Gordon’s Adams School of Music and the Arts Presents “Anticipation: An Alumni Art Show” 

Anticipation is an exciting, hopeful and sometimes trying part of life. For artists it’s an integral aspect of the artistic process as they wait for a piece to be “finished”. Christians eagerly anticipate Christ’s return and restoration of a fallen world. The good news is that we don’t wait alone in these moments, and we have creative processes, like making art, to help us through them.  

Themes of searching for purpose, belonging, beauty and community underscore Gordon’s newest gallery exhibition, “Anticipation: An Alumni Art Show”. Curated by Grace Bish ’20 (assistant director of alumni engagement), Justin Kedl ’19 (art) and Stacey Silkey Schultz ’07 (art), the show features art of many forms by Gordon alumni of the last 25 years. “Anticipation” is open now and runs through April 26 in the Barrington Center for the Arts. 

The Interplay of Faith, Art and Theology 

The idea for a gallery exhibition showcasing alumni art came from Bish, who focused on curation within her museum studies concentration at Gordon. She shared her idea with Greg Deddo, professor of art, who had been exploring ways to reconnect art alumni with the program, especially given the recent creation of the Adams School for Music and the Arts. “Greg has a heart for helping students and alumni continue their art practice, even if it’s not a career path,” Bish said.  

Bish reached out to Kedl and Schultz for help organizing the show and reaching alumni. “We wrestled with the question, how does faith play into alumni continuing their art? We really wanted to engage art alumni where they were in their faith journeys. We wanted the show’s theme to recognize the parallel between making art and anticipating it being finished, like how we anticipate our faith being finished when we see Christ.” 

The most challenging part of curating the show was choosing which pieces to display. “Each of us had a different approach in how to prioritize the works shown,” said Bish. “Stacey would look at the artistic talent and execution. I was judging more on first impression and how it resonated with me from the curatorial side. Justin was good at staying on theme and asking ‘Does it connect to another piece from another artist so they speak to each other?’ Ultimately we wanted the collection to be an accurate representation of all the art alumni.”   

Alumni in Exhibition 

Visitors to the exhibit can expect to see a wide range of artists and creative programs in the gallery, from paintings to sculptures to photography to visual art. “It was a privilege to help curate this show and see how, even though we were all formed by the same department, we have all taken exciting, different directions in our art,” said Kedl.  

A few highlights Bish is excited for guests to see include an oil painting by Michelle Arnold-Payne ’99, an alumnus from the era when former art professor Bruce Herman founded the Art Department at Gordon. Her painting is of the Santa Maria della Pieve in Orvieto, a nod to the Gordon in Orvieto program and its impact on art alumni. On the other end of the art spectrum, Aimée Archambault ’02 submitted woven sculptures made of clay, reeds, thread and copper art, while Rachel York ’19 submitted several ceramic sculptures.  

The gallery exhibition has proven to be a time of reflection and anticipation for the featured alumni. “I believe this show offers examples of patient pressing forward. Presenting work as an alumnus gives me an opportunity to show current and future students not what they could create, but a glimpse at the myriad futures which are available to them at every moment,” said Meredith Tenney-Free ’20, who has two paintings in the exhibit. 

“I can remember being a senior at Gordon in 2001 and anticipating graduation; wondering what life, career, ministry and marriage might look like in years to come,” said Bryn Gilette ’01, who has a piece representing the Bride of Christ from Revelation 22 in the exhibit. “In over two decades since graduation, I’m so thankful for the way I came to understand the posture of living in step with the Spirit of Jesus at Gordon and how that naturally shaped my artwork, as well as every other area of my life.” 

Visit the “Anticipation” Gallery Exhibition

The exhibit is open to the public, and the curators are excited for both visitors and the alumni artists. “My hope is that this show is the beginning of new possibilities—new connections, opportunities and relationships,” said Deddo. “Artists and makers are essential to the full thriving of a community, but they also need community to support, challenge and encourage them. My prayer is that this is an opportunity to celebrate what God has done through the work of our hands and to imagine together with hopeful anticipation what is next.” 

Don’t miss “Anticipation: An Alumni Art Show”, open now through April 26 at the Barrington Center for the Arts, with a special Artists’ Talk event on April 12.