Alumnus artist, Ingrid Hess, display celebrates heritage and bookmaking with exhibit

Art exhibit: Mixed media by Ingrid Hess
Date: Feb. 3-March 6
Location: Hershberger Art Gallery, Goshen College Music Center
Cost: Free and open to the public

GOSHEN, Ind. – Children’s book illustrator and cut paper artist Ingrid Hess, a 1990 Goshen College alumna, has returned to campus to display her recent work which is heavily influenced by her roots. An exhibit of her mixed media art opened earlier in February and will be on display until March 6 in the Goshen College Music Center’s Hershberger Art Gallery. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The show is divided into two parts; the first part focuses on the steps that Hess goes through to make a children’s book. “I frequently am asked by children ‘How do you make a book?’ It is exciting to me that Goshen College is giving me this rare opportunity to display all the steps rather than just the final art,” said Hess. The book will be published this summer by Herald Press.

The second part of the show is a series of cut-paper images depicting Mennonite and Amish life. “Living in Chicago I no longer am exposed to this kind of image on a weekly basis the way I was in childhood,” she said. “It is important to me to celebrate my heritage.”

The art on display follows the theme of simplicity and includes bright colors. “The theme of simplicity comes from my Amish/Mennonite roots and the bright colors and patterns are inspired by art from Costa Rica, my home for four years of my childhood,” Hess said. “Now, as an adult, I continue to nourish these visual influences in my work.”

Hess, who lives in Chicago, received a master’s of fine arts degree in graphic design from Indiana University. She has worked in publishing for the past 12 years. “My dual passions of design and illustration work well together and help me continue telling stories through pictures,” she said.

As a children’s book illustrator and designer, Hess had her first book published in 2005 by Herald Press, “Praying With Our Feet,” which had an anti-war theme. She said, “It is important to me that my work empowers children to understand they can make a difference. It is also critical to me that all types of children are represented. Historically children’s books have not done a good job depicting diversity. This problem is slowly beginning to change. I want to be part of this change.”

The Hershberger Art Gallery, located in the Goshen College Music Center, is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, except during school vacations. The building is accessible to people using wheelchairs and others with physical limitations.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.