Mount Mercy Global Issues Series lecture explores Nepal art, culture

Mount Mercy University's Associate Professor of Art Kathryn Hagy, M.F.A, will present “Between Yesterday and Today: Contemporary Art in Nepal,” during a special Global Issues Series on Thursday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m. in Basile Hall's Flaherty Community Room. The lecture is free and open to the public, seating may be limited.

Hagy's presentation will examine work from the last decade by six Nepalese artists and delves into questions such as how today's artists align themselves between their ancient arts and their contemporary context. What is the conversation about globalism and its impact on artists in Nepal? How do artists deal with social pressures? Is their work directly affected by these pressures?

Through in-country research and subsequent study and interviews with artists, Hagy unveils an energetic art scene that draws much of its inspiration from a local context, whether that be in affirmation of or protests against. After visiting Kathmandu, Nepal, Hagy discovered that like the ancient sculptures, paintings and temple architecture that exists on every corner, the art of contemporary Nepal is everywhere.

Hagy's lecture dovetails with a unique art exhibit to be displayed at Mount Mercy's Janalyn Hanson White Gallery March 8-29. The exhibit, "Serendipity: Work by Art Students from Nepal" will feature the creative work of Nepali students whom Hagy had the opportunity to work with while serving as a Fulbright Scholar in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2010. Learn more about this exhibit on Mount Mercy's website -->

Hagy is a professional artist born in The Dalles, Oregon and who grew up in the Pacific Northwestern United States. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and printmaking from the University of Washington in Seattle, and her Master of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design, where she received the Award of Excellence in Printmaking.

Hagy recently received a 2010 Fulbright Award for research and teaching in Kathmandu, Nepal, as well as a 2011 South/Central Asia Regional Travel Award to Colombo, Sri Lanka. In addition, she has received fellowships and grants from the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, the Manhattan Graphics Center, and the Frans Masereel Centrum in Belgium. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.

At Mount Mercy, Hagy teaches drawing, printmaking, art history and art appreciation. The primary focus of her recent artwork is an ongoing series of water images that explore natural phenomena.

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