Every child is an artist,” said Pablo Picasso. And we believe, like Picasso, that the
creative impulse starts early, in our schoolchildren. That’s why, as a community
museum, we proudly present two exhibitions each year devoted to the art produced
by students in our schools. This year we’ll be showcasing the work of our K–8
student artists in February and March and then our high school student artists
in April and May.

These exhibitions are a wonderful occasion to celebrate the creativity of a new
generation of artists and the dedication of the art teachers who cultivate artistic
expression in our children. Now an annual event, the Showcase exhibitions are
eagerly anticipated by students, teachers, and families. The works that appear in
the exhibitions are selected by teachers from art class assignments earlier in the
school year.

Growing up in East Germany under socialism, Gerit Grimm was exposed to ceramics as a young adult working in a factory as a production potter. This job honed her skills and ignited her desire to study in the United States, where she continued to develop as an artist. Odyssey: The Voyage of Gerit Grimm reflects this journey with 22 works, primarily ceramics, that span 21 years of her career.

When guest curator Hieyler Pimpton first spoke with Grimm in preparation for this exhibition, Grimm told Pimpton of her goal of becoming a Yacht Master. Immediately, The Odyssey, Homer’s epic poem, came to mind. They agreed that it would be a good idea to show her work in a timeline—a journey of her progress. Pimpton asked Grimm, why sailing? Grimm replied that “it all started with a drawing of a sailboat” made by her father. It was his dream to sail around the world, and, as she was very close to her father, it became her dream as well. This dream came closer to reality, when she moved near the Baltic Sea and sailed to Saint Petersburg as a journeyman.

Grimm had a strong desire to become an artist. After trying several times to get into graduate school for sculpture, she finally succeeded; the dream of sailing remained but had to be put on hold for a while, though it did find its way into her work through the subject of movement. When she became a professor in Madison, Wisconsin, she joined a sailing club and finally made her dream come true by becoming a Yacht Master by the age of 50.

Travel is a major inspiration for Grimm. Her experiences emerge in the objects she creates, whether through documenting her travels or photographing herself along the way. While she works intuitively, she also looks at a lot of paintings. Grimm does not think of the viewer when making work; instead, she thinks about impressing herself and pushing objects to the point where they satisfy her artistic instincts. “On my trips, I’m an explorer, researcher, and photographer,” she told Pimpton. “Adventures have become my storybook. Instead of just making clay figures about stories known, I’m telling new stories, a new folklore for grandmas to tell their granddaughters.”

This timely exhibition is a chance for both viewers and Grimm herself to reflect on 33 years of an artistic practice and how she has arrived at this moment—her Voyage.

Learn More

Jenni Brant’s exhibition is sponsored by Rick and Rae Ann Dickinson.

Support for select artist residency and exhibition activities was provided
by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council, which
exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

We live in a world of flux. There’s a timorous buzz in the air,” artist Stina Joy Henslee writes. “COVID-19, the Trump era, the Internet age with its constant feeds of information, civil unrest, protests around racial injustice, rising rates of anxiety and panic among youth . . . We do our best to cope and block out the noise—in both healthy and not so healthy ways.”

Henslee’s exhibition, Stretched Thin, represents a healthy way of coping with our current age of anxiety, an artist’s response to unsettled times. In 10 paintings using a variety of materials, she explores visual manifestations of both tension and its relief, excavating and exposing the undercurrent of apprehension in our everyday lives. The figures in her paintings are precariously balanced— on tightropes, under water, in yoga poses, on suspension bridges—with straining muscles, clenched jaws, and a palpable sense of disquiet appropriate to our time.

But Henslee’s work in  Stretched Thin is not entirely bleak. Amidst her riotous figures and scenes of instability, viewers can find symbols of peace, humor, and ease: laughter and smiles, dancing, fluidity, weightlessness. These juxtapositions give the work a sense of narrative and development—as well as a sense of hope.

“I hope this exhibition will foster a sense of connection,” Henslee said, “and encourage shared dialogue about personal experiences of tension and release.” Messages of community and persistence emerge from what would appear, in Stinslee’s paintings, to be intractable situations. In these threads of optimism, the artist offers a reminder that even the darkest setting contains light.

Learn More

Every child is an artist,” said Pablo Picasso. And we believe, like Picasso, that the
creative impulse starts early, in our schoolchildren. That’s why, as a community
museum, we proudly present two exhibitions each year devoted to the art produced
by students in our schools. This year we’ll be showcasing the work of our K–8
student artists in February and March and then our high school student artists
in April and May.

These exhibitions are a wonderful occasion to celebrate the creativity of a new
generation of artists and the dedication of the art teachers who cultivate artistic
expression in our children. Now an annual event, the Showcase exhibitions are
eagerly anticipated by students, teachers, and families. The works that appear in
the exhibitions are selected by teachers from art class assignments earlier in the
school year.

Lori Lahey, an art teacher at Resurrection and St. Columbkille Elementary, described
the anticipation of last year’s exhibitions: “The students get very excited to learn
that they will have a piece of their art displayed in a real art museum,” she said.
“They’re very proud and enjoy sharing their art with their family and friends.
As a teacher, I also get excited to see our students sharing their artwork with the
community and also seeing them enjoy the artwork of all the other artists in our
schools throughout Dubuque. It is a great experience for all.”