Mariel Versluis: Be Here, By Me
This exhibition features two and three-dimensional works by Grand Rapids, Michigan-based artist Mariel Versluis. A series of large-scale print collages completed during a recent sabbatical serves as meditations on the artist’s relationship with nature, particularly fauna. Horses, swans and dogs have played important roles for Versluis and they serve as symbolic narratives for life transitions. The artist’s assemblage and sculpture piece Train of Fools also reminds us of life’s changes and lessons. This work has undergone several permutations since first conceived in 1995. This will be the first iteration of the installation since a major reconstruction over the last year. The exhibition will also debut a new drawing series by Versluis entitled Pages from a Book.
Mariel Versluis received an MFA in printmaking from Syracuse University and a BFA from Grand Valley State University. She is currently associate professor of printmaking and drawing at Kendall College of Art and Design at Ferris State University. Versluis is also an avid skijor racer, competing nationally with her dogs and finding artistic inspiration in racing.
