Hartwick College Professor of Art Katharine Kreisher has been named Chair in the Arts for the Arkell Hall Endowed Foundation in Canajoharie, NY.
During her three-year tenure, Kreisher will create photographic images, installations, and videos that build on ongoing themes that explore the concepts of self-definition and avenues to peace. Her goal for her time with the Arkell Foundation is to create a new installation each year, to film and edit a new video each year, and to exhibit on campus each year--including at least one gallery talk or lecture series. She also intends to complete a Round House Press project and will donate a print from the edition to Hartwick's public collection. Kreisher's other goals include exhibiting in the community, a museum, and outside the region during each of the three years. She hopes the work she completes during her appointment will result in a competitive prize or residency.
The Chair in the Arts position was created in 1979, and has been held by Hartwick Professor Emeritus of Art Roberta Griffith since its inception. She stepped down from the position this spring in conjunction with her retirement from Hartwick College.
"I'm very, very pleased to be following Roberta in this position," Kreisher said. "She was able to do incredible, professional projects, and she set the standard for what I have to achieve. Not only am I pleased to be supported in my art through this fellowship, but I now have the wind at my back and the pressure is on--it's really very invigorating. This already has given me the energy to produce a lot of things."
The Arkell Hall Foundation was formed in 1940 to serve the central Mohawk Valley through a variety of programs and activities. In 2004, the foundation partnered with the Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery to create the Arkell Museum.
"They are unique in that they support the work of artists, leaving room for the process of invention and discovery and all the things that go into making art," Kreisher said. "There's a flow to that, which they seem to understand, and that's incredibly liberating and focusing at the same time."
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Hartwick College is a private liberal arts and sciences college of 1,480 students, located in Oneonta, NY in the northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains. Hartwick's expansive curriculum emphasizes connecting the classroom to the world. Through personalized teaching, collaborative research, a unique January Term, a wide range of internships, and limitless study-abroad opportunities, Hartwick ensures that students are prepared for the world ahead. Strong financial aid and scholarship programs keep a Hartwick education affordable.
Contact: Jennifer Moritz
E-mail: moritzj@hartwick.edu
Phone: 607-431-4038
