Gallery naming consideration

As has been mentioned previously, Purdue Galleries is in the process of preparing for a new gallery in downtown Lafayette, Indiana.  While offering a replacement for a previous space on campus that was recently converted to a visitor information center, this new gallery location - off campus, across the river in downtown Lafayette - provides an opportunity for a fresh take on the traditional gallery concept and options for Purdue Galleries to better connect with a wider range of the regional population.

Several potential names have been offered for consideration, including Purdue Galleries Courthouse Square - Purdue Galleries on Main - East Side Gallery - but the one we keep coming back to is "The Other Side Gallery."

The name refers not just to the gallery being physically across the river - on the other side from West Lafayette and campus - but that it will attempt to host displays of art in a variety of forms (visual and performance) that represent the "other sides" of contemporary art.  It will also engage its audience.  We have all been to galleries that allow visitors to walk around gazing at art.  But this gallery will do things that more actively engage the visitor - engage them to learn, to seek out, to create and participate, to think, and to reflect.  In this sense "The Other Side" can refer to the other side of the art patron experience.  

What do you think of the name?  And how can the art and/or displays in this new gallery engage the viewer?  We have ideas, but we'd love to hear your thoughts as well...

You can comment here or send your comments and suggestions to Purdue Galleries director Craig Martin at cdmartin@purdue.edu.

Trains exhibit held over through 2/24!

"Trains that Passed in the Night" has attracted a terrific audience and we've decided to hold it over for an extra week!  The exhibit will now run through Sunday, February 24th, so make sure you get out to see these evocative images by O. Winston Link (or take another walk through) before the trains vanish again into the night...

Link exhibit in the Purdue Exponent

The Purdue Exponent covers the O. Winston Link exhibit and Thomas Garver's talk last week...  It was standing room only and well over 100 people on hand.  Thanks to everyone in the very diverse audience for coming out on a cold, rainy evening!  There were many new faces - photography fans, train aficionados, students, faculty, and friends. 
Link to the story here.

Link to a story in the Lafayette Journal & Courier about the arts in the coming year:

2013 to be an exciting year in the arts

My favorite part:  

"But one of the most exciting changes will bring Purdue University across the Wabash. Former university President France Córdova announced at the end of her tenure that a new Purdue gallery would be moving to downtown Lafayette, and Craig Martin, the director of Purdue Galleries, said that dream will be a reality by perhaps March or early April. The new space will be located in the Perrin Building on Main Street. This could expose people who don’t always get to campus to some different art, and that should go a long way toward fostering a better exchange of ideas between the university and the downtown area."

Link to our most recent story on the Purdue News Service:

Purdue Galleries exhibits railroading photographs

These fascinating images will be on display starting Monday, January 7th in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery in Stewart Center.  Hope to see you there!

From the next exhibit at Purdue Galleries, "Trains that Passed in the Night":

O. Winston Link, CHRISTMAS TIME AT BRIDGE 322, SEVEN MILE FORD, VIRGINIA, 1957

Performing the ancient ritual of cutting the family’s Christmas tree, Charles Jackson, and his son, Fletcher, pause for a moment to watch Class J engine 611 as it passes over the splendid stone bridge in Seven Mile Ford. To the right, the Johnson boys and their dog Brownie share the moment. Engine 611 is the only one of the magnificent Class J engines to be preserved, and is now located at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke.

Happy Holidays to all our Friends and visitors from the staff of Purdue University Galleries! We wish you the joys of the season and all the best in the new year.

Last days...

Four more days to catch "The Graphic Eye" in Ringel Gallery in Stewart Center!

Coming in January:  "Trains that Passed in the Night" - check back soon for more...