Date: April 30, 2008
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director,
Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu
PNC, Michiana Resources Host “Dream Catchers…” Exhibit
WESTVILLE – The Purdue University North Central Odyssey 2007-08 Arts and Cultural Events Series continues its ongoing exhibit featuring the work of the Michiana Resources Creative Concepts artists with the new show, “Dream Catchers…”
The Creative Concepts artwork is on display in the PNC Technology Building North Study Lounge. The artists will be feted at a public reception on May 7 at 10 a.m. in Technology Building Room 134. The reception is free and open to the public. The exhibit may be viewed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A new Creative Concepts show will be featured each month through July. The art displayed at PNC and at Michiana Resources is for sale. Half of all sales go to the artist, the other back into the program.
“Dream Catchers…” is a collection of 19 dream catchers from Creative Concepts artists. This is Michiana Resources’ fifth, and largest, exhibit with PNC. The pieces in the collection were all done under the direction of Kelly Tokoly-Rothermel, art instructor.
Tokoly-Rothermel, has been working each month to develop a different collection of work from her students. “We are so glad that PNC has given us this opportunity to exhibit”, says Tokoly-Rothermel whose primary goal is to ensure that each and every one of her seventy students gets a chance to display there – as well as to attend an opening reception. She adds, “Part of being an artist, in addition to creating your work, is seeing it on display, talking about it and celebrating it.”
For this exhibit, Creative Concepts artists, were able to learn about dream catchers while listening to Native American music. The majority of the pieces were made from embroidery hoops, yarn, beads and feathers. A few were made with canning lids as well. The process of wrapping the yarn around the hoops was relaxing for some.
Dream catchers were first made by the Native Americans to catch the dreams that they believe float in the night air. Native Americans make them today and believe that dreams have special meanings and that bad dreams will be caught in the webbing in the middle and destroyed by day light. The good dreams will trickle down the feathers and beads towards the dreamer.
“Some of my students loved their dream catcher so much that they took it home either to keep or to give as a gift,” said Tokoly-Rothermel.
Tokoly-Rothermel, also thanked PNC staff members Liz Bernel, Carol Connelly and Judy Jacobi, noting, “We would also like to thank them for all their help and hard work to make all our exhibits and receptions successful. There is a definite buzz about PNC around Michiana Resources – with questions of who’s going to go to the next art exhibit.”
Purdue University North Central Odyssey Arts and Cultural Events Series features various events throughout the year. A complete schedule of events can be found at www.pnc.edu. For more information about any event in the Odyssey series, contact Judy Jacobi, PNC director of marketing, at 800-872-1231, ext. 5593. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Jacobi.
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