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For half a century, art students at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) have journeyed to Florence, Italy, renowned world over as a center for art and culture, a journey both physical and spiritual.
According to their website, “No one has returned to Bowling Green, Ohio, without a transformation in mind and spirit.” After walking the gallery, it does not take a seasoned art-aficionado to understand the truth behind this statement. Italy in the Artist’s Imagination is a “sneak-peak into the exhilaration of artistic exploration abroad” and sought to display works that highlight these experiences, while also teaching visitors about the school’s connection with Florentine art programs.
Within the Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery on BGSU’s main campus, the exhibition inspires the imagination by looking at how these individual journeys to Florence sparked creativity. It brought together the work of nearly a hundred artists across the US and Europe, ranging from Renaissance masters, such as Albrecht Dürer, a German Renaissance-era painter and printmaker, to distinguished contemporary artists.
The collection, curated after students enrolled in Dr. Allie Terry-Fritsch’s Professional Practices in Art History researched selected works at the university’s permanent collection, showcased the impact Italy has had on artists for centuries. Alongside the works mentioned above, curators sent an open invitation for original artwork submissions, creating a diverse mix of art across time.
Dr. Terry-Fritsch says, “The exhibition features incredibly high-quality works of art from the permanent collection that never have been displayed to the public. Every visitor will find something that will appeal to their sensibilities, from Old Master prints to mid-century modern artists and representatives from the American glass movement.
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“The students have performed original research in the archives, coupled with art-historical scholarship, to recover their histories and place them within the context of Italian artistic inspiration. We are hoping that this exhibition will set a standard of excellence for student-curated shows for the future.”
Featured highlights
If a wall dedicated to Salvador Dalí’s interpretation of Dante’s The Divine Comedy was not enough to entice art lovers, the gallery offers prints, originals, sculptures, blown glass and more. When asked, the curators provided us details about three key pieces:
Christ Taking Leave from His Mother (1511), a woodcut print by Albrecht Dürer, is a part of BGSU’s Gallery Permanent Collection. Due to his immense connection with Italy, he naturally became one of the exhibit’s main faces, representing the “past” portion of the project’s timeline. Like many to come after him, Dürer’s visits to Italy forever altered his artistic process and way of producing.
Prospecttiva (2024), by Jessica Faber, is a student submitted screen print. Jessica was a part of the most recent BGSU trip to Florence Italy, making her the gallery’s “present” artistic representative.
Finally, the third image highlighted is Lo Studio by Jules Maidoff. Maidoff was the founder of Studio Arts Center International (SACI), a proud partner of BGSU until its closure in 2021. This piece is distinct with its two separate compositional fields, the bottom being an artist in his studio and the top being filled with artist’s tools. He is the project’s representation of the importance of going abroad and continuing to learn and master craft.
Gallery details
Italy in the Artist’s Imagination opened November 21st and was open to the public until December 10th. Students gave free tours to the public during ArtsX (a showcase and celebration of the arts at BGSU).
