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At a pivotal moment for Columbia College, members of the community, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, are turning to art to explore their shared identity.

The Hokin Gallery at 623 S. Wabash Ave. displays more than 50 works along the walls and pedestals for “Unity,” a juried exhibition curated by senior Madison Yager and senior exhibitions coordinator Mark Porter. The show opened July 7 as part of the college’s 135th anniversary celebration and brings together voices from across the campus in a collective expression.

“With the fluctuations in the college for the past few years, we wanted to present an exhibition of Unity in our own community of Columbia,” said Yager, a senior art history and arts management double major.

As curators, Yager and Porter sought out participants all across the Columbia community to serve as representatives for the voices of the college’s community. The only prompt given in the open call was for participants to submit projects that addressed the theme of unity. “Each participant had a different interpretation of what unity means to them,” Porter said.

The artwork submitted ranged from the celebration of people coming together in social settings to the expression of cultural heritage and political resistance. 

“For me, unity means to stand together; to collectively uplift all our voices to make a statement,” Yager said. “After viewing the show, I hope visitors think about their own communities and histories, using empathy to shape their actions. I want viewers to be reminded of the strength they hold; that, if we all stand together, we can create meaningful change.”

The “Unity” art exhibition will hold a reception on Sept. 4 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will run through Sept. 12.

Sophomore photography major Alice Bortel was invited to share her work in this exhibition. 

“As a musician, my favorite thing to photograph is live bands. Combining two of my favorite things in the world makes me so happy, and at the end of the day, that should be a big part of making artwork,” she said. “I think there’s such a focus on what divides us that we never really highlight what unites us, hence the point of this exhibit.” 

Bortel photographed three live social events, showcasing images from a fashion show, to an art collective, to a concert. 

Bortel expresses the importance of connecting with your subjects in photography. “One of my favorite things about Chicago is the kindness of each person I meet, and I love making people feel like they’re a star in my photographs,” she said.

Especially when capturing social spaces, Bortel said being a part of the community helps enhance her art. 

“Living in the moment doesn’t just mean putting your phone down and looking around. It’s about thinking about how this moment makes you feel,” Bortel said. 

Art History assistant professor Onur Ozturk showcased three laser-cut bowties featuring Islamic designs titled “Twelve Point Star, The Star and Crescent and The Star of Solomon.”

These bow ties, created with plexiglass, masonite and faux leather, were made using the laser cutters in the 623 S. Wabash Ave. building. Ozturk first got into creating Islamic patterns during a summer workshop in 2019. He created his first bowtie in 2020 for a panel titled “Deconstructing the Myths of Islamic Art” for the College Arts Association. “Since then, I have been creating and wearing them in my art history classes both to keep my lectures interesting and to encourage my students to utilize our fabrication facilities,” he said. 

Throughout his education and his teachings, Ozturk aims to demonstrate just how interconnected the histories of many cultures are. Particularly, the connection between the histories of different Abrahamic religions and their symbols was represented in his piece The Star of Solomon, a symbol that served as inspiration for the Star of David. 

Ozturk expressed the importance of recognizing the shared aspects of culture and using that. “I recognize the incredible challenges that our world is facing right now and the only chance we have to challenge them meaningfully is if we come together and collaborate,” he said. 

Hokin Gallery will open another exhibition after ”Unity” closes titled “135 Years in Art and Objects.” The display is set to be a collaboration with the School of Communication and Culture and College Archives & Special Collections. 

Similar to “Unity,” the exhibition will celebrate the 135th anniversary of the college by revealing historically significant objects from the college archives, curated by students that have been a part of the “History of Chicago” courses taught by Erin McCarthy, an associate professor in the School of Communication and Culture.

The Hokin Gallery hours are from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Copy edited by Vanessa Orozco