Center Art Gallery
Spoelhof College Center
3201 Burton Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI  49546
(616) 526-6271
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
 
re/construct
new work in the Terra Incognita series

 
October 17 – November 15, 2003
 
From October 17 to November 15, the Center Art Gallery at Calvin College presents re/construct: new work in the Terra Incognita series, an exhibition of photography by Jennifer Steensma Hoag and poetry by Otto Selles.

Hoag, an Assistant Professor of Art at Calvin College, has been shooting photographs for over 20 years. For nearly 10 years she has focused her lens on landscapes of a more ambiguous nature. The results of these efforts, appropriately termed Terra Incognita, document a somewhat unknown landscape either under construction or altered by other human activity. Without any clear context, the images demonstrate a photograph’s ability to both inform and deceive, and in this case, produce an elusive vision of the land.

As the title indicates, Hoag’s work forces the viewer to reconstruct; to recreate a concept of purpose from information found within the photographs. This act of involving the viewer is furthered by the addition of Otto Selles’ poetry, which has been paired with Hoag’s work for the first time. Selles, a Professor in Calvin’s French Department and author of a recent collection of poetry, uses Hoag’s photographs as inspiration and lends playful interpretation to the images.

An opening reception for the exhibit is scheduled for Friday, October 17 from 7-9pm. Jennifer Steensma Hoag will also be giving a gallery talk on Friday, October 24 at 1pm, and will be joined by Otto Selles for a poetry reading and presentation on November 15 at 1pm.

The barrier-free Center Art Gallery, located on the lower level of the Spoelhof College Center, is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. There is no admission charge.

CONTACT
Joel Zwart, Director of Exhibitions
(616) 526-6271
jhz2@calvin.edu