Patrick Luber, a professor of sculpture at the University of North Dakota, will open an exhibition of his work entitled “Speaking Through Objects” at Bemidji State University’s Talley Gallery on Nov. 5.

Luber will be present at an opening reception for the show, which will be held from noon-3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, in the gallery. The show will be open through Dec. 6.

“Speaking Through Objects” features reliefs from Luber’s milagro series. A milagro is a folk charm offered as a petition or an offering of thanks by practitioners of the Catholic faith while in prayer, especially in the American Southwest and in Latin America.

Luber’s reliefs are inspired by the milagro forms and are used to explore theological doctrines, prayer and questions concerning Christianity and its relationship to the American experiment.

“Whatever theme I explore, all are contextualized as a prayer within forms that reference a milagro,” Luber said. “In spite of an ever-increasing scientific world, the desire to communicate with god(s) through prayer and ritual continues to hold importance for millions of people around the world. Peoples’ prayers, like works of art, can be very personalized and idiosyncratic. No two look alike, yet all have the power to express the hopes, dreams and despair of the big beautiful mess of humanity and its struggle to find meaning.”

Patrick Alan Luber
Raised on a farm near Pocahontas, Ill., Patrick Luber received a bachelor’s degree from Greenville College in Greenville, Ill., and master of arts and master of fine arts degrees in sculpture from the University of New Mexico. His work is included in the permanent collection of the North Dakota Museum of Art, the Sioux City Art Center, Del Mar College and numerous private collections. With over 30 solo and 120 group exhibitions, his work has been exhibited on the local, regional, national and international levels. His work received the Best of Show Award in the 1992 North American Sculpture Competition in Golden, Colo., and in 2002 received Best of Show in the 58th Annual Exhibition at the Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, Iowa.

In addition to his artwork, Luber has presented numerous lectures on the intersection of art, religion and American culture at regional and national conferences. In 2005-06, He received the North Dakota Humanities Council’s Larry Remele Fellowship. He has taught sculpture at the University of North Dakota since 1990.

Talley Gallery
Located in Bensen Hall room 212 on the campus of Bemidji State University, the Talley Gallery is barrier-free and open at no charge to the public. All activities in the Talley Gallery are supported by the University’s Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee and Bemidji State University’s Department of Visual Arts. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday; and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

All activities in the Talley Gallery are supported by funds from Bemidji State University’s Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee.

Contact
• Laura Goliaszewski, Talley Gallery director, (218) 755-3708

Online
• Talley Gallery