Grace LaTourelle-
The Gustavus Arts & Art History Department is presenting an artist talk with artist Michon Weeks, on her exhibition “Between Dreams: Paintings by Michon Weeks” on Tuesday, Oct. 1st, 2024. It will take place in the lecture hall next to the Schaefer Art Gallery, in conjunction with the Nobel Conference. The talk will be from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., with the gallery reception from 12:00 p.m. to 2 p.m., which is listed as a break-out session on the conference program.
Weeks’ released an artist statement to accompany her exhibition.
“This cycle of oil paintings explores mystical contemplation and spiritual awakening. Created intuitively without predetermined subjects, each work reflects the enigmatic nature of artistic experiences. Inspired by the artist’s waking visions, these paintings connect to themes of consciousness explored in Gustavus Adolphus College’s 2024 Nobel Conference, ‘Sleep Unraveled.’ While dreams occur during sleep, these works emerge from a state of heightened awareness while awake, bridging the known and the unknown,” Weeks’ artist statement stated.
The artist talk will entail Weeks going through her repertoire of artworks, both past and current, and discussing her style development. She will detail her process as well as changes in subject matter and materials.
“You get to learn the background of how the artworks were made. As is common with artwork, the final product is rarely a “what you see is what you get” type of situation. There is always a backstory, a development of ideas, and a process which develops over time. In some cases, it takes decades of exploration and purposeful steps for a mid-career artist to develop current bodies of work,” Senior Continuing Assistant Professor and Visual Arts Programs Manager, Nicolas Darcourt said.
Following Weeks’ presentation, there will be a Q&A session where attendees will get the opportunity to ask relevant questions of the artist and her work.
“You also get to see the human side of this development, such as the relationship between success and failure in their artistic process,” Darcourt said.
According to the Gustavus website, Weeks received her Bachelor of Arts from Iowa State University and her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota. She has been a faculty member of St. Olaf since 2012 and her works have been featured at a plethora of solo exhibitions.
“When we invite artists to exhibit here we’re seeking esteemed colleagues in the visual arts – not just people that look like us,” Associate Professor in Art and Art History, Kristen Lowe said. “And we give priority to diverse backgrounds in the Arts so that we can experience various cultures – not just the Renaissance, white male-domintaed art.”
All, including and especially non-art majors, are welcome and encouraged to attend the artist talk.
“Learning from an artist about their development and process can be inspiring to any student. It’s important to see that successful outcomes don’t happen overnight…This can translate to any area of study for students from science to business to community engagement,” Darcourt said.
Darcourt also explained the value of having an art exhibition during the Nobel Conference.
“Whether the goal is beauty or social change, art offers the side of the human spirit which can’t help but express through materials and space. Having opportunities to learn about scientific subject matter during the Nobel Conference, while also experiencing creative expression such as visual art, music, and performance, reaffirms how a liberal arts environment supports learning through multiple lenses,” Darcourt noted.
The exhibition opened on Sept. 3rd and will continue until Oct. 20th. Students may continue to view the exhibition after the Nobel Conference is over and may pause to reflect or consider the work in relation to their lives.
“We want to broaden students’ perspectives of the art world outside of the mainstream,” Lowe explained. “Over the years I’ve seen art be able to touch students in a way that brings their heart and mind together.”