The communication and creative arts department of Purdue University Northwest Calumet campus will be opening the new year of gallery showings with a faculty show on January 26 from 6-8 p.m. at the CHESS Art Gallery located at 6725 Kennedy Ave., Hammond, Ind.
The show will feature faculty who are established artists along with new gallery submitters that will present their works for the first time.
Cindy Christ, office manager of the communication and creative arts department and new gallery participant, will be creating floral arrangements for the show. What started as a hobby for Christ about 20 years ago transitioned into thoughtful gifts for friends and family and a potential small business idea.
“I’ve made birthday cakes and Christmas wreaths for family members who have passed away,” Christ said. “My mom asked me to make one [wreath] because she knew that I did flower arrangements and I just started from there.”
Christ said she has some surprise arrangements ready for the showing along with some of her usual works.
“This will be the first time that I will have shown anything that I’ve done like this on this kind of a public scale – and they know it’s me,” Christ said.
She said this show could potentially give acknowledgement to some of the artists that don’t usually get recognized for their work because people aren’t aware of it. This provides an opportunity to show the creative side of the faculty and staff member’s personalities.
Ken Bronowski, a continuing lecturer and studio supervisor at PNW who frequently participates in the art exhibits, said he will be showing an oil painting titled “Edgware Road London” and a photograph from the communication department’s summer 2016 study abroad trip to Paris. Bronowski said he is a realist and uses the surrounding world and everyday scenes and experiences as an inspiration.
“A one-person show is more of a single artistic vision, but the faculty show is a much more wide scope of vision from different artists. More eclectic and more points of view,” Bronowski said. “It’s great to have different genres included and new aesthetic expressions involved that just add more richness and variety to the show.”
