Two new visiting sculptures at theNate and more art on campus
By Jeff Stevenson, Guest Writer
From eye-catching paintings to larger-than-life sculptures, art is all around on Governors State University’s (GovState) campus and lately there’s been some new, temporary additions—check them out before they’re gone!
The new pieces bring some new color and inspiration to campus, as well as an opportunity to meet some of the artists at upcoming artists' receptions.
Ready to go “From Here to There” experiencing a dance of color, pattern, and form with art by William J. O'Brien? His exhibition in the Visual Arts Gallery features some of his work spanning drawing, ceramics, textiles, and sculpture—all rooted in a search for identity, connection, and genuine expression. O'Brien draws inspiration from Modernism, spirituality, personal history, and the traditions of Outsider Art.
This exhibition will be on display through November 14 with an artist reception on Sunday, October 12 from 1 – 4 p.m. The event is free and open to all. Click here to register.
In addition to the gallery exhibition, there are three more exhibits around campus. Just around the corner from the Visual Arts Gallery are two exhibits, Jewlya Sturtevant: A Monstrous Flower and Patrick Thompson: Language / Landscape.
Sturtevant invites viewers into vivid, dreamlike worlds where the boundaries between human and nature dissolve. These paintings delve into surreal ecologies and the beautifully strange interplay between the organic and the otherworldly. Sturtevant's work will be on display through November 26.
Using abstraction as both language and landscape, Thompson’s paintings showcase layers of line, form, and color that hint at familiar narratives while resisting fixed interpretation. Thompson's work radiates energy, inviting viewers to pause, feel, and enter a shared space of mystery. His art will be on display through November 11.
Rounding out the trio of artists is Stephen Williams whose exhibit can be found in the Skylight Gallery through October 26. There's an air of mystery to Williams' artistry, so his exhibit, “Poetry in Paintings, Mystery in Things, I am vanishing in the Murmurs” is something that needs to be seen rather than put into words.
Sturtevant’s, Thompson’s, and Williams' work will be celebrated at an artist’s reception and campus walk on Wednesday, October 15 at 3 p.m. starting in the E/F Corridor near the Visual Arts Gallery and then walking to the other locations. Guests can meet the artists and learn more about their creative process. The event is free and open to all. Click here to learn more about these three exhibits.
Beyond the campus walls, there’s not one, but two new visiting sculptures at the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park (theNate). Both will be on view through August 2028.
“Transit Past I” by Andrew Light is a red steel sculpture that presents a visual representation of the individual journey through and beyond the self. One piece is stable and rooted to the ground, while the other is directed beyond the horizon, expressing desires for speed and mobility.
The opposing components create tension at the heart of the work and are the source of its dynamism, according to Light. This piece can be found near GovState’s West Lot 2.
Just beyond the lake behind GovState, “The Moon, My Shadow, and I” by Gwen Yen Chiu is darkened and welded stainless steel sculpture that brings past to the present, serving as a materialized form of the artist’s deeply rooted personal memory.
As a child, Chiu read Chinese poetry while learning the language. Revisiting these memories as an adult has brought a renewed sense of understanding of the poems, presenting the concept of thoughts and ideas that are amplified by an echo from childhood, which inspired the sculpture.
To keep up with upcoming events at theNate, click here. For events in the Visual Arts Gallery, click here.
Jeff Stevenson is the Directory and Curator of the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park and Visual Arts Gallery.