ROCK SPRINGS – Western Wyoming Community College will host an exhibition of artwork by the college’s new assistant professor of art, Ben Nathan.
The artworks on display will demonstrate Nathan’s unique artistic approach, blending traditional printmaking techniques with drawing and painting. The exhibition, titled “Welcome Home,” will be on display from Jan. 26, through March 1. A public reception for the exhibit takes place Feb. 2 in the college’s art gallery. The reception is scheduled from 4-6 p.m.
“Welcome Home” will feature a number of Nathan’s most recent artworks, which focus on themes of personal history, loss, and time. His work is heavily inspired by elements of the wide-open expanses, towering rock formations, and subdued colors of southwestern Wyoming.
“I actually grew up in Green River, and I spent huge amounts of that time exploring and playing out in this incredible landscape,” Nathan said. “Certain elements of the landscape from this part of the state have always stuck with me and, to this day, this dusty stretch of Interstate 80 makes me more excited than any other landscape I have experienced. It just feels like home.”
Nathan graduated from Green River High School, then earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Wyoming and a master’s degree in fine arts from Utah State University. As a practicing artist, Nathan has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally. He was excited to move back to Sweetwater County to begin teaching art classes at Western.
Western’s gallery aims to promote arts-centered learning for college students and community members alike. Nathan hopes “Welcome Home” will inspire students to continue making art, and to experiment with art-making materials. He also hopes that the exhibition can broaden community members’ understanding of western landscape-inspired artwork.
