Founders Hall
Art Gallery

"Family Affair"

Peter Dirkman, Aaron Dirkman,
Sandrea Bonk-Allinson

February 16-March 17

Artists Peter Dirkman, Aaron Dirkman and Sandrea Bonk-Allison not only share genetics, they share a love of creating art.  Three three family members have recently joined together to present their works side by side at the UW-Manitowoc Founders Hall Art Gallery.  The exhibit will run through March 17^th. 

It was Peter’s idea to include other family members in the exhibit in order to compare and contrast their works.  “It’s interesting to see the different ways my relatives present themselves in three different medias.  They have not only inspired me to become an artist, but they are the family that I love and trust.”  According to Peter Dirkman, age 22, the rich history of art in his family dates back to his grandmother, Marget Bonk.   

Peter attended UW-Manitowoc full-time for two years and was awarded the UW-Manitowoc Art Scholarship in 2002.  His still attends UW-Manitowoc on a part-time basis while pursuing a degree in art education from UW-Green Bay.  Peter’s exhibit pieces include three oils on canvas and one pencil drawing.  His works are titled “My Kind of Girl,” “Oak Tree,” “Unfinished Peace,” and none. 

Aaron Dirkman, Peter’s brother, earned his associate’s degree from UW-Manitowoc, and went on to earn a degree in business marketing from UW-Milwaukee.  His acrylic exhibit pieces include:  “Separation,” and “Resting Place.” 

Sandrea Bonk-Allinson, Peter and Aaron’s aunt, was born and raised in Manitowoc, and recently returned to the area after living in Iowa for a number of years.  She has been a blue ribbon winner in Iowa Regional and Sate Art Shows for the past ten years and recently exhibited at the Rahr West Art Museum’s spring show. Sandrea’s exhibit pieces include “Rose (Images),”a pastel on handmade canvas, “Daises,” and “Heather’s Haven,” which are both watercolors.

Mark Iwinsky

Stumpstory; Prints and Other Wall Works

Sculptor & Painter, Ithaca, NY
March 18-April 16

Sculptor and Printmaker Mark Iwinski of Ithaca, New York, is currently featured in the UW-Manitowoc Founders Hall Art Gallery.  The exhibit, “Celestial Navigation; a Stump Story Sculpture and Prints,” will run through April 16^th. 

The exhibit includes eleven pieces of sculpture, printmaking, and works on paper that explore representations of time and space in manmade and biological environments.  The representations include spheres, astronomical devices, Cartesian grids, plumb bobs, and alchemical instruments.  “I see exploration and alchemy as metaphors for the artistic process,” says Iwinski.

Iwinski says that he is intrigued by the expressive and metaphoric potentials of materials, and renders visible relationships between the natural and spiritual worlds, and our contemporary, technological culture with handcrafted objects.  “Focusing on materials and craftsmanship provides a means for recovering possibilities often marginalized by our technological society,” explains Iwinski.  He uses materials such as pigments, copper, lead, gold leaf and beeswax, as well as the processes of carving and charring, to transform wood metaphorically and physically. 

Iwinski says that the printmaking process bridges his sculptural works and drawings.  “The plate acts as a mediator between the paper and the image, while objectifying it through embossing,” he explains.  His large woodblock prints are created from the trunks of old elms, carrying the tree’s ancient history through the rings embedded in the image. 

“Through all the works, I endeavor to embody a sense of time in both the image and materiality of the wood,” says Iwinski.  He “asks” his works to answer questions like ‘What connections can I foster between the sense of time literally embodied in the tree and the ephemeral sense of space and time?’

Works from Students - Nathan Haban & Chad Anhalt

April 19-May 10

Student Showcase, Works from Spring 2004 Semester

May 10-July 4