Gallery Showcases Paintings by Margaret Vega
The haunting imagery, stark composition and assumed permanence of stone angels are reflected in the newest art exhibit at Alma College.
The Flora Kirsch Beck Gallery presents “Margaret Vega: Perpetual Order” from Monday, Oct. 8 through Thursday, Nov. 8. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. A gallery reception takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 8.
“Perpetual Order” is Vega’s ongoing series that artistically examines “our human need to reorganize the natural order of our world.” The series features Vega’s paintings of stone angels, drawn from the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires and the island of Capri in Italy.
Artwork by Margaret Vega
“The stone angels provide imagery for what I perceive as our need to leave something behind, something grand and timeless, to mark our evanescent journey,” states Vega in her artist’s statement.
“The word, angel, comes from the Greek word, angelos, which means ‘messenger.’ Because the angel appears in many parts of the world, I began exploring the idea of ‘messengers’ … and remain drawn to their haunting beauty to this day. We use these stone angels to guarantee order in our last journey, a place yet unknown,” she states.
Vega teaches painting and drawing at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids. She also has taught at Academic di Belle Arti in Perugia, Italy, and at Grand Valley State University.
Margaret Vega in her studio
“I first saw her paintings at the Muskegon Fine Arts Museum's Regional Artists exhibition and was drawn to their quiet grandeur and their sense of calm, enduring power and presence,” says gallery director Dan Connolly. “I am very pleased we are able to bring an internationally exhibiting artist here to Alma and am grateful to the Reva Jane Leach Endowment for making this and future exhibits possible.”
Vega has exhibited her artwork in Italy and Germany as well as Chicago, San Francisco and Grand Rapids. Her work is in private and corporate collections in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.
Her awards include a Michigan Council for the Arts Grant, a YWCA Tribute Award for outstanding contribution in visual arts, and a Legacy 2003: Women’s History Month Award. Her exhibitions have been shown in the national publications “Art News” and “Art in America.”
-mjs-
Posted: Mon, October 8th, 2012 at 10:33AM
