2012

Metalsmith and associate faculty Robert F. Schroeder has had numerous works included in shows throughout the country this spring. He recently was included in OH+5 at The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio from January 13 through March 11. He also has been a member of two group shows: CU29 at the Mesa Contemporary Arts in Mesa, Arizona, from April 6 through August 12 and Crafts National at the Mulvane Art Museum in Topeka, Kansas, from May 5 through August 19.

Professor of fine arts Audrey Ushenko was commissioned by the state of Illinois to create a painting at the Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery. The ISM Chicago Gallery exhibits and promotes the work of contemporary and historical Illinois artists.

Ushenko completed her fourth year as a teacher and featured speaker at the Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution. Located on Chautauqua Lake, Chautauqua Institution is in southwestern New York State. It was dedicated to the exploration of the best in human values and the enrichment of life through programs that explored the important religious, social and political issues of our times.

The art work of IPFW Associate Professor Nancy McCroskey (ceramics) and associate faculty Michael Burman (sculpture) are among 58 other local artists whose original artwork will promote a healing environment in the new Parkview Regional Medical Center. Opened to the public in March, healing spaces throughout the entire facility feature original artwork. A committee of hospital representatives, an artist panel, and Skyline Art Services, a national art search organization were involved in sifting through hundreds of art proposals to eventually select 58 pieces from local artists ranging from paintings, drawings, ceramics, sculpture, printing, and photography. There are more than 700 pieces of artwork throughout the entire building.

Professor John Hrehov from the Department of Fine Arts was celebrated in February as one of four 2012 IPFW Featured Faculty. Each year, several IPFW professors are honored as featured faculty for their outstanding performance in the areas of research, scholarly activity or creative endeavor.  Professors selected by the university illustrated the range and significance of their intellectual contributions that help distinguish IPFW as a center of excellence in higher education.

2011

Sayaka Ganz’s recent commissioned installation on the Isle of Man titled “Confluence” displays four impressive horse sculptures, crafted using the sculptor’s signature style of reclaiming lost and forgotten objects. Her client, an investment banker, became familiar with her work after reading an article in the Telegraph, a British news site that interviewed Ganz. She created the private commission at the client’s home during October and November, 2011.

Fine Arts Associate Faculty Sara Nordling recently showed her weaving and fiber art works at the Continuum Art Gallery from September 16 through October 1. Nordling teaches fiber arts and its various aspects at IPFW.

Professor Emeriti Norm Bradley’s article A Few Brief Comments on Mexican Art was featured in VISION, an annual alumni publication by La Universidad de Las Americas, his alma mater. Several of his paintings, along with details from Plumed Serpent and Sacred Island, were featured.

IPFW Fine Arts Professor Audrey Ushenko’s paintings were showcased in a solo exhibition, Fête Champêtre, at Denise Bibro Fine Art Inc. in New York City, on October 13 through November, 2011. Ushenko’s masterful use of light and shadow and brilliant brushstroke enhance the viewer’s experience. Her works have been reviewed in Art in America, The New York Times, and American Artists.

Norman Bradley, Department of Fine Arts professor emeriti, received the Dr. David Regan Purchase Award for his painting "Shaman" in the 33rd Elkhart Juried Regional at the Midwest Museum of American Art. The exhibition will run through December 4.

2009

Professor Dana Goodman’s ceramic sculpture “The Better Butter Bud Vase” was chosen to be a part of the permanent collection of the International Festival of Ceramics in Mino, Japan. This November, his work “A Little Hot Though” was selected to be part of the Fifth World Ceramic Biennale competition in Icheon, Korea.

Associate Professor Christopher Ganz’s drawing “The Descent” was awarded one of the three grand prizes in the Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s Contemporary  American Realism 2008 Biennial in September. Ganz’s print “Jonas Ark: The Leviathan Ascendant” was accepted into the Boston Printmaking 2009 North American Biennial. Ann Nathan Gallery in Chicago, one of the most important figurative and representational galleries in the United States, is now representing Ganz’s  drawings.

Deborah Robinson Miller recently installed a mural in the lobby of Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana, to the delight of the organization’s executive director, Dianne May. “It so beautifully enhances our lobby,” May says, “and it shows our appreciation to our recent capital campaign donors in a most unique way.” The mural can be viewed during regular weekday business hours at 6316 Mutual Drive in Fort Wayne.

Robert Schroeder had two pieces accepted into the 30th Elkhart Juried Regional Exhibition in 2008, sponsored annually by the Midwest Museum of American Art. “Trepidation” and “Mishka Kukin” were both combinations of a variety of metals including copper, brass, and silver.

Fine Arts Professor Audrey Ushenko completed her oil painting Celebration in front of a large number of passersby in Kettler Hall during spring semester 2008. The work currently graces a wall in the lobby of The John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center.