Gordon College Celebrates Artwork of Makoto Fujimura

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2008

MEDIA CONTACT
Calen Rubin
Office of College Communications
978.867.4235
[email protected]

WENHAM, MA- Internationally acclaimed visual artist Makoto Fujimura has painted images which hang in some of the finest buildings in the world. Recently, his work has extended to another beautifully designed building, Gordon College's new Ken Olsen Science Center.

On November 10, the college will host a reception to celebrate Fujimura's painting Golden Pines, commissioned specifically for the Ken Olsen Science Center. It is one of several ways Fujimura has helped contribute to Gordon's collection of art on campus, a collection Bruce Herman, Lothlórien Distinguished Chair of Fine Arts at Gordon College, calls "contemporary sacred art."

"We are trying to build a collection of modern and contemporary art that references biblical stories and faith-related ideas, including simply the beauty and significance of nature," said Herman. "A small college like Gordon could potentially develop a particular niche in its art collections. We're a Christian institution and the Art Department has historically been very interested in the intersection between the sacred and contemporary art traditions."

The reception will be held at 4 p.m. on November 10 on the second floor of the Ken Olsen Science Center, where Fujimura's Golden Pines painting hangs. Provost Mark Sargent, Bruce Herman, and Makoto Fujimura will be speaking on Fujimura's artwork, the connections between art and science, and the context of contemporary sacred art.

"It's good to know yourself, to know what the nature of your institution is, and have that cultural and institutional identity manifest in the objects you surround yourself with," said Herman. "So when people come on campus, everywhere they go they see beautiful works of art that have some echo, if not direct communication, of who we are."

For information or to request an interview, contact Calen Rubin in the Office of College Communications at 978.867.4235 or [email protected].

Gordon College is a Christian college of the liberal arts and sciences on Boston's North Shore. The college offers majors in 37 fields and has graduate programs in education and music education. Leading the way in Christian college merit, Gordon is nationally ranked for its excellence in academics and its role in character building. These achievements recognize Gordon as one of the nation's top Christian Colleges.

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