An Art Collection Travelogue

On Thursday, Jan. 24 at 6:00 p.m. in KAB 111 artist Paul Valadez will present a lecture titled "The Potlatch Project, the Artwork of Paul Valadez." An opening reception will follow.

An Art Collection Travelogue is a UNI Permanent Art Collection exhibition curated by Gallery Director Darrell Taylor that features the installation Paper Border by Paul Valadez, ten large-scale drawings from Mary Frisbee Johnson’s Navigating series, newly acquired ceramics by Dean and Gunnar Schwarz, and a remarkably pristine tapa bark cloth from the Polynesian island of Tonga. Most of these artworks are being displayed for the first time.

The UNI Permanent Art Collection is a rich resource for the Cedar Falls, Waterloo, and university communities in that it provides the viewer an opportunity to view significant artworks by world-renowned artists and a wide range of representation from the past few centuries of art movements, styles, and genres.

The most important aspect of the Collection, however, is its versatility. For instance, countless topics may be addressed in Valadez’s Paper Border, such as the seasons, emotions, time, and cultural boundaries; and Johnson’s Navigating series is a witty look at tourism, geography, and even land use. The contemporary ceramics of Decorah-area artists Dean and Gunnar Schwarz are invested in the landscape and lifeways of eastern Iowa via influences from the pottery traditions of South Korea, Japan, Panama, Israel, and the European Bauhaus movement.

Additionally, the exhibition will include a pairing of objects by ceramist Edwin Scheier and printmaker Charles Barth, both of whom were influenced by the art and culture of Oaxaca, Mexico as well as 19th century lithographs by Louis Haghe that depict the city of Benares, the most visited Hindu pilgrimage site in India.

All events are free and open to the public. Please note, the Gallery will be closed Monday, Jan. 21 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.