‘Der Zeitgenosse’ features two-dimensional art at EWU

From the “odd, but humorous” to the “playful, fun and abstract,” EWU’s upcoming art show has something for everyone.

The art department will be presenting “Der Zeitgenosse,” an exhibition of two-dimensional artwork by artists across the country. 

“Der Zeitgenosse,” which means “The Contemporary” in German, is a juried exhibition. The EWU art department advertised that they were having this exhibition so that artists throughout the U.S. could send images of their artwork to be considered for the show. A juror chose pieces worth featuring in the gallery.

“Getting your work into the show is a competitive process,” said Nancy Hathaway, art gallery director and EWU art professor.

The mission of the gallery is to bring works of art to campus for educational purposes and also for personal enjoyment, according to Hathaway. Through this gallery, students are able to view a variety of two-dimensional art mediums, including paintings, drawings, printmaking and digital art.

Altogether, the gallery will feature 19 artworks by nine different artists in a variety of two-dimensional mediums.

Most of the artwork featured in the gallery will be abstract or nonrepresentational. The artwork includes imagery that is not immediately recognizable as being from the real world. Other works on display are figurative, meaning images of people.

Hathaway said that one artist she looks forward to is photographer Joseph Peila, who has two artworks in the exhibition, both of which depict four brothers interacting with each other. 

“Peila’s work is odd, but humorous at the same time,” Hathaway said. “It is storytelling, in a way.”

Another artist Hathaway enjoys is Nicholas Wood, whose artwork was featured on the postcard sent out to advertise the gallery. The postcard depicting Wood’s piece, “Capsules D31,” was sent out to a mailing list of 850 people on and off campus.
“His work is kind of playful, fun and abstract,” Hathaway said.

Other artists participating in the gallery include Kevin Bernstein from Manhattan, Kan., Lisa Graham from Arlington, Texas, Vivian Hyleim Kim from Jersey City, N.J., Kenneth Susynski from Seattle, and Dave Tilton from Madison, Wis.

“It’s great for the students. It’s an educational tool for the art department,” Hathaway said. “It’s also good exposure for the gallery and the university because we advertise nationally.”

The gallery will be open to all students and faculty from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, starting Feb. 25 and ending April 1, but will be closed for spring break March 20-28. It will be held in the Art Building on the EWU Cheney campus. Admission to the gallery is free.