Student presents sculpture, video art, photography and more through May 4

North Central College presents the creative artwork of senior Ian Wright in a solo exhibit, April 8-May 4.

Titled “Kynjamyndir-Strange Pictures: Responding to Icelandic Landscape and Culture,” Wright’s exhibit will showcase charcoal on wood panel drawings, video art, sculpture and photography that capture the essence and beauty of Iceland’s volcanic environment.

The free exhibit is open to the public and on display April 8 through May 4 in the College’s Meiley-Swallow Hall Gallery, 31 S. Ellsworth St. Meet the artist during a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 3, in the gallery; light refreshments will be served.

Wright, a resident of New Lenox and double major in global studies and studio art, captures his experience of visiting Iceland during summer 2013 in this exhibit. His research in Iceland was funded by a North Central College Richter Independent Study Fellowship. It focused on the connection between the harsh landscape of the country and the popular belief in the hidden people, called the huldufolk, who dwell among rocks, cliffs and fields.

Utilizing sketching and photography, he documented specific sites on the island associated with the hidden people to understand how the hidden elements of this Icelandic folk tradition are connected to the landscape. “Through my artistic process,” Wright says, “the natural world appears one layer at a time.”

His research and creative artwork will be presented this spring at the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research, which only accepts top submissions by undergraduate students. It's also the basis of his senior thesis as a College Scholar.

Christine Rabenold, assistant professor of art, is faculty advisor for the exhibit. For more information about the exhibit or gallery hours, contact Rabenold at 630-637-5543 or cmrabenold@noctrl.edu.

Art students at North Central College learn traditional and contemporary media; engage in analytical, critical and abstract thinking; and learn to communicate ideas visually. Students attend gallery and museum openings and exhibits in Naperville and Chicago, meet visiting artists, enter juried exhibitions and gain an academic foundation for graduate study in studio art, art education, art history, art therapy, arts administration, art criticism and visual communications. Visit northcentralcollege.edu/majors/art to learn more about North Central’s art program.