Gustavus Adolphus College is well-known for having renowned art exhibitions on display.
During the month of October, the College is hosting artist Michal Sagar’s exhibit “Beginning of the Third Dream” in the Schaefer Gallery in the Department of Art and Art History in the Schaefer Fine Arts Center.
Similar to the Hillstrom Museum on the lower level of the Campus Center, admission to the gallery is free to the public and does not require tickets or advance registration. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There was an opening reception for the exhibit on Oct. 1 from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a lecture by Sagar at 4 p.m. in the Schaefer Gallery.
The exhibit is a part of the Gustavus Artist Series for this year. The exhibit also included a one-day residency on Sagar’s methods for students in the Department of Art and Art History. Funding for the workshop was provided by the Johnson Endowment for the Arts.
Sagar’s artwork has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. She has had solo exhibitions at the Tychman Shapiro Gallery in Minneapolis and the Acanthe Gallery in La FerteLoupiere, France.
This particular exhibit displays pieces of Sagar’s art spanning twenty years. It is focused on the interplay between culture and wilderness and how these forces live within individuals.
The exhibit consists of three galleries in total, one on the lower floor, one on the second floor, and one on the landing between the floors. The galleries on the lower level and the landing deal with themes of identity and heritage. The series on the second floor is her most recent and stems from a desire to tap into vital, living images.
“I improvise throughout the working process – erasing, dissolving, and redirecting compositions until the images register vitality, yet never completely resolve.”
—Michal Sagar
While working on the piece that is showcased on the second floor of the Gallery, Sagar noticed that the image of an African wild dog continued to emerge. She decided to go with this discovery and incorporated the image of the endangered animal in her art.
“I viewed these two potentially antagonistic forces – the remnants of a Classical European male and an endangered African painted dog – as players in a struggle seeking a new balance,” Sagar said. “Responding to the nature in each, I imbued both figures with a sentient quality.”
As she works on her art, Sagar asks herself two questions: “Is the image alive?” and “Does it elicit multiple meanings simultaneously?”
“With these queries in mind, I improvise throughout the working process – erasing, dissolving, and redirecting compositions until the images register vitality, yet never completely resolve,” Sagar said.
This method of not allowing the images to become fully resolved leaves the paintings with an almost unfinished appearance.
This year’s Gustavus Artist Series also includes a performance by organist Kalevi Kiviniemi and cantor Jukka Pietila as well as a concert by Voz en PuntoMexico’s Premiere Vocal Ensemble.
Kiviniemi and Pietila will perform on Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel. Voz en Punto will perform on Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jussi Bjorling Recital Hall.
For each concert, Gustavus students and staff receive one free ticket with their Gustavus ID. Tickets for general public are $12 for adults and $9 for seniors.
For more information about Sagar, her background, and her artwork, visit her website at michalsagar.com.