Students Work is Center Stage at Hampshire College Art Gallery

Hampshire College opened in 1970, along with an art gallery in its library building designed to give students an opportunity to present their work and enjoy exhibitions of local, national, and international artists. Though it is primarily a teaching space, the gallery has become a great place to experience edgy, engaging works by both well known and lesser-known artists.

In March 2016, the gallery is hosting exhibitions by two young Hampshire College alums, Kamil Peters and Justin Norris. Through March 17, 2016, visitors can see drawings and sculptures made with found objects and materials. By transforming discarded vessels and beer advertisements, Peters’ and Norris’s work is reflects contemporary culture, sustainability, and the history of the found object in art.

Peters’ artwork is from his longstanding series of welded sculptural masks, made from fragments of discarded propane cylinders. His imagery combines his response to sources in African sculpture with contemporary concerns around race, identity, and social justice.

Norris works across sculpture, printmaking, drawing, graffiti, and dance. His project encompasses dozens of drawings he has made in reaction to images on cardboard beer coasters collected from around the world.

Later in the month, the gallery will transform into a space for showcasing the work of graduating students. Through April, students will present work that is a culmination of their years of learning. There will be a mix of solo and group shows, and a wide variety of media on display, making the gallery a dynamic place to return to many times throughout March and April.

Families can visit the gallery to check out traditional exhibitions, along with more interactive programs, such as environmental installations; dance and performance pieces; and video presentations. The gallery also supports teaching and learning investigations outside the visual arts by mounting shows in the fields of urban history, the natural sciences, communication studies, and ethnography, making it a dynamic place to experience new ways of looking at the world around.

Hampshire College Art Gallery hours during the academic year: Monday–Friday 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Closed Saturday; Sunday 2–5 p.m. Summer hours: Monday–Friday 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The gallery is located in the lower level of the Harold F. Johnson Library building.

[Photos courtesy Hampshire College]

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Taliesin Nyala
Taliesin Nyala is the Museums10 coordinator and alum of Hampshire College. Museums10 is a collaborative of ten museums affiliated with the Five College Consortium. To celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2015, Museums10 members are writing a monthly column in Hilltown Families about all there is to explore and discover in their collections.