OCTC Dayman Art Gallery Presents Exhibition by Adjunct Art Instructor, John H. Schartung

"ART is POWER" Exhibition by Schartung will be on display in the OCTC Dayman Art Gallery Sept. 5 - Oct. 21, 2022

by Katie Powers

Owensboro, KY (09/12/2022) — Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) presents an art exhibition by Adjunct Art Instructor, John H. Schartung. "ART is POWER" features mixed media, collage-based paintings by Schartung. The artwork analyzes his personal history affected by social and political issues in Kentucky. This body of work was created in fulfillment of the MFA degree from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Schartung said, "Emotions and memories from my life inspire my work. I communicate life experiences through various mediums and allow viewers to see evidence of the creative process."

John Schartung received his MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Visual Art, MA in Studio Art with a focus in Printmaking and Painting from Indiana State University, BA from University of Southern Indiana, and Associate of Science from Owensboro Community and Technical College.

When asked about his influences behind this exhibition and other works of art, Schartung shared, "Influenced by the work of abstract expressionists, and the conceptual assemblage work of Joseph Cornell and Robert Rauschenberg, my process of creating art is like that of a jazz musician - an improvisational response to rhythmic patterns. I react intuitively based on my knowledge of color, balance, and harmony. Even though it may be difficult to find that balance and harmony in many of life's experiences, the expression of the relationship between life experience and art is where I find room to create."

John is an artist with an international exhibition record, an accomplished educator in Western Kentucky and native of Owensboro. He instructs courses in Painting, Drawing, 3-D Design, Digital Photography, Art Survey, Sculpture, Structural Methods in Clay, Ceramics-- and Printmaking as well as film photography. In the summer of 2014, Schartung taught Beginning Drawing and Digital Photography in Central Europe while based in Olomouc, Czech Republic. Schartung has works published in the Contemporary American Print Magazine, Catalogs from Serbia, and Germany, with works in collections in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

The exhibition will be on display at the OCTC Dayman Art Gallery located on the 2nd floor of the Learning Resource Center building on OCTC's Main Campus at 4800 New Hartford Road, Owensboro, KY 42303. The exhibition will be on display until Oct. 21, 2022 with a free reception featuring live music on Oct. 6, 2022 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Those interested in exploring an Associate in Fine Arts Visual Art degree or joining the OCTC Art Club should contact David Wilson, OCTC art program coordinator, via email at davidd.wilson@kctcs.edu.

To view more photos of OCTC Adjunct Instructor, John H. Schartung's art in this exhibition, please visit facebook.com/OCTC-Dayman-Art-Gallery.

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