Art students reveal narrative through ‘Drawing Tales’

Through drawings of figures and faces, art students will tell a connected story about their individual journeys of faith. The entire narrative will be displayed in a gallery entitled “Drawing Tales,” which will open on Friday, Sept. 5 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m and continue to Oct. 11.

Although admission is free, the show is dedicated to Rayna DoBrodt, a former Bethel College student killed in an auto accident in July. Donations will be accepted in DoBrodt’s memory for Creative Goodness with Chasing Rain Foundation in the memo line. Donations can also be mailed to 55855 Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka, IN 46545. The gallery is comprised of student pieces completed in Bethel’s Drawing II class of the 2014 spring semester. While the students began the course by copying the artistic style of old masters of their choosing, they progressed into anatomy studies and portraiture. Most of the semester focused on attention to details in form and figures. “Drawing people is a specialty,” said Katharine Schmidt, associate professor of art and gallery director. When she first introduced the idea of the gallery, Schmidt said she wanted the work from each student to be a statement of their faith. However, they applied much more than just artistic ability. “You need to make yourself a worthy vessel. Good intention isn’t enough,” said Schmidt when asked about the amount of effort put into the work. The students were expected to be vulnerable in their work. Each piece reflects a personal statement of faith that allows the viewer to catch a glimpse of the struggles in the spiritual life of the student. “I want my piece to encourage my fellow artists that are maybe feeling discouraged and I want them to know that progression is possible,” said student artist Hannah Reineke when asked why the show was significant to her. The gallery took only one semester to create but the pieces tell a story on a larger scale. Each piece reveals a part of the heart of the creator and tells one chapter of the whole story. All the work is organized as a collective narrative about the journey of faith that each student has gone through. “I love nature and wonder everyday how God created all these things around us.  So I came up with this piece that shows a lady showing her love to nature,” said Reineke’s fellow artist, Sam Blayee. All the models used for the figures were clothed and the students chose the mediums used in the original works. The final pieces submitted to the gallery are in charcoal or conté, crayons made of a mixture of natural pigments, kaolin clay and graphite.