Elmhurst University and the Department of Art & Design recently celebrated the debut of a new campus art gallery with a ribbon cutting and the opening of the gallery’s inaugural exhibition.

The new Barbara A. Kieft Gallery is located in Room 101 of Old Main, the university’s oldest building and home to the Department of Art & Design. It will serve as both an exhibition space and a teaching gallery for art and design majors.

A ribbon cutting for the new gallery was held on Oct. 16, along with the opening of the exhibition “BITE: The Etched Mark,” which features work by 24 professional artists from around the United States working in the printmaking medium of etching. Joshua Johnson, assistant professor of printmaking at the University, is among the artists who was selected to participate in the exhibition.

As a teaching gallery, the space will provide students with opportunities to engage with professional artwork, learn about exhibition practices, and gain firsthand experience presenting their own work to the public, says Associate Professor Andrew Sobol, chair of Elmhurst’s Department of Art & Design and director of the graphic design program. It will also help to strengthen the connection between the Department of Art & Design and the broader university community.

“I’m excited about the opening of our new teaching gallery and the opportunities it will create for our students; I’m especially pleased that it’s located in Old Main, where our art and design studios are housed,” Sobol says. “Having a dedicated exhibition space so close to where our students learn and create will make it a natural extension of their studio experience.

“The gallery will also allow us to expand our exhibition programming, bringing work by professional artists to campus and giving students opportunities to engage with a broader range of artistic practices and perspectives.”

The gallery is named for Barbara A. Kieft, an alumna, art teacher and founder of the Oak Brook Art League. She passed away in 2001.

The BITE exhibition in the Barbara A. Kieft Gallery (Old Main, Room 101) runs through Friday, November 13. Gallery hours are from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and on Friday, November 6. A closing reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on November 13. The reception is free and open to the public.