While things look a little different this fall, three art exhibits are opening at Gustavus Adolphus College this week. Cancer Never Had Me: Views by Artists and Artists Who Had Cancer: Works from the Hillstrom and Shogren-Meyer Collections open September 14 in the Hillstrom Museum of Art. The Now and After, a science and science-fiction art exhibit by Minnesota artist Alison Hiltner, opens in the Schaefer Art Gallery on September 16. These exhibits are presented in conjunction with the 2020 Nobel Conference of Gustavus Adolphus College, “Cancer in the Age of Biotechnology.”
Hillstrom Museum of Art
In partnership with the 2020 Nobel Conference “Cancer in the Age of Biotechnology,” the Hillstrom Museum of Art presents two exhibitions connected to cancer. Both exhibits open September 14.
The first, Cancer Never Had Me: Views by Artists, is made up of submissions by artists who have been affected by cancer. Exhibition juror Gregory Jecmen, retired Associate Curator of Old Master Prints and Drawings and Print Room Supervisor at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., selected 45 pieces to include, as well as awarded prizes, with four honorable mentions.
The second exhibit, Artists Who Had Cancer: Works from the Hillstrom and Shogren-Meyer Collections, includes works from the Hillstrom Museum of Art collection as well as works from collectors Daniel Shogren and Susan Meyer. The exhibit features 32 works from 16 American artists, all of whom succumbed to cancer. An exploration of these artists’ lives and careers, and how they were affected by cancer, is also included.
The exhibits are available through November 8. Due to current COVID-19 precautions, a limited number of visitors are allowed in the Museum. All visitors must wear masks and observe appropriate social distancing. At this time, the on-campus audience can visit Monday through Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. Anyone off-campus who wishes to view the exhibit should email hillstrom@gustavus.edu to request an invitation. Please visit gustavus.edu/hillstrom for most current information, as this may change throughout the run of the exhibit. A digital copy of the illustrated catalogues for both exhibits will also be available online.
Schaefer Art Gallery
The Now and After by artist Alison Hiltner opens in the Schaefer Art Gallery on September 16. A live Artist Talk will be held on Zoom on October 6 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The talk will include a question and answer section. The link will be located on the 2020 Nobel Conference webpage and the gallery webpage.
Alison Hiltner is a visual artist based out of Minneapolis, Minn. Her work has been displayed nationally and internationally, including at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Telemark Art Center in Skien, Norway, and the Weisman Art Museum. She has also received the Jerome Foundation Fellowship and the McKnight Fellowship For Visual Arts.
The exhibit includes two works: It was Tomorrow and It Is Yesterday and Tethers. Hiltner balances science and science-fiction with her artwork. It was Tomorrow and It is Yesterday features vinyl sacs of microalgae that convert CO2 to oxygen when breathed into. Tethers seeks to allow patrons to feel their heartbeat in their hands, as a connection to one’s own life. “The beating of our heart is a muted physical sensation for us, at most background noise that can comfort or concern. But in reality it is a powerful universal connection, a sign of life that is always felt and can be shared,” Hiltner says.
The exhibit is open from September 16 to October 23. Images of the exhibition will be available on the Schaefer Art Gallery webpage. It will also be available on the Nobel Conference webpage beginning September 23. Short videos of the artist discussing and interacting with the work will also be available at a later date.
Due to current COVID-19 precautions capacity is limited to 10 visitors at once. All visitors must wear masks and observe appropriate social distancing. At this time, the museum is open only to an on-campus audience 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Off-campus patrons may visit the gallery online at the links above.