On Sept. 4, the Grinnell Community Art Center opened a two-show exhibition with works by Sara Peak Convery and Darcia Stepanek. Located on the second floor of the Grinnell Community Center, on Park Street between 4th and 5th avenues, the Grinnell Community Art Gallery is a fairly small, but nonetheless inviting space.
The current exhibition features two collections of very contrasting work. Peak Convery’s pieces mostly consist of highly colorful, energetic oil paintings of wedding scenes. The celebration depictions are beautifully crafted, with layers of oil paint swirling and mixing, lending a feeling of dance to the works—a testament to the human spirit. Mixed in with dynamic works are a few etchings and engraves that, while smaller in scale and seemingly serious in comparison, are nonetheless striking.
By contrast, Stepanek’s work consists of photographs that she took while in Prague. These six photographs were digitally manipulated, adding the appearance of rainbows to what would otherwise be dire subject matter—scenes of a Jewish Cemetery, a torture museum, and an abandoned coalmine. The most striking work, a close-up photograph of a gas mask with a rainbow covering one of the eyes, offers a glimmer of hope and happiness in an otherwise ominous setting.
Staffed by rotating volunteers, many of which are from the Mayflower Retirement Home, and sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank, the exhibition of 32 total works, all of which can be purchased, will be open and on display until Sept. 24.
The Grinnell Community Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., or otherwise by appointment. Information about upcoming exhibitions can be found at www.grinnellarts.org/gallery.