Volume CXXXII, Number 4 October 4, 2002 f

Painting outside the bubble
SARA BODNAR
STAFF WRITER

This fall, exhibits across the country are displaying the work of Bowdoin art professors. Murals, paintings, photography, and sculpture are turning heads in big cities and small coastal towns, proving that the talent of our art faculty reaches an impressive range of audiences all over the nation.

Painter and Art Professor Mark Wethli is currently exhibiting his work in the "Past Present Future" exhibit at The Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport, ME. Wethli adorned one of the gallery's alcoves with a colorful geometrical mural titled "Transept." With its colors inspired by renaissance frescoes, this multihued painting gives the enclosed area the feeling of a chapel.

Though "Transept" will be taken off the gallery walls when the show ends on Saturday, October 5, Wethli is not discouraged by his piece's short-lived existence. "When people experience the piece, they know it is a temporal experience," said Wethli. "Part of the beauty is that it's not frozen in time."

In the future, Wethli's work will grace the walls of other galleries as well. On October 12, he will fly out to the opening of "Structure and Situation," an exhibit in L.A. that will display one of his paintings. This spring, Wethli is planning something closer to home: a mural for the Portland Museum of Art.

Other professors in the Visual Arts department are also exhibiting their work around the country. Professor John Bisbee has a show in New York City and, in addition, his sculptures are on display in Rockport, ME, joining Wethli's mural at "Past Present and Future" at The Center for Maine Contemporary Art.

Painting professor Jim Mullen is breaking through the New York City art scene as well. His work is featured in a group show at "The Painting Center." His paintings are also featured in an exhibit at Saco Art; as are photographs by Bowdoin professor of Photography, Mike Kolster.
Even exhibits in the Midwest contain work by the Bowdoin art faculty. Painting and drawing professor Colleen Kiely currently has a show in Chicago. Kiely's work is also part of a group show in Lincoln, Massachusetts, proving that both near and far, Bowdoin art professors are making their mark.