MCC Fine Arts Gallery welcomes Andrea Ondish

Thursday, February 24, 2022 - 10:59

FLINT, Michigan — Beginning Feb. 21, Mott Community College’s Fine Arts Gallery will host an exhibition of reliefs and paintings by creative Andrea Ondish.
 
A native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Ondish joined the faculty at Saginaw State University in 2002 as an Art Appreciation Lecturer. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking from Indiana State University. She also earned a MA in Printmaking and Painting from Eastern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marywood University in Drawing, Painting, Illustrating, and Printmaking.

Ondish currently serves as Curator of Education at the Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum at SVSU and cites ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia and Egypt as visual art influences. Her array of contemporary artistic influences is vast and include Emmi Whitehorse, Chang Liu, Jean Michel Basquiat, and Laylah Ali. 

The exhibition, titled “Reliefs and Recent Paintings: Recent Works,” will feature works created using cold wax encaustic, watercolor, acrylic, and oil pastels and paint. The artist states, “The content of the artwork seems to lean toward the weathering of a surface over a passage of time, how a surface gets marred by random marks, how dirt and grime build up in the deep recesses on the surface; a metaphor in life.”  

In addition, Ondish will give an Art Talk on her works which will be made available on the MCC Fine Art Gallery page. The talk is made possible in part by the Ballenger Trust.

Flint native and art enthusiast Jaime Holbrook Love characterizes Ondish’s work as colorful and thought-provoking. “The work really draws me in. In many ways, this art feels like a metaphor for life in a pandemic. I can’t wait to visit her work in person.” 

Holbrook Love went on to describe how proud she is to see an art gallery on a college campus in her hometown. “Flint’s Cultural Center used to be the only place to visit with artistic works. It’s so special that Mott’s students have access to such powerful, woman-made work on their campus. It really makes me proud to see my city growing in all directions.” 

Founded in 1923, Mott Community College is home to nearly 100 academic and occupational degree programs. In January, the art gallery hosted works from Fenton resident Andrew Reider and multimedia visual artist Rebecca Casement. In March, the gallery will showcase “Quarantine in Black & White” by MCC graduate alumna Manda Villarreal.

Ondish’s work will appear on campus through March 8, 2022. Patrons planning to visit the exhibit should be mindful of COVID-19 requirements. All visitors are required to perform mandatory Health and Wellness checks. Gallery capacity is limited. Up-to-date campus guidelines can be found at: mcc.edu/reopen

The Fine Arts Gallery is located on Mott’s main campus at 1401 Court St. in Flint. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exhibitions are free and open to the public.

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