Kellogg Community College will exhibit nearly four dozen works by artist and longtime student arts benefactor Kimiko Petersen on campus in November and December.
The exhibit, “Kimiko Petersen: Painting and Mixed Media Works,” opened Monday, Oct. 31, and will run through Thursday, Dec. 8, in the Eleanor R. and Robert A. DeVries Gallery of the Davidson Visual and Performing Arts Center, on campus at 450 North Ave. in Battle Creek. The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular gallery business hours, which are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
An opening reception for the exhibit, also free and open to the public, will be held with the artist from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, in the gallery.
Petersen, of Richland, is a lifelong artist whose versatile works are an expression of her love for life and appreciation of natural beauty. She interprets subject matter in a variety of media and styles including watercolors, collages and mixed media as a way to convey her unique artistic visions and emotions.
“When I paint there is no time or space, only a feeling of pure joy,” Petersen says. “Every day in the studio is an exciting venture into the world of ‘What if? What if I tried this?’ I have a thirst for knowledge, a love of adventure and a desire to be the best I can be. I thoroughly enjoy creating my art and hope it brings as much pleasure to the viewer.”
Petersen, with husband Sherman Petersen, worked with the KCC Foundation to establish the Kimiko Petersen Fine Art Awards for students in the early 2010s. The generous cash prizes are awarded annually to KCC art students as the culmination of the College’s juried Student Art Exhibition held each spring.
Kimiko Petersen’s work is part of many private and corporate collections in the U.S. and abroad. Highlights of her career include winning the “Best of Show” award in the 2003 Michigan Artists Competition at the Art Center of Battle Creek. In 2004 she received the “Best Watercolor” award in a competition hosted by the First Congregational Church of Battle Creek. In 2008, 2009 and 2010, Petersen’s paintings were accepted into the prestigious International Society of Experimental Artists (ISEA) exhibitions. This three-year ISEA run earned Petersen prestigious title membership in the group.
Petersen last exhibited at KCC in 2009, when KCC purchased one of her mixed-media painting for the College’s permanent collection.
For more information about the “Kimiko Petersen: Painting and Mixed Media Works” exhibit or other KCC arts events, contact KCC’s Arts and Communication Office at 269-965-4126.
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