Concordia University's Art Gallery continues its 2020-21 season with an alumni exhibition celebrating gaming and earthen vessels.
The gallery, which opens today, is delivered in a hybrid manner (available for virtual viewing but also open to in-person visitors in a limited capacity). It will close Jan. 15. Due to COVID-19, there will be no formal artist’s reception for this show.
The exhibition’s title is “I Inspire: Teaching the Next Generation.” It will feature the work of Jason Crayton, art academy director at Milwaukee Lutheran High School in Wauwatosa, and Peter Froelich, head of the art department at Martin Luther High School in Greendale.
The current show hanging in the 14 Frames Gallery, “Art, Just Because” by Peggy McDowell, as well as an exhibit in the Student Gallery by Concordia University Wisconsin and Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design students, will remain on display through January 15.
How to view it
Concordia’s Art Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 4-8 p.m. and Fridays and Sundays from 12-4 p.m. The gallery is closed on Saturdays. Visitors are welcome to view the exhibit in person. No reservations are required, but guests should plan to check in at CUW’s front desk and follow standard COVID-19 safety protocols, including wearing a mask and physically distancing.
For those who prefer to view from home, they may access a virtual gallery here.
About the artist: Jason Crayton (’08)
Crayton (’08) has traveled abroad with students and established both an Art Club and Art Academy at Milwaukee Lutheran to help connect students with area artists. He has also been involved as creative director of Factions: Battlegrounds for three years, a game he created with childhood friend Peter Ferry to celebrate the power of culture and representation. Ferry, a development officer at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, is the oldest son of CUW President Dr. Patrick Ferry and his wife, Tamara. Factions: Battlegrounds will launch Nov. 10 on Kickstarter.
“We make and design what we know and what we are accustomed to,” said Crayton. “The culture in which we live, work and play influences those creations.”
“If we have more creators from a variety of cultures and experiences, this will lead to a greater sense of creativity and inclusiveness that will only make our media and art better,” he added.
His exhibition celebrates the artwork of a game and highlights the artists and the works of underrepresented African, South American and Native American cultures. He earned an undergraduate art education degree from Concordia University Wisconsin and a Master of Art in Art Education in 2017.
About the artist: Peter Froelich (’03)
Froelich (’03) has more than 15 years of teaching experience in clay, designing pieces for a variety of ethnic foods as people gather around a table to share a meal and enjoy conversation that creates community. In the past five years his works have been on display at the 2016 Kansas City Clay Guild Tea Bowl National, the 2016 Annual Cup Show in Lynden, Washington, the 2017 Serve It Up in Las Vegas and a nine-week show in Concordia’s Gallery in 2019 that was titled “Earth: Vessel.”
Froelich graduated with a secondary education/history/art education degree, before earning his Master of Science in Athletic Administration from Ohio University in 2010.
“Bringing people together while breaking bread can create a space for the difficult conversations we so often avoid, yet need to engage in,” said Froelich. “These are the pieces that I sought to create when I began this series.”
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