Fortushniak's watercolor and collage work titled "Bearing the Load"
This first exhibition of 2024, Out of the Cellar: A Collection of Paintings, Drawings and Mixed-media Works by Ivan Fortushniak, officially opens its doors on Saturday, January 27, with a public opening reception from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., and will continue to be on display until March 8, 2024.
Fortushniak, a professor in IUP’s Department of Art and Design, explains that his landscape paintings have evolved from commentaries about our poor stewardship of the environment to subtle commentaries about our corroded hearts. The recontextualization of appropriated figures from art history in his paintings creates multiple time frames to convey that the concerns for the heart and soul are the same in the present as they were in the past.
Fortushniak’s work has been on display at the Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Rogue Buddha Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota; the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Asheville, North Carolina; the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, Pennsylvania; and the Lawrence Art Center, Lawrence, Kansas. He has artwork in several collections, including the Dayton Art Museum, the Spencer Museum of Art, and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts.
The University Museum at IUP is located in John Sutton Hall, a beautifully restored and nationally registered historic landmark built in 1875. The mission of the museum is to bring the material history and arts of the region together in an environment that encourages exploration, dialogue, and enjoyment. This mandate is based on the belief that art and history are unbounded and essential to understanding who we were, who we are, and who we want to be.
Following the opening reception on January 27, the museum is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 2:00–6:30 p.m.; Thursday noon–7:30 p.m.; Saturday noon–4:00 p.m. Closed Sunday, Monday, and university holidays. Admission is free. Phone: 724-357-2424, museum-info@iup.edu.