The Whitworthian

Issue date: 2/20/07 Last Updated: 8/9/07

Image courtesy of Gordon Wilson A drawing from "Communities in Crisis," associate professor of art Gordon Wilson's recently-opened exhibit. This piece, entitled "Mississippi Attic Dwellers #2," depicts sophomore Kyle Navis and junior Kyle Rifenbery working on the roof of a house. Senior Krystle Stucky and junior Mary Trotter are the figures sleeping in the center of the drawing. Wilson's exhibit was inspired by the 2006 Jan Term class that worked to repair damage done by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Associate professor of art Gordon Wilson drew from his experiences helping with relief organizations as his inspiration for his recently opened exhibit.

Wilson, a professor at Whitworth since 1978, used a summer grant and sabbatical time to create this group of artwork which combined drawing, painting and figure drawing.

The exhibit, entitled "Communities in Crisis," was heavily influenced by a trip Wilson took last Jan Term with Whitworth students and faculty to aid with the hurricane relief in the southern United States. Several pieces also portrayed his experiences in El Salvador in Fall 2006, where he helped a community improve its water system.

Wilson's primary goal in this exhibition was to portray, in an artistic medium, how humanity deals with suffering and loss.

"Artwork about the human condition interests me most," Wilson said.

Wilson had the opportunity to explore this when he was asked to take a group of students on a trip to provide relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Michael LeRoy, vice president of academic affairs, asked Wilson to oversee this trip with Andrea Donahoe, a visiting psychology professor.

Wilson and Donahoe took 18 students to the areas of Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss., two areas heavily devastated by the storm. While there, they put roofs on houses and did other service-oriented jobs such as distributing food and other necessities to victims. They also traveled to Jackson, Miss. ,where they worked with the Perkins Center helping with the emotional damage that people suffered from losing everything to the storm.

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