On Thursday, Feb. 27, people gathered in the Center Art Gallery to celebrate the opening reception of two new exhibits: “How Long, O Lord? Reflections on the Psalms of Lament” by Tiffany Krampe and “Roselle Park: Reclaimed Beauty” by Otto Selles. The exhibits have been open since Feb. 17, but this reception was a chance for Calvin students, staff, alumni and members of the Grand Rapids community to join Krampe’s and Selles’ friends and family in celebrating their work.
The space was filled with lively chatter as folks milled about the space, commenting on the art and munching on the melt-in-your-mouth pastries from Edgewood Bakery. The trays of rich brownies, crumbly almond cookies, bite-sized “jammers” and zesty iced lime cookies were halfway gone an hour into the three-hour event, a testament to their popularity. Coffee, tea and water were also provided, so visitors stayed hydrated as they explored the world captured by Krampe’s paintings and Selles’ photography. Krampe and Selles were in attendance, welcoming friends and offering insights on their artwork.
This is the third out of four new exhibits in the gallery this year, but the first one to have a reception, and the first Calvin exhibit for Krampe and Selles. They both had been in conversation about their art with Brent Williams, the Director of Exhibitions for Calvin, so it was no surprise that they submitted their art to the gallery in response to the Center’s invitation for faculty and staff exhibits. According to Gabbie Eisma, assistant curator at Center Art Gallery, this invitation was a chance to showcase faculty and staff who “aren’t part of the traditional art community.”
Both Krampe and Selles fit into that non-traditional community because they, as Eisma puts it, “aren’t in the art basement in Spoelhof.” Krampe is an administrative assistant in the SPAUD office, and Selles is a French professor, although he is the co-chair of the visual and performing arts department as well as the sole chair of the world languages department.
How Long, O Lord?
Krampe has been creating art her whole life, but this particular project started in 2019 as a response to dwellings on God’s goodness during tough times, which led her to the Psalms. Krampe’s exhibit is composed of paintings made of unique materials. Half of the exhibit (paintings of storms based on Psalms of lament) Krampe explained that she takes washed canvas and “wood ash and grind[s] it into the base layer” to reflect “sackcloth and ashes,” Biblical symbols of lament.
The second half of the exhibit is dedicated to the praise Psalms, which is reflected in the pieces through a change in material and subject. These paintings of flowers are applique, which means Krampe “paint[s] each individual piece, paint[s] the background… then sew[s] it all together.”
In addition to the Psalms, Krampe’s art takes inspiration from kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken things with gold. Krampe likened kintsugi to God’s work in people’s lives, how he takes our “brokenness to make something more beautiful, because if we rely on Him, then He shines through that brokenness.” Krampe’s favorite part of the exhibit is a gold bowl in the middle that represents Revelation 5, in which God collects prayers in golden bowls. Krampe said this is her favorite piece because she “liked the idea of God collecting all of our prayers, even if sometimes we feel like they’re not being answered, that he values them enough to hold on to them.”
Roselle Park: Reclaimed Beauty
Like Krampe, Selles has been creating art since childhood. He started this project during the pandemic after being inspired by the nature he saw during family hikes in Kent County. In order to focus his photography, Selles chose a single place as his subject: Roselle Park.
Roselle Park not only offered inspiration through its beauty, but also its history. The park used to be the site of Ada Beef Company, but after they went out of business, the land was converted into a nature preserve. Selles writes in his project description that “this exhibition aims to draw the viewers’ attention to the possibility of reclaiming beauty in all things,” reflecting the regrowth of nature in the post-industrial site.
After going through a few printing options, Selles found Grand Rapids Giclee, which prints on “what you might use for watercolor art. So it’s beautiful paper, and it gives really beautiful darks,” Selles explained.
Unlike Krampe, who arranged her art in a chronological way, Selles left presentation up to the gallery. He not only let them decide where to put the photos, but which photos to put up. Selles said he gave 70 photos to art gallery staff, of which they displayed 28. One of Selles’ favorite pieces is a photograph entitled “Solitary,” which depicts many of Roselle’s elements, and as Selles’ remarked, “gives you a sense of OK, why is there a bench here?” which reminds viewers that this collection is from a park instead of a wild field.
Both Krampe’s and Selles’ pieces are available for purchase. Pricing may be found on a scannable QR code within the exhibit.
