Luke Scholars “All This and Not Ordinary” course works with Marxhausen Gallery of Art

The Marxhausen Gallery of Art is hosting the exhibition, “Was God Dead? Biblical Imagination in German Expressionist Prints” January 19-March 5. Concordia University, Nebraska’s Luke Scholar’s class will host an event to discuss personal analyses of individual prints within the exhibition on Sunday, February 22 from 1-4 p.m. 

The Luke Scholars involved in the event are all enrolled in the art section “All This and Not Ordinary.” Professor of Art and Director of the Marxhausen Gallery of Art James Bockelman had the students work with the exhibit to allow them to engage with primary-source materials.  

“My goal is to have these students work directly with original prints, studying them and looking closely at them,” he said. “My overarching goal is to provide them with opportunities for them to become better visual thinkers and also develop a greater degree of empathy. Looking at art is like meeting a new acquaintance for the first time.” 

“These raw, graphic art forms became known as German Expressionism and the gravitation towards Biblical stories of expulsion, wandering, deliverance and the passion of Christ gave a powerful depiction of the drama of the human nature in light of the immediate times.”

The students were able to arrange the exhibition and decide where the prints should be displayed in the gallery.  

The Luke Scholars event will focus on students’ personal analyses of specific prints. Each student chose one work to study in depth, and their presentation will include the print’s form and content and how their research is in dialogue with modern art history and theology in the context of a public art gallery.  

A large portion of the artwork displayed in the exhibition are responses to World War I and the aftermath of tragedy and political divide in Germany.  

“Two groups of German artists, the Blue Riders and the Bride developed a unique visual language by recovering the wood cut print method and adopting the primitive mask from Africa and Non-Western societies,” said Bockelman. “These raw, graphic art forms became known as German Expressionism and the gravitation towards Biblical stories of expulsion, wandering, deliverance and the passion of Christ gave a powerful depiction of the drama of the human nature in light of the immediate times.” 

The exhibition and the Luke Scholars Presentation are possible because of Academic Excellence Grant Award, “To Nurture Habits of the Mind.” 

Luke Scholars enrolled in “All This and Not Ordinary” include: 

Timothy Baker, Khovd, Mongolia 

Bailey Bianco, Loveland, Colorado 

Acacia Carlson, Pleasant Dale, Nebraska 

Morgan Davis, Andover, Kansas 

Elaina Hanson, Valdez, Alaska 

Quinlan Hendrickson, Lincoln, Nebraska 

Emma Higgins, Long Prairie, Minnesota 

Kailyn King, Seward, Nebraska 

Micah Knerl, Tekamah, Nebraska 

Lillian Loghry, Omaha, Nebraska 

Cameran Schafer, Orange, California 

The Marxhausen Gallery of Art at Concordia University, Nebraska, named after Reinhold Marxhausen, hosts a wide variety of exhibitions, performances, screenings, and conversations throughout the year that aim to bring Concordia’s campus art community and local residents together. Concordia offers many art programs for students interested in visual expression. Learn more about the gallery here and art program offerings here.