Beginning on Tuesday, January 16, Walla Walla University’s Clyde and Mary Harris Gallery will be presenting works by visual artist and educator, Karl Schwiesow. His pieces will be on display through March 15. Schwiesow will offer an artist talk and opening reception on January 25 at 6 p.m. 

The gallery will display a body of work that consists mainly of ceramics and paintings following the theme of convergent boundaries. Schwiesow says that though this term generally relates to the shifting of earth’s tectonic plates, it “sticks to the exhibiting collection in the sense that it’s both two and three dimensional formats layered together, or converging.” 

Schiewsow has been a visiting assistant professor at the University of Montana and an artist in residence at North Dakota State University and the Red Lodge Clay Center. He earned a B.F.A. from Sierra Nevada College and a M.F.A. from the University of Montana. 

His works are meant to explore the characteristics of an object’s original intention, and weave together imagery, materials, and concepts in order to completely re-frame their meaning. Most recently, his work has been displayed at the Percival Plinth Project public art site in Olympia, Wash., the Dick and Jane’s Spot in Ellensburg, Wash., and at the Holter Museum in Helena, Mont.

The gallery will be open to visitors Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1–5 p.m. On Fridays, gallery hours are 8 a.m.–12 p.m. The gallery is located in the Melvin K. West Fine Arts Center, 200 S. College Ave., College Place.

Posted Jan. 18, 2024.