinary, banal landscape but finds great beauty in the edges and margins—parking lots, street lights, and roadway intersections.” 

Professor Rhett’s process of painting these ordinary landscapes contributes to their beauty as well. For many of his works, Rhett travels and paints what he sees, making an adventure out of his process. He says it forces him to “sit there and work until it is done.”

Murphy and Knapp expressed their gratitude for Rhett’s presence at Houghton and appreciate his contributions to the university.

Professor Rhett finds both professional and personal benefits in his exhibit. Rhett acknowledges that it celebrates his milestone of over 25 years with Houghton, and gives him a chance to reflect on his numerous years in art. Rhett says that although it was an “odd feeling to look back” it was valuable to see how he had progressed over his career.

He explained that looking back has helped him consider his failures and learn to move beyond pieces he hadn’t finished. Mentioning a river study he had done, Rhett realized even though he felt frustrated while painting it, he discovered the value of his work when he saw it apart from his reference. He found this as an example of, “getting out of your own way” and still being able to make something worthwhile.

Rhett drew attention to a set of smaller ink paintings he had done from photos. He recalls enjoying them and said, “Boy, I wish I could paint like that!” Even in his critical appraisal of many of his works, he is still able to appreciate successful moments in his creations.

Rhett will show work that has previously never been seen on display, as well as work from faculty shows over the years. He views his exhibition as a way to show more than just the curiosity and craft of a local art teacher. He believes that artists even in the smallest of communities, like Houghton, have the same integrity and skill as those found in large cities and the exhibition will mirror this idea.

“Self-Evaluation” will be in the Ortlip Gallery until Dec. 15, open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ★

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Stories In Focus

Feature: Linda Knapp

By Anna Catherman

The Ortlip Gallery is one of the highlights of Houghton University’s campus. For years, the gallery was managed by the art department. It gained new leadership, however, when Linda Knapp took on the role of Gallery Director in August 2022. As the Gallery Director, Knapp has taken a huge burden off the art professors and helped the gallery thrive post-pandemic.

Each academic year, five different shows are held. Each show requires planning, advertising, lighting, set-up and tear-down work, and more. This fall, Knapp worked with acclaimed painter Nick Blosser and alumnus Craig Proulx,  who collects valuable mid-19th century David Roberts lithographs. In the spring, the Faculty Art Show, Student Art Show, and Senior Show are all packed in. Each gallery opening is a labor of love, reflecting the creativity of the artist(s) and hard work of the gallery crew.

Knapp is aided by three gallery assistants, including junior Aubree Niles, sophomore Aubrey Armes, and senior Danae Jarrett. Niles noted that getting “[t]o work with Linda and the other gallery assistants has been incredible. We have bonded so well and so quickly.”

Knapp echoed similar statements, praising her assistants for their great work. “They kinda taught me,” she chuckled, explaining she hadn’t had much experience with running art shows before starting her position.

While Knapp is new to curating gallery experiences, she isn’t new to Houghton or the art world. A fourth-generation “Houghtonite”, Knapp’s grandmother, Aileen Ortlip Shea, was the first art professor in Houghton’s fledgling art department.. Knapp grew up in the art world, but wasn’t  trained as an artist or curator until recently. “I wasn’t an art major,” she explained. Instead, she majored Bible and Intercultural Studies at Houghton before completing graduate studies in Anthropology at Colorado State University. Still, she has a love for art. While she dabbles in a bit of sketching of her own, she focuses on uplifting others’ works.

Former Gallery Director and Professor of Digital Media and Photography Ryann Cooley was very appreciative of the work Knapp has done with the gallery. He shared that previously he was juggling the gallery alongside his normal class load and chairing the art department. “I couldn’t give to the gallery what it needed to be.”

Knapp, he noted, “is doing a great job.” 

“She’s bringing in a level of professionalism that’s very welcome,” Cooley said.

One of the highlights has been the emphasis placed on opening receptions. Exhibits that include gallery talks have been able to grant Around the Table credits, and have been drawing larger crowds than gallery openings have in years. Refreshments have also been a crowd-pleading addition.

Knapp has been overwhelmed by the campus community’s responsiveness to the art gallery’s events. With the gallery openings at capacity or even overflowing, she noted that it has been so meaningful to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in “a sacred place” to support artists and learn about their work. ★

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Arts Stories In Focus

FEATURE: Ortlip Gallery Features Husband-and-Wife Artist Duo

By Rylee Archambault (’23)

The Ortlip Art Gallery at Houghton is now presenting ‘Side by Side’, a series by Amanda Parry Oglesbee and Brian Oglesbee, an artistic husband and wife duo. She’s a painter and he is a photographer; can I make it any more obvious? The Oglesbees met at the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1970s and have been “side by side” ever since. 

This is a show that needs to be seen in-person. While Brian Oglesbee’s photographs look like they are photoshopped, there is no post-production done on his work. They are all exactly what the camera sees. Along with this, Amanda Parry Oglesbee displays her latest series, titled ‘Beings,’ which consists of large paintings of trees in an editorial style.

Her artist statement:

“I am moved by the beauty and courage of all things that grow on earth. As I paint trees and flowers they become portraits of beings compelled to grow and survive. Some of my paintings are made directly observing nature.  My work is sometimes influenced by historical art and other times built entirely from my imagination allowing the piece to grow organically with an equal combination of intent and acceptance. Most of my paintings are a combination of these different approaches.”

His artist statement:

“My photographs are very ‘straight;’ in other words, the camera simply records what was in front of it. What is seen in the print is what was presented to the camera; (with the exception of one of the ‘Tangles,’ which features stitched exposures, and the early multi-media works) there is no subsequent manipulation of the image after the initial single exposure.”

This exhibition will be on display through December 18th. A reception for the artists will be held on Friday, December 3rd, from 5:30pm to 7:00pm, at the Ortlip Gallery.

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News

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)!

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Stories In Focus

Ben Frank Moss Art Collection Donated to Houghton

Houghton College has recently been gifted the renowned art collection of Ben Frank Moss III, an alumnus of the class of 1958.

According to the Houghton online press release, the 140 paintings by the artist over a span of 40 years “will join the college’s permanent art collection to become its largest survey by a single artist”. As a part of the permanent collection, the pieces will be displayed regularly around Houghton.

Moss also gifted the college an endowment program that will support the Ortlip Gallery here at Houghton, called the Ben Frank and Jean Moss Gallery program. The program, according to the press release, will be “used to create a catalog of the pieces included in the annual invitational exhibition, which will then be added to the college’s permanent art collection.”

Ted Murphy, professor of art, spoke about Moss in an introduction from last year’s gallery event. He said, “His prestigious career of gallery representation and numerous regional, national and international exhibitions has placed Ben among the most admired and

successful painters of his generation”. Moss’ prestigious work all began at Houghton in the 50’s, and was first displayed at Houghton in 1996 in the Wesley Chapel Gallery.

Alicia Taylor-Austin, director of the Ortlip Gallery and assistant professor of art and printmaking, has spent time this past summer framing and matting his work for display. She commented on her admiration of Moss’ work. She said, “Matting and framing much of the work in the current exhibition over the summer was a captivating experience, sitting with the work, alone in the gallery and getting to know it, really moved me in ways I find difficult to put into words. I feel as though I entered the captivating world embodied by the work and I got lost in the beautiful mystery of it all”. Taylor-Austin continued, “Ben is an artist whose work will be important for many generations and his energy, enthusiasm and commitment to his studio practice inspires me to invest deeply in my own.”

The endowment fund, which will support the invitational exhibition each year, is to be named the Annual Ben Frank and Jean Moss Invitational Exhibition. Taylor-Austin, as director of the Ortlip Gallery, commented, “the Moss’s most recent contribution to the department has come to us by bequest of the Artist (the collection of works by Ben Moss) along with completing their contributions to a $100,000 endowment fund.”

Moss and his wife, Jean, have always been very generous to the art department at Houghton. In 1996, they began to give annually to the art department faculty to support their professional development.

Ted Murphy finished his introduction about Ben Frank Moss with a quote from the artist himself. Moss said, “It has been a great career in teaching and painting. I have been very successful in my endeavors. I am grateful to what art has given me, and it was here- here at Houghton College where it all began.” This generous donation is a symbol of the kind of beginnings that all students will cultivate here at Houghton, and an example of what can come from an education that starts at this college.

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Stories In Focus

Art Exhibition Honors Houghton Alum

In 1953, a young student discovered his passion for painting in a Houghton College studio art class, one of the only ones offered before the art program was officially established. This artist, Ben Frank Moss III, went on to become a distinguished artist, a successful professor at two institutions, and eventually, the department chair at Dartmouth College after pursuing his desire to create and later teach art.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

This weekend, Houghton College and the Art Department will have the honor of hosting Ben Frank Moss III for an evening reception and artist talk on October 7. This event is the first show in the new annual Ben Frank Moss III Exhibition series, and will feature paintings from over a 30-year span of Moss’s impressive career as an artist and educator. Moss has maintained a close relationship with Houghton over the years and has continually supported the college. Alicia Taylor-Austin, director of the Ortlip Gallery exhibits and professor of art, recognized Moss and his dedication to Houghton. She said, “His commitment to the field and ongoing contribution to our institution has made it possible to provide financial means for continued growth and development of the students and faculty in the Art Department.”

Ben Frank Moss III entered his sophomore year before realizing a desire to pursue art as his primary focus. He took the advice of his professor at the time, Aimee E. Ortlip, to transfer to a school that offered a full art degree. After transferring to Whitworth College and earning his Bachelor’s degree, Moss went on to earn a Masters in Fine Art (MFA), at Boston University. He began his teaching career at the University of Iowa, and later moved to Dartmouth College, where he continued to teach and serve as chair of the art department.

According to professor of art, Ted Murphy, each year the department will exhibit an artist recommended by Ben Frank Moss III. They will begin the series with Moss’ paintings this year and feature his drawings next year.

“Moss works to articulate a unique, visual vocabulary that depicts his relationship to the world around him,” said Taylor-Austin. “From abstract dreamscapes to formal interpretations based on careful observation of the landscape, he has refined a style of painting that places him among the most admired painters of his generation.”

According to the Houghton website, the gallery will open to the public and all members of the Houghton Campus community from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on October 7 for the event. Visitors are encouraged to tour the exhibit before the Artist Talk with Moss at 6:00 p.m. in the Recital Hall. The Artist Talk will include an introduction to Moss, recognitions and special honors, a summary of his artistic process and work, and also a time for questions from the audience. A reception with refreshments will be held in the Center for the Arts Atrium following the talk. More information about the reception can be found on the Art Department webpage.

 

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Arts

Senior Art Reception Tonight

At 7 p.m. tomorrow evening, the Ortlip Gallery will open to reveal the Senior Art Exhibition. This exhibit is one that art majors steadily work toward over the course of their four years at Houghton, and it is the culmination of their learning, experiences, and artistic efforts.

Courtesy of Andrea Pacheco
Courtesy of Andrea Pacheco

This show is unique in the fact that it is entirely student-run. “They install their work, set up the gallery space, and do advertising,” said Gallery Director Renee Roberts. “I do very little except help with small incidental questions and problems.”

This makes the display itself an integral part of each student’s vision for their work, and an added reason to attend the exhibit and experience how the work is presented.  “It has been exciting to see the show being installed this week,” said Hannah Jennings. “Getting to see everyone’s hard work in the setting of the gallery is always really rewarding.”

This year, senior art students have the additional challenge, and excitement, of an exceptionally large graduating class. “I’m looking forward to the wide range of work that will be shown,” said Jennings.

Art majors this year have had concentrations in every possible area of study, and the show will surely express variety, with everything on display from ceramics and sculpture, painting and drawing, to photography and printmaking, digital art and graphic design.  “I am proud of the work the seniors are exhibiting and think it reflects what a strong and healthy art department Houghton has,” said Roberts. “I am so pleased to be able to go and support and appreciate their work on a personal level.”

Students themselves have mixed feelings about pulling together the exhibit.  “I feel like in putting up your senior show there is supposed to be this sense of closure,” said Tricia Powles, “but I am now more excited to keep working than I’ve ever been. I am putting up my pieces and showing them to the public for the first time, and that is awesome and I’m a little nervous about their reception. I treat my pieces as if they were my children, they’re really important to me, and so I’m going to be nervous.”

Seniors have been advertising the show and inviting their family and friends to come and see their work. Jennings said, “It is always encouraging for the seniors to be supported by their fellow students for this show.”

It has been an intense and trying year for these seniors, who are excited and proud to have their work finally on display.  “Everyone should come see what we’ve done!” said Powles. “This is the beginning of everything.”

At the opening reception there will be music and refreshments, also provided by the seniors themselves.  And in the words of Roberts, “There is no reason for students to not be here! This is such an excellent show! Come!”