Northwestern College's Te Paske Gallery features exhibit by Iowa artists

Northwestern College will present “Grounded,” a joint art exhibition featuring ceramicist Danielle Whigham and painter Emily McQueen. The show will be on display in Te Paske Gallery Jan. 13 through Feb. 26, with a public reception scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 6:30 p.m.

“Grounded” brings together two artists working in different mediums whose shared interest in the natural world connects their work thematically and visually. Whigham’s functional ceramic pieces and McQueen’s layered paintings offer distinct yet complementary perspectives on nature and human experience.

Whigham’s work is created with the user in mind. Each piece is wheel-thrown from midrange stoneware or porcelain and then hand-carved with patters and textures inspired by the earth. “My work is created to be simple yet enticing to the viewer—inviting them to hold and use,” Whigham say. While she incorporates color and texture, functionality remains central to her craft.

Whigham is the founder and artist behind D Whigham Ceramics. She earned a bachelor’s degree in studio art from Northwestern College in 2007 and has operated a private ceramics studio from her home in Glenwood, Iowa, since 2018.

McQueen’s paintings investigate themes of nature, seasonality and loss through a process that blends printmaking and fine art. Beginning with hand-carved block prints, she creates geometric or organic foundations that represent the external world, then layers oil paint to develop imagery reflecting the inner self. The contrast between repetition and expressive mark-making creates what McQueen describes as a tension between individuality and the broader cycles of nature.

McQueen is a painter living in Glenwood, Iowa. She draws inspiration from the Iowa landscape, her life as a disabled woman and personal experiences related to her faith. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho and is the owner of Fine Arts on Fifth Gallery and Studio in Malvern, Iowa, where she creates artwork, teaches classes and exhibits the work of other local artists.

Northwestern’s Te Paske Gallery is located in the Korver Visual Arts Center on Highway 10 at 214 8th Street SW in Orange City. Gallery hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.