FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 6, 2004

CONTACT:
Nora Wendl, (515) 271-1994, nora.wendl@drake.edu
Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119, lisa.lacher@drake.edu

ANDERSON GALLERY TO OPEN FALL SEASON WITH THE WORK OF INSTALLATION ARTIST DANIEL RAFFIN

Opening on Friday, Aug. 27, and on view through Oct. 3 at Drake University's Anderson Gallery, the exhibition "Longing" presents the work of widely exhibited installation artist Daniel Raffin.

Raffin is a professor of art at Colorado College, and an acclaimed artist who has held residencies in art centers across the nation, and most recently in Hungary. An architect of uncanny spaces, he creates installations that are, in his words, "both strange, and hauntingly familiar." The Anderson Gallery will showcase an installation that focuses on the creation of a narrative space in which audience plays a crucial, if understated, role.

A meditation on the nature of time and being, "Longing" presents a montage of visual and auditory experiences that are at once rational, anxious and beautiful. Conceiving of the gallery as a room of unfurling space, Raffin uses the imagery of ballet, its grace and transcendent nature, as a basis from which to begin a narrative 'leap' through space.

Video projection and structured sound are the foundation of this installation at Anderson Gallery. A collaboration of sculptural elements, sound, and transfixing images from a video rendition of the ballet "Don Quixote" will draw audiences through the exhibition space to form their own narratives and interpretations of this spatial piece.

An exhibition highlight is the opening night's gallery talk, which will be given by the artist at 5:30 p.m. Raffin will discuss the work, his process of discovery while creating it, and offer interpretations on his installation. A gallery brochure, giving an account of an interview with the artist, will accompany the exhibition. Both the opening reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.

The Anderson Gallery is located in the Harmon Fine Arts Center, 25th Street and Carpenter Avenue in Des Moines. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For images of the works or further information about the exhibition and the gallery, call (515) 271-1994, send an e-mail message to nora.wendl@drake.edu, or visit www.drake.edu/andersongallery.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
(All events/programs at the Anderson Gallery are free and open to the public)
Exhibition Dates: Aug. 27 - Oct. 3, 2004
Opening Reception: 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, Anderson Gallery
Gallery Talk: Artist Daniel Raffin will offer interpretations on his installation, leading to a discussion of the work and his process, at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, in the Anderson Gallery.

CONTACT
Anderson Gallery: (515) 271-1994
Fax: (515) 271-2558
E-mail: andersongalleryinfo@drake.edu
Web site: http://ww.drake.edu/andersongallery

ADDRESS
Anderson Gallery, Harmon Fine Arts Center
Drake University
25th Street and Carpenter Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50311

The main entrance to the Anderson Gallery is on 25th Street, on the street level of Harmon Fine Arts Center (red brick building on the northwest corner of 25th and Carpenter). Free, two-hour parking is available on 24th and 25th Streets.

GALLERY HOURS
Noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Free admission to the Anderson Gallery and programs at the gallery

ABOUT THE ANDERSON GALLERY
The Anderson Gallery, a nonprofit exhibition space at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, was founded in 1996 to exhibit and support innovation in art and design. The gallery strives to enrich the cultural life of the University and area communities through diverse and challenging exhibitions, educational programs, and publications.

As a showcase for art and design exhibitions, the Anderson Gallery, with its humanistic and interdisciplinary interpretation of art and culture, is an essential component of the University's academic programs and the Department of Art and Design. The gallery offers area residents, visitors, and students from all disciplines the opportunity to participate in the current discourse and historical context surrounding art and design.

Photo Cutlines:

"Mare Incognitum" by Daniel Raffin was created out of video footage projected onto sculpture.

One of the ballet images that will be projected during Daniel Raffin's installation of the exhibition titled "Longing."