Otterbein Granville displaying art from former resident, Denison professor Michael Jung

Special to Granville Sentinel
·2 min read
Art work created by former Denison professor Michael Jung displayed in the Jane Heller Art Gallery at Otterbein SeniorLife Granville. Jung, an Otterbein resident who passed in September, taught at Denison for nearly 35 years.
Art work created by former Denison professor Michael Jung displayed in the Jane Heller Art Gallery at Otterbein SeniorLife Granville. Jung, an Otterbein resident who passed in September, taught at Denison for nearly 35 years.

The Art Gallery Committee at Otterbein SeniorLife Granville have arranged an exhibit of the work of artist and former resident Michael Jung running now through the end of June. The show, entitled Michael Jung: A Retrospective, features a generous selection of subjects and techniques from the private studio of a private man. Encompassing the breadth of his life as an artist, most of the work has not been displayed in public before. James G. Hale curated the exhibit, along with assistance from Michael’s wife Marilyn Jung.

Jung taught at Denison University for nearly 35 years (1967-2001) and served several times as Chair of the Art Department and Director of the Denison Art Gallery (now the Denison Museum).

Jung moved to Otterbein (formerly Kendal) in October 2015, and continued the steady habit of going to his art studio on River Road to work every morning. When he passed away in September 2022, he left behind a space overflowing with the rich material of his long and varied work life.

Curator James G. Hale said, "The show should feel less like the chronology of a career and more evocative of entering the physical workplace of the artist over many years. To encourage this atmosphere, some representative objects and surrounding details from Mike's studio will also be displayed to set the stage — some of his tools, furnishings, and parts of many collections that filled the shelves and surfaces around him."

Jung worked in a variety of visual media — painting, watercolor, drawing, silverpoint, pastel, assemblage, photography, film — and was known chiefly for his interpretive paintings that often reflected his travels. He was an award-winning painter and filmmaker and showed his work in more than 30 one-man shows in galleries across the country, including La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, the Milwaukee Art Center, the Gilman Gallery in Chicago, and the Lee Nordness Gallery in New York City.

Visitors may visit Michael Jung: A Retrospective in the Jane Heller Art Gallery at Otterbein SeniorLife Granville, 2158 Columbus Road, Granville, OH 43023. Hours are Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Information submitted by Otterbein SeniorLife Granville.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Otterbein Granville displaying art from former Denison professor Jung