First Thursday, Opening Reception for David + Sarojini Johnson Legacy Exhibition

Josh Winkler, The American Chestnut - Ghosts on the Appalachian Trail, color woodcut.Josh Winkler, The American Chestnut - Ghosts on the Appalachian Trail, color woodcut.

By: Braydee Euliss—

Muncie, IN—Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. will celebrate First Thursday April 6th from 5 – 8 pm with an opening reception for David + Sarojini Johnson Legacy Exhibition, a collection of print work from past students celebrating the Johnsons’ legacy as educators and mentors. David and Sarojini will address the crowd at 6:15. Light refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to attend. The exhibit remains on view through April 29, 2017.

The month of April at Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. will be dedicated to recognizing and illuminating the influence of two of the downtown gallery’s represented artists. The David + Sarojini Johnson Legacy Exhibition features woodcuts, linocuts, intaglios, and screen prints from several Ball State University’s printmaking students between the years 1988 and 2017, most of whom have made careers out of printmaking, either as educators or professional artists. On his time with so many students over the years, David Johnson reflected, “They had energy and ambition. I got to see their work as it was being made. It was and is very exciting. It was like we were taking turns driving the same big car on a long adventurous trip to an unknown but fantastic destination.”

David Johnson has exhibited his woodcuts and intaglio prints regionally and nationally since 1984. He has received numerous awards for his work at such national exhibitions as “The Bradley National Print and Drawing Exhibition” at Bradley University and “Harper College National Print and Drawing Exhibition”. He has many prints and artist’s books in private and public collections such as the Harvard University Art Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri and the Grunewald Center for Graphic Arts in Los Angeles. David Johnson has taught printmaking and drawing at Ball State University since 1988.

Printmaker Sarojini Jha Johnson, head of the printmaking department at Ball State University, is widely known for her intricate color intaglios which often depict animal and landscape imagery. She has exhibited extensively throughout the United States, has exhibited internationally, and won numerous awards for her color etchings. She has received many awards and grants at Ball State and served as Associate Chairperson from 1996 to 2002. Sarojini Johnson holds an MFA from Miami University and a BFA and BA from the University of Cincinnati, in Drawing and French, respectively.

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company promotes talented artists and offers expert design and craftsmanship for framing and displaying treasured family possessions and works of art. The David + Sarojini Johnson Legacy Exhibition may also be viewed through Saturday, April 29, 2017 during regular business hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5:30 pm, Saturday, 9 am – 3 pm. Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre.  For more information, visit www.gordyframing.com or call 765-284-8422.