Former MCC student first featured artist in Ray Frederick Gallery
Thursday / August 11, 2016
Former MCC art student, Kristin McKibben, will be this year’s first featured artist in the Ray Frederick Gallery.
Marshalltown native, Kristin McKibben, will kick off the new academic year as the first featured artist at the newest exhibit in the Ray Frederick Gallery, room 306, on the Marshalltown Community College campus. The exhibit opens with a reception at 12:15-1:30 pm, Monday, Aug. 29, and will be on display through noon Friday, Sept. 23.
This month’s exhibit will feature both ceramic work and encaustic paintings. Encaustic is pigment suspended in melted beeswax and painted onto a panel. Kristin notes, “It’s an unusual medium to work in that has very interesting characteristics.”
“I’ve been fascinated by art since I was a child. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing,” says Kristin. “No scrap of paper was safe in my house when I was a kid. I drew on every envelope, the inside covers of books, even scraps of wood from my father’s workshop.”
Kristin noted that she even met “the love of her life”, Mathew, in the MHS ceramic studio. They married and started a family shortly after graduating high school in 1991.
In 2006, Kristin was encouraged by family and friends to return to school. She enrolled full-time at MCC with plans to earn an AA degree with an emphasis in graphic design.
“MCC was an obvious choice for me, as the flexible class schedule and close proximity to home allowed me to continue working while attending class full-time,” says Kristin. “I was pleased to discover that every instructor I came into contact with had a genuine interest in seeing me succeed.”
Kristin transferred in 2008 to the University of Northern Iowa in 2008, where she earned her B.A. in Studio Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design. She says that attending MCC first gave her the confidence to move forward to UNI and eventually join the competitive world of graphic design.
“Tim [Castle] was my favorite instructor at MCC, and while I loved all of my studio classes, my favorite class was actually art history. That class sparked an appreciation for not only the history of materials, subject matter and techniques but also the influence art has had on all facets of human existence.”
Kristin is currently employed as a graphic designer with the marketing team at UnityPoint Health in Des Moines.
“I’m inspired by storytelling, theatrics, fantasy and nature. As such I tend to be drawn to portraits,” adds Kristin. “I really feel as though every face can truly tell a story and my hope is that those viewing my work are compelled to create a story around what they see. I’m fascinated by the way a person’s interpretation of art reflects his or her own personality and experiences.”
Kristin said she especially enjoys playing with different textures, exploring saturated colors and putting unexpected elements together. “I would say my work is largely “process-driven.” While I generally have an idea of what I want the finished product to be, much of the outcome is a result of the characteristics of the material.”
The Ray Frederick Gallery is open weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information contact MCC Art Professor Tim Castle at 641-844-5776 or Tim.Castle@iavalley.sites.flyinghippo.com.