Wartburg student projects inspire art activities for Waverly Art Walk

Waverly, IA (04/25/2024) — Wartburg College's Waldemar A. Schmidt Art Gallery will sponsor and present free art activities for children and families at the Waverly Art Walk on Saturday, May 4, in Kohlmann Park. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Moved by her love of giving and receiving greeting cards for all occasions, a strong tradition in her family, Wartburg art student Jacy Werning designed and produced her own line of cards as her senior capstone project.

"Each year I create and send out countless Valentine's Day cards, birthday cards, congratulations, thank you cards and more," she said. The resulting series of 12 cards are on display in the 2024 Senior Art Exhibition, which is currently on view in the Waldemar A. Schmidt Art Gallery.

To share Werning's work and love of creating and exchanging cards with audiences beyond the walls of the gallery proper, the Wartburg gallery will lead Art Walk participants in the creation of their own cards. Participants will be encouraged to drop their creations into a special mailbox so that gallery staff may later share them with residents of Bartels Retirement Community.

Also presenting work in Wartburg's Senior Art Exhibition is Katie Heaverlo, who created a line of stickers that reflect and share her love of travel and adventure.

"I am inspired by the beauty of the natural world. My pieces celebrate color, illustration and typography while emphasizing the relationship between travel and its everlasting impact on human beings," Heaverlo said. "With these stickers, I hope to evoke the act of collecting and affixing mementos to commemorate life's most treasured journeys."

Art Walk visitors will be invited to create their own sticker as a take-home keepsake.

Those attending the Waverly Art Walk are encouraged to continue their day of art with a visit to the Wartburg 2024 Senior Art Exhibit. In addition to art by Werning and Heaverlo, the display also features work by five other student artists, all senior graphic design majors in the fine arts program. These students, enrolled in the Spring Senior Seminar Session, worked under the direction of Barbara Fedeler to produce a body of work to present as the culmination of their undergraduate career at Wartburg. While all identify as graphic designers, the works they present incorporate design, photography, music, electronic media, art installations and other elements. Other exhibiting students are:

• Erin Bucheit Donati, who created dynamic color-drenched illustrations inspired by music and musical artists that hold special meaning for her.
• Studying both art and music, Sam Lockhart designed a cycle of posters for musical concerts/performances. The compositions are informed by his interest in visual elements associated with specific historical design schools and styles.
• Lily Meester, an artist and student-athlete, married her dual interests by experimenting with logo design variations for collegiate sports teams that compete with Wartburg in the American Rivers Conference.
• Originating from Peru and possessing a passionate interest in concepts of civic planning and mapping, Milagros Toribio Porras distilled her exploration of these interests into visual representations that analyze, reflect, compare and contrast the layouts, relative densities, incorporation of green spaces and other elements of neighborhoods of her hometown.
• Britta Williams incorporated audio of her vocal music performances into her offering by pairing them with original photographic-based illustrations she created to complement the musical pieces.

The exhibition will remain on view through May 26 in the Waldemar A. Schmidt Art Gallery located in the Bachman Fine Arts Center on the edge of the Wartburg College campus. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The gallery is open to the public and admission is free. Visitors may park without charge in the nearby F lot.

This year marks the 19th anniversary of the Art Walk, Waverly's annual juried fine arts and crafts fair. Artists' booths line the winding sidewalk of Kohlmann Park, affording a perfect view of the Cedar River and a pleasant stroll through the greenspace to view and purchase art. There is no charge to attend this family event which will also feature live music, food vendors, family activities and more. The year represents the first time that the Waldemar A. Schmidt Art Gallery is participating.

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