Keith Achepohl: If It Please You Lord

For immediate release: Jan. 22, 2013
Media contact: Andrea Foust
Membership and Public Relations Manager
Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University | 503-370-6867
Public contact: 503-370-6855 | museum-art@willamette.edu

Keith Achepohl’s art offers a glimpse into the intimate world of ex-votos

SALEM, Ore. — The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University presents the exhibition “Keith Achepohl: If It Please You Lord” in the Study Gallery and Print Study Center from Feb. 15 through April 27.

Achepohl is a nationally recognized artist and Professor Emeritus of Art from the University of Iowa who lives in Eugene. During the past four years, he has created a series of images inspired by ex-votos. Organized by Director John Olbrantz, the exhibition features 40 mixed media works on paper and includes a selection of 19th- and 20th-century ex-votos from the artist's collection.

Achepohl became intrigued with ex-votos and started collecting them from cities throughout the Mediterranean over 40 years ago. Ex-votos often take the form of a flat embossed metal sheet that represents either a plea for help to a saint or divinity, or one’s gratitude for an answered prayer. An image of a swaddled baby might represent the desire for a good birth or the answered prayer for the healing of a sick child.

“I’ve always been fascinated by what these have meant in people’s lives. Throughout history who has not made a wish or communicated a private aching need or tender longing to a higher power? I have a profound respect for any object that allows a person to convey a personal emotion so powerful as to give over or suspend reason for blind faith,” says Achepohl.

For Achepohl, each piece in his series represents a narrative of the imagined journey of various individuals whose intimate prayers have been answered and their beautiful and tender process of giving thanks.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a full-color hardcover book with an essay by Professor Kate Wagle, Associate Dean of the College of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon in Portland. Wagle discusses Achepohl’s drawings within the context of the ex-voto tradition.

Achepohl received a B.A. from Knox College, an M.F.A. degree from the University of Iowa, and honorary doctorates from Pacific Lutheran University and Knox College. At the School of Art at the University of Iowa, he was head of the printmaking division and taught undergraduate and graduate courses for many years. Fulbright awards took him to Egypt and Turkey.

Achepohl has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad. His work is included in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid, Spain; the Kobe Art Museum in Kobe, Japan; the Art Institute of Chicago and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art among many others.

Financial support for the exhibition and book has been provided by a special project grant from Fine Creative Media, Inc. in New York, and by general operating support grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.

###

About the Hallie Ford Museum of Art

Oregon's third largest art museum features works by Pacific Northwest and Native American artists, and includes a diverse collection of traditional European, American and Asian art, as well as artifacts that date from antiquity. Frequently changing exhibitions include lectures, special events, tours, artist demonstrations and educational opportunities for children and adults.

The museum is located at 700 State St. in Salem. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed on Monday. General admission is $6, $4 for seniors and $3 for students 18 and older. Students 17 and under and children are admitted free. Admission is free for everyone on Tuesdays. For more information call 503-370-6855 or visit willamette.edu/arts/hfma.

Exhibition Related Events

Related events include:

Lecture
Vernacular of the Sacred: Laminae Ex-Voto in Southern Italy
Presented by Professor Kate Wagle
Associate Dean and Director at the School of Architecture and Allied Arts
University of Oregon in Portland
Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Roger Hull Lecture Hall
Free and open to the public

Gallery Talk
Join Artist Kieth Achepohl for a guided tour of the exhibition
April 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Meet in the Maribeth Collins Lobby at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Free and open to the public

Workshop
Ex-Voto Making Workshop with Artist Keith Achepohl
April 5 from 1 - 4 p.m.
Roger Hull Lecture Hall at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Free but limited space available. Call 503-370-6855 to reserve a spot

Gallery Talk
Join museum docent Penny Unverzagt for a guided tour of the exhibition
April 8 at 12:30 p.m.
Melvin Henderson-Rubio Gallery
Meet in the Maribeth Collins Lobby at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Free and open to the public

| View complete details |