Three Iowa City female artists featured at ICON Gallery in Fairfield

ICON Gallery in Fairfield will return to having regional gallery shows during Fairfield First Fridays Art Walk on Oct. 1.

In March of 2020, ICON was honored to have the opportunity to share the low relief assemblage work of three significant women artists from Iowa City -- former curator of the University of Iowa Museum of Art, Kathy Edwards Hayslett; University of Iowa professor emerita, Sue Hettmansperger; and current University of Iowa adjunct professor of art, Cheryl Jacobsen.

And then, the COVID-19 pandemic came along, so the show never happened - until now.

Their exhibition, titled Synergy, runs Oct. 1 through Nov. 27. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 641-919-6252 or go to the ICON website at www.icon-art.org.

A walk-through with the artists has been scheduled for Friday, Nov. 12, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. COVID precautions will have to be taken depending on the level of infection in Jefferson County. The walk-through will be broadcast live on Facebook for those who want to participate from home. Go to www.facebook.com/ICON.gallery at 8 p.m.

“Collage and assemblage are prevalent and relevant contemporary art practices with many global roots and branches,” stated ICON Gallery Director Bill Teeple. “These practices are wonderful tools for communicating both disjunction and linkage, particularly regarding time, memory, and histories. When spaces, objects, fragments of objects, and text are represented, re-represented and combined, new juxtapositions and compositions are created, which present layered references and content.”

Kathy Edwards Hayslett is a former chief curator at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, and former executive director of The Print Center in Philadelphia. Her graduate degree is from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Edwards has received many grants for her exhibitions including from the National Endowment for the Arts and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Her writing is published extensively and her artwork and jewelry are included in many private collections.

Sue Hettmansperger is Professor Emerita of the University of Iowa. She received her graduate degree from the University of New Mexico and is the recipient of a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts grant, among others. Hettmansperger has had many exhibitions including List Gallery, Swarthmore College; A.I.R. Gallery, New York City; Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago; Figge Art Museum, Davenport; and Des Moines Art Center. Her artwork can be found in public and private collections.

Cheryl Jacobsen is an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa Center for the Book where she teaches a variety of classes including the history of lettering and modern calligraphy. She runs a freelance studio creating manuscript books, commercial lettering, documents and art for people and organizations. She loves collaborations, expressive marks, teaching and especially living in Iowa City where she can pursue them all on a regular basis.

ICON Gallery is located at 58 N. Main St. in Fairfield.