The Gallery at NMH Hosts Illustrators' Exhibit

From Art Deco motifs to children’s literature and graphic novels, illustrative works are some of the most widely recognized and enduringly popular pieces of art on the planet, yet the technical acumen, mastery of craft, and diversity illustrators demonstrate is seldom recognized. The term “illustration” itself is rather vague, encompassing a wide variety of styles and disciplines.

The latest exhibit in Northfield Mount Hermon’s The Gallery at the Rhodes Arts Center aims to shine a light on the depth and range of illustrative talent in the Connecticut River Valley. The group exhibition features selected pieces from the Western Massachusetts Illustrators’ Guild, highlighting the work of artists Elizabeth Alba, Robin Brickman, Nancy Carpenter, Diane DeGroat, Linda Graves, Yoshi Kogo, Gary Lippincott, Beth Roberge, Ruth Sanderson, Dick Walz, and Sean Wang.

The idea behind the exhibit, which opened Oct. 5, originated with NMH visual arts teacher Bill Roberts, said Jamie Rourke, gallery coordinator and a visual arts teacher at NMH. “[Bill] thought that an illustration show would be perfect for our community, especially as many of our visual art classes emphasize a wide range of drawing and illustration projects,” Rourke said.

He noted the “inspiration and joy alive in this work,” adding that the multitude of styles visible in the art on display gives every viewer a chance to “find a work that moves them and makes them think about the beauty of the stories that surround us.”

The WMIG began as a way for local illustrators to get together, collaborate on projects, and critique each other’s work. Since its inception in 1978, the Guild has grown to include 32 professional illustrators from around the Connecticut River Valley region. Its artists embody a wide variety of illustrative styles and expertises, including children’s books, fantasy art, and editorial pieces.

Just one floor below The Gallery, NMH students apply many of the techniques displayed in the exhibit to their own work in Roberts’ Illustration class. The students, who range from 9th- to 12th-graders, visited The Gallery soon after the exhibit went up on Oct. 5 to draw inspiration for a storyboard project they’re working on this semester.

Jayden Mercedes ’28 noted the complexity that lay beneath some of the seemingly simple images on display. He pointed, for example, to an illustration by Dick Walz from the book “Martin and Chris Kratt: The Wild Life,” based on a popular educational TV show (top image). “At first, it might look like just little dots, like, very easy to draw,” he explained. “It kind of gives off that children’s book look, which is what I’m going for [in my own work]. Then you start to see that little texture in the leopard, the perspective between [figures] – it helps you find your own style.”

Mercedes said that he took Illustration as a way to challenge himself and broaden the way he processes his thoughts. “I’m good with writing and working with numbers, but I’m not really good at taking something that I’m thinking of and putting it on paper,” he said.

Nadine Neutra ’28, whose storyboard revolves around the humorous struggles of her main character to order a sandwich from Subway, said that the Illustration class has shown her the importance of adding variety and perspective to her work.

Having examples from professional illustrators on campus gives students a chance to see a wide variety of working artists in the medium, said Roberts, and offers insight into the various techniques illustrators use to tell stories.

“I stress to them that this is a visual arts class – the visual art should really be driving the narrative,” Roberts said. “I want them to treat this as a living document: You can always change it; you can always morph it into something else.”

Many of the WMIG artists featured in the exhibit will be on campus for a public reception on Friday, Oct. 25, from 6:30 to 8 pm. The reception gives students a chance to meet the artists and discuss their work, the creative process, and the art of illustration. Several artists will also have copies of their work available for purchase at the gallery, said Rourke.

Both Rourke and Roberts hope that the exhibit will help reinforce the idea that illustration is a serious, storied form of art that requires just as much dedication to craft as any other visual art genre.

“What strikes me most in many of the works in the exhibition is simply the degree of craft that is invested into each piece,” Rourke said. “So many of the works express a unique perspective and style, which gives the work of each artist a highly individualistic appearance.”

In this way, he added, “the art represents many of our learning themes here at NMH: curiosity, creative risk-taking, the expression of one's authentic self, and the willingness to share what you have discovered with your larger community.”

— By Max Hunt

Images, from top: "Martin and Christ Kratt: The Wild Life," by Dick Walz; "The Last Can," by Sean Wang; "Acorn Woodpecker," by Robin Brickman; "Buds," by Beth Roberge

The public is invited to attend the opening of the Western Massachusetts Illustrators’ Guild exhibit on Friday, Oct. 25, from 6:30 to 8 pm in The Gallery at the Rhodes Arts Center. Members of the public can arrange a visit to The Gallery by appointment with Coordinator Jamie Rourke.