Alumni Brooke and Justin Rothshank display joint ceramics and painting exhibit

 

GOSHEN, Ind. – Brooke and Justin Rothshank, a husband and wife artist duo and 2000 graduates of Goshen College, are returning to their alma mater to display a joint ceramics and painting exhibit in the Hershberger Art Gallery in Goshen College's Music Center from June 12 thru Sept. 11. There will be a reception on the final day of the exhibit, Sunday, Sept. 11, from 2 to 4 p.m. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public.

After graduating from Goshen College, where the couple started dating as seniors preparing for their senior art shows, Brooke and Justin moved to Pittsburgh, Pa., to pursue apprenticeships – Brooke as a glassblower and Justin as a cabinetmaker. During their nine-year stay in Pittsburgh, both validated their career paths as artists and continued to develop their artistic skills.

In 2009, the Rothshanks – who both grew up in Goshen – decided to move back to Goshen, where they set up a home art studio. Last summer, Justin completed the construction of a two-chamber wood kiln at their home studio, and occasionally teaches wood firing classes there.

Justin, a ceramist, was co-founder of the Union Project in Pittsburgh, Pa., a nonprofit organization for artists, community builders and influential people of faith in the Pittsburgh community. His work at the Union Project was recognized with numerous historic preservation and social innovation awards from city, state and national organizations.

Justin's work has been exhibited and published internationally, including articles in Ceramics Monthly, American Craft, Studio Potter and Neue Keramik. He has been a presenter, panelist, visiting artist and artist-in-residence at numerous universities, schools conferences and art centers throughout the country and abroad. He has received numerous awards, including the American Craft Council's Award of Excellence, Ceramics Monthly's designation as an emerging artist and Pittsburgh Magazine's designation as one of 2005's 40 Under 40. Also, in 2005, Goshen College presented him with the Decade of Servant Leadership Award.

Brooke, a painter/illustrator, works with a variety of media, including oil, acrylic and egg tempera paint. She has been working as a studio artist since 2001, and her work has been shown in the Andy Warhol Museum, Garfield Artworks and the Midwest Museum of Art. Her work as a miniature artist has been exhibited around the country and featured in both Dollhouse Miniatures and Miniature Collector magazines.

In 2009, Brooke illustrated her third children's book, "Julia's Words," for Herald Press, and in 2010 she completed a series of eight commissioned paintings for the Goshen Hospital and Health Care Foundation. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the International Guild of Miniature Artists where she was recently selected for Artisan status. She has taught miniature portrait painting for the International Guild of Miniature Artisans School in Castine, Maine.

"We have created this body of work [for the exhibit] keeping in mind some of our own values," said the Rothshanks. "We believe that artwork and creativity are catalysts for social change and economic improvement, and enhance everyday lives with beauty. Art gives a voice to the voiceless, enables self-understanding and provides a window into other cultures. These are among the reasons we have chosen to pursue lives as working artists."

The Hershberger Art Gallery, located in the Music Center, is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday when the collegeis not in session during the summer. For confirmation of hours, call the Goshen College Music Center at (574) 535-7361. The building is accessible to people using wheelchairs and others with physical limitations.

– By Alysha Landis

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.