Opening night of the Thomas Swopes exhibition in the Swope Art Museum is 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 2.
Swopes has been making art for over four decades. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Indiana University with a master’s degree in sculpture. He is an Indiana Arts Commission Fellowship recipient. He has won numerous awards and his work can be found in public and private collections in the United States and abroad.
Swopes has been teaching drawing, painting and sculpture at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College for 19 years. He would say he teaches people, not subjects.
Swopes is a storyteller and at its core, his work is expressionist in nature. While his work is a personal narrative, his themes are universal and depict the basic experiences shared by everyone.
Jungian in his perspective, his work reflects themes of balance by addressing the polarities necessary to any self-regulating system: life and death, joy and sorrow, happiness and sadness, hope and despair, light and dark, gain and loss, creation and destruction. Much of his work is dreamlike and appears to be a reflection on the journey of life and the passage from this life to the next.
Stylistically, Swopes’ artwork is a mixed bag from the abstract to the realistic. His paintings exhibit the controlled energy of Pollack, the whimsy and childlike nature of Miro and Klee, and the bold color of Gaugan.
Similar to Escher, he uses figure/ground reversals, with color juxtapositions to engage the viewers psychologically as they try to make sense of what they are seeing. Swopes also uses the figure, whether human or animal, to connect with the viewer psyche, but places those figures in a dreamlike setting.
He often juxtaposes Christian symbols with Native American ones, as well as images from popular culture with images of a bygone era when life was simpler.
Arts
Swopes exhibition set to open Feb. 2
- Arts
-
-
Terre Haute artist putting ‘The Good Housewife’ on exhibit in New Harmony
Former Terre Haute artist Mary Ann Michna will exhibit a series of mixed media artworks titlted “The Good Housewife” at the Women’s Institute and Gallery in New Harmony.
-
Traveling Civil War exhibit makes history personal
Civil War history will come alive for visitors to the Sullivan County Public Library who experience “Faces of the Civil War,” a traveling exhibition created and managed by the Indiana Historical Society.
-
‘All Dolled Up’ exhibit opens today VU’s Shircliff Gallery
“All Dolled Up,” an exhibition of handmade dolls, will open today at Vincennes University’s Shircliff Gallery of Art.
-
Bolte Taylor exhibit will feature 5-foot-tall brains
An Indiana brain scientist whose memoir about her recovery from a stroke became a best-seller has dreamed up an exhibit featuring giant brains that will be mounted around Bloomington this spring.
-
RCAA member presents ‘Waterfalls’ at Vigo Library
February brings a stunning exhibit of waterfalls by photographer Spencer Young to the Vigo County Public Library in Terre Haute.
-
River Wools’ Stitch Red/Wear Red part of First Friday events
Downtown Terre Haute’s First Friday is a monthly evening that encourages collaboration among downtown merchants, museums, galleries, and university and commercial venues.
-
Swope kicks off anniversary with ‘Reflecting’ exhibit
Swope Art Museum will kick off its 70th anniversary by hosting the exhibition, “Reflecting Terre Haute,” Friday through March 10 in the Haslem and Hodge galleries.
-
New Arts Corridor banners now hanging downtown
Arts Spaces Inc. recently worked with ISU’s Energize Downtown on a contest for a new banner design for the Arts Corridor.
-
Theater: Jan. 19, 2012
Today-Feb. 4 — “DEBBIE DOES DALLAS,” musical at Theatre on the Square, 627 Massachussetts Ave., Indianapolis. Call (317) 685-8687.
-
Actor to portray Lincoln at dinner for historical society
A special program, “And Lincoln Wrote,” is coming to Harlan Hall in Marshall, Ill., with a featured presentation by Dick Benach as Abraham Lincoln and Chuck Hand as the publisher of the Prairie Beacon.
-
BOOKS: Wabash Valley author to sign books at Java Haute on Saturday
Brazil resident Marjorie E. Hopkins will sign copies of her Christian Life book, “Dying to Meet Him: Wit and Wisdom from a Funeral Director’s Wife” from 1-3 p.m. Saturday in Java Haute, at 3805 Wabash Ave.
-
‘Magic School Bus Live!’ cruises into Rose
America's favorite bus zooms to the stage at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Hatfield Hall Theater on the campus of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
-
BOOKS: Rockville Library partners with Vigo for Big Read
Rockville Public Library and Rockville Correctional Facility’s vocational program (offered by Ivy Tech) are partnering with the Vigo County Public Library for The Big Read.
-
LTC offers murder mystery, singing valentines
To raise money for its spring trip to St. Louis, Lincoln Trail College’s Music Department is offering two sweetheart deals just in time for Valentine’s Day.
-
Chase away winter blues at Harlan Hall Sock Hop
Join the Harlan Hall Entertainment Committee for a fabulous night of fun and frolic at the Winter Wild Sock Hop on Saturday at Harlan Hall.
-
Halcyon features Petra Nyendick, Ray Chen this month
This month, Halcyon Art Gallery’s North Gallery is presenting a collaboration, featuring works of art by Ray Chen and Petra Nyendick.
-
Enter 2012 Max Ehrmann Poetry Competition by Feb. 24
The Wabash Valley Outdoor Sculpture Collection and Arts Illiana are seeking entries for the 2012 Max Ehrmann Poetry Competition.
-
Swope achieves coveted accreditation
Long an anchor of the Wabash Valley cultural scene, Swope Art Museum has once again achieved national recognition.
-
One of Clabber Girl’s own showcases photography at museum
Denise Turner, a graphic designer at Clabber Girl Museum Gallery, will showcase her photography through Jan. 31 in the museum gallery at Ninth Street and Wabash Avenue.
-
Museums and Exhibitions: Dec. 15, 2011
• Downtown
• Vigo County
-
‘Gilligan’s Island of Death’ up next at Castle Finn dinner theater
Castle Finn Winery near Marshall, Ill., is planning its next murder mystery dinner for Jan. 21. Tickets go on sale today.
-
Christmas comedy opens Friday at Old Town Players in Vincennes
The Christmas comedy play “Dashing Through the Snow” opened Dec. 9 at the Old Town Players Theatre and Arts Center, 432 Broadway St., in Vincennes.
-
‘The Swan’ captures imagination of 10-year-old boy circa 1957
Had Kurt Vonnegut, William Saroyan, J.D. Salinger, Carlos Castaneda, Raymond Carver and James Thurber ever gathered at a writer’s workshop to co-author a short novel, the product might well have been “The Swan.”
-
River City to feature artist Don Turner in January
River City Art Association and the Vigo County Public Library will feature art by Don Turner for the month of January in the library at Seventh and Poplar streets.
-
See ‘A Christmas Carol’ on Tilson stage at ISU
A Christmas classic is coming to Indiana State University’s Tilson Auditorium. “A Christmas Carol” will be performed for one night only on Tuesday by nationally known production company NTC Productions.
-
CT presents ‘A Christmas Story’
That favorite holiday movie classic, “A Christmas Story,” comes to life on the stage of Community Theatre of Terre Haute this month under the direction of Tina Thomas.
- Dance lessons: Dec. 8, 2011
-
ISU students create plays inspired by Swope collection
Indiana State University theater professor Arthur Feinsod thinks that to be a true artist, one must have an appreciation and respect for all of the arts.
-
‘Whiter-Morn’ exhibition at Bicentennial Art Center in Paris
The Bicentennial Art Center and Museum at 132 S. Central Ave., in Paris, will host a reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. CST today to open its current exhibit, “Whiter-Morn,” featuring photography by R. John Ferguson of Terre Haute.
-
Rose fall exhibit showcases textile art, landscape paintings
Hoosier artists Julie Sermersheim and Jerry Smith are featured in the fall exhibition that cover the renovated hallways of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Moench Hall. The main campus classroom building hosts large exhibits each fall and spring to showcase Wabash Valley and Indiana artists.
- More Arts Headlines
-
Terre Haute artist putting ‘The Good Housewife’ on exhibit in New Harmony
Nordic Festival Puts North Korea in Spotlight
Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting
'Rumor Has It' Adele's Rolling in the Grammys
Coroner: Houston Autopsy Results Weeks Away
Raw Video: Whitney Houston's Last Performance
Grohl, Grammy Nominees Cut Up on the Red Carpet
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship
Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Fans 'Speechless' Over Houston's Death
Today in History for Tuesday, February 12th
And the Winner for Best Super Bowl Ad Is...
Stocks Fall Sharply As Greek Deal Is Held Up
Arab League Wants U.N. Help in Syria
Sandusky Can See Grandkids, Have Local Jury
'Bachelor' Free Falls into the Ocean
Apple of their eye at $500 a share
Adele's revealing "60 Minutes" interview
Rosenthal: A's sign Cespedes
Bobby Brown on Houston's Death
Turkey's first face transplant
Exclusive Video: Bobbi Kristina Leaving Hospital
Obama Unveils $3.8 Trillion Budget
Kelly Ripa's Fashion Faux Pas
Lusetich: AT&T Recap
Raw Video: Aurora Borealis As Seen From Space
Grammys 2012: Highlights
2.12: Pebble Beach Pro-Am -- Phil Mickelson
2012 Grammys: Rihanna
2012 Grammys: Taylor Swift
Exclusive Video - Whitney's Bodybag
FUEL TV: Punk Payback Gym tips
