Jean Grosser's Work Selected for Exhibition on Image and Word

Professor Grosser’s Work Selected for

 Exhibition on Image and Word

Two pieces by Coker College Art Professor Jean Grosser have been selected for inclusion in “Contextual: An Exhibition of Image and Word,” an art show that will be on display Feb. 9 through March 2 in the Northern Kentucky University Main Gallery.

The show, which explores the incorporation of written word or text with image, was curated by the Northern Kentucky University Department of Visual Arts gallery committee and will feature pieces by 13 artists.  Grosser’s works for the show are titled “Fragments of Hate #3” and “Health Kit for the Uninsured.”

“The committee selected the works from over a hundred images and looked for artworks that fit the theme,” said David Knight, Northern Kentucky University director of exhibitions and galleries.  

“Some works have social or political commentary; some have very personal messages about the artist.  Jean’s artwork was well received by the committee because of the strong messages she presents,” Knight added.

Convinced that the most effective way to transform hatred is to challenge it with honesty and humanity, Grosser has built a body of work that is inspired by political events and tackles global issues of human rights, religious freedom and free trade.

In addition to the works she has created about health care inequities in the U.S. and racial tension in the American South, Grosser is developing a series of pieces about being Jewish and coming to terms with ethnic and racial hatred spawned by the American Neo-Nazi movement.

“Jean Grosser’s Fragments of Hate Series is of the highest order, both conceptually and in execution,” said Wim Woefs, board chairman of the 701 Center for the Contemporary Arts in Columbia, S.C.

Grosser, who joined Coker’s faculty in 1985, now chairs the department and is a member of the Coker College Board of Trustees. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from Barnard College, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from Alfred State College of Ceramics and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from Ohio University. Grosser was invited to show her work in “Road to Equality: The 1961 Freedom Rides,” a permanent exhibit at the historic Greyhound bus station in Montgomery, Ala., that opened to the public on May 20.  Her piece, “Fragments of Hate #6,” was honored at the 2011 Pee Dee Regional Art Competition in Florence, S.C.

The opening reception for “Contextual: An Exhibition of Image and Word” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, and is free and open to the public.  For more information about the show, please contact Knight at knight@nku.edu.