Gustavus Artist Series Opens with Amada Sculptures in Schaefer Gallery

The Gustavus Artist Series is pleased to open the 2014-15 season with an exhibition of works by Sculptor Mayumi Amada in Schaefer Gallery, September 15 – October 15. A reception for the artist will follow a public lecture on Friday, September 19 at 1:30 p.m. in the Lecture Hall off of the Gallery in the Studio Art building on the Gustavus campus. The lecture and reception are open to the public. The gallery is open daily from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and admission is free.

Minnesota Sculptor Mayumi Amada creates installations out of a wide variety of materials including discarded plastic bottles, bones, metal, live swimmers, mirrors and rope. This exhibition in Schaefer Gallery is a part of a week-long residency at Gustavus which will allow her to install the exhibition as well as work with students throughout the Department of Art/Art History and in Japanese Studies.

Amada is interested in ancestry, the circular nature of life cycles, and the environment. She works with metal and paper and many other materials. It was not in Mayumi’s life plan to be an artist or to leave Japan and live in and work in Minnesota. She took one art class at the University of Minnesota and discovered a hidden passion and drive to be an artist. She knew in an instant that she was where she was supposed to be. As a student at the University of Minnesota, Mayumi was allowed to change her course of study from Health and Physical Education to Studio Arts, a change which would not have been allowed at a Japanese university. She received her master’s degree from the U in 2006 and has continued to live and work in Minnesota. Her installations are astonishing and magical and her drive and dedication will be an inspiration for students and faculty alike.

The Gustavus Artist Series exhibition of works by Sculpture Mayumi Amada will be on display in the Schaefer Gallery from September 15 – October 15. Admission is free and open to the public. The Schaefer Gallery in the Studio Art Building at Gustavus is open daily from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.