The University of Olivet presents the art exhibition “Temper + Mend” by Jenna Para. The exhibit is open for viewing from Thursday, Feb. 22 through Friday, March 30, with an artist’s reception on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 3 to 5 p.m. The exhibit is housed in the Kresge Foundation Art Gallery, located in the Riethmiller Blackman Art Building. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
The duality of self is the driving force in Para’s work, found both in her concepts and in her creative process. Conceptually, her work centers around the idea of finding and losing home, of obsessively repeating oneself, and of the hardening and healing of wounds over time. By combining the precise line work of her intaglio etchings with the atmospheric variation of monotype printing, she conveys her concept not just through traditional 2D prints, but also through organic, dimensional forms that evoke the look of stretched, stitched and healing skin.
Para holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking from Kendall College of Art and Design. After graduation, Para entered the residency program for printmaking at the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts, leading to her current involvement with the Southwest Michigan Printmakers group. Presently, Para is based in Grand Rapids and splits her time between creating personal work at Dinderbeck Studios, exhibiting mainly throughout West Michigan’s creative community, and executing her job as the screenprint facility manager at Uncle Goose Toys.
For more information about the exhibit, contact Gary Wertheimer, professor of art, at 269.749.7627 or gbwertheimer@uolivet.edu.