The University of Indianapolis has opened the worldwide debut of the exhibition entitled "Night Calls" featuring native Hoosier artist Rebecca Norris Webb and is hosting Norris Webb and her husband, photographer Alex Webb, to campus for the Sutphin Lecture.
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The University of Indianapolis is proud to present a pair of interconnected art opportunities and welcome the community to join in: serving as the location for the worldwide debut of the exhibition entitled "Night Calls" featuring the creative work of native Hoosier artist Rebecca Norris Webb as well as welcoming Norris Webb and her husband, photographer Alex Webb, to campus for the Sutphin Lecture.
"I'm so delighted that the first exhibition of 'Night Calls' will be in Indianapolis, where Dad worked for Eli Lilly after WWII, before starting medical school," said Norris Webb. "I'm particularly pleased that the show isn't far from Rush County, where we both were born."
"Night Calls" is an homage to the people and landscapes of rural Indiana. It features a selection of 18 photographs, retracing the steps of Norris Webb's father, a 100-plus-year-old doctor who served the people of Rush County for decades, delivering more than a thousand babies. Echoing his work rhythms, the Rushville-born Norris Webb photographed mostly at night and in the early morning hours capturing the farms, the fields, the small town homes, as well as making collaborative portraits with some of his former patients and their descendants, as she tried to channel her father's gentle bedside manner. In addition, there are a series of longhand letters which serve as lyrical handwritten text pieces all addressed to him.
"Retracing his house calls, I'd often drive in the dead of night and through all kinds of weather," said Norris Webb. "Driving half-asleep through a downpour, I could imagine Dad driving his 1964 Chrysler 300 on these same narrow roads concerned about a homebound patient, or his Quaker great-grandfather making house calls with his daughter—Dad's grandmother—in their horse and buggy. Driving in the dark, even time seemed to break open. I felt close to my father and to our Quaker relatives, caretakers of the land, its animals, and its people. For doesn't the word 'care' mean 'close attention'?"
The "Night Calls" exhibition is free and open to the public at the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center (1230 Greyhound Lane). It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. now through Oct. 25. It is closed for University holidays, including Oct. 14-15 which is UIndy's Fall Break. This is also an exhibition reception on Thursday, Oct. 3 from 4-6 p.m.
The Sutphin Lecture, entitled "TWO LOOKS: The Photographs of Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb" will focus on the artistic works and collaboration of Rebecca Norris Webb, poet and photographer, and her husband, Alex Webb, Magnum photographer. They have published more than 20 books together and apart, including "Violet Isle: A Duet of Photographs from Cuba." The lecture is Friday, Oct. 4 from 6-7:30 p.m. at UIndy Hall A in the Schwitzer Student Center, and will be followed by a time of Q-and-A as well as a book signing.
"Vivid visual arts are not just for the coasts, but for right here in Indiana," said Sarah Pfohl, associate professor of photography and art education at UIndy. "I want our students and our community to see that you can take your work in a lot of different directions. Collaborative work is really exciting so I hope their imagination is fueled and their boundaries are extended as they begin to ponder the possibilities of artistic expression."
"Night Calls" has also been published as a limited-edition photobook by Radius Books. Copies can also be found in many university and public libraries across Indiana, thanks to the Radius Books Library Donation Program.
"Night Calls"
WHAT: Debut of photography and poetry exhibit by Rebecca Norris Webb
WHERE: Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center
WHEN: Now through Oct. 25 during operating hours
SPECIAL EVENT: Exhibition reception on Oct. 3 from 4-6 p.m.
COST: Free
TWO LOOKS: The Photographs of Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb
WHAT: Sutphin Lecture featuring husband/wife artist team of Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb, followed by Q-and-A and book signing
WHERE: UIndy Hall A, Schwitzer Student Center
WHEN: Oct. 4 at 6 p.m.
COST: Free
Photos and images of "Night Calls" are available. To get copies, for more information or if you would like to set an interview with Associate Professor of Photography Sarah Pfohl, please contact UIndy's Director of Public & Media Relations Dan Klein.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS:
The University of Indianapolis, founded in 1902, is a private, liberal arts university located just a few minutes from downtown Indianapolis. UIndy is ranked among the top Midwest Universities by the U.S. News and World Report, with a diverse enrollment of more than 5,000 undergraduates, graduate students and continuing education students. The University offers a wide variety of study areas, including 100+ undergraduate degrees, more than 40 master's degree programs and five doctoral programs. More occupational therapists, physical therapists and clinical psychologists graduate from the University each year than any other state institution. With strong programs also in engineering, business and education, the University of Indianapolis impacts its community by living its motto, "Education for Service." Learn more: uindy.edu.
Media Contact
Dan Klein, University of Indianapolis, 3177408080, [email protected]
SOURCE University of Indianapolis
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