Free Activity at the Ankeny Art Center

Just in time for summer vacation, the Ankeny Art Center gallery will reopen its free gallery spaces. This summer we would like to welcome two local artists during June and July. The Ankeny Art Center presents a new exhibition featuring Gary Usovsky of Des Moines and Lindsay Nickol of Des Moines. A reception for both artists will be held on Thursday, June 2th from 5-7pm.

Gary was born in Waterloo, IA in 1954. He received his BA in Graphic Design from Iowa State University in 1986. Gary resides in Des Moines and has spent the last 30 years as an Art Director, Graphic Designer and Freelance Artist in the Des Moines market. His successful management of a Graphic Design and Illustration career over the years has resulted in a distinctive design and painting style for a variety of clients including Meredith Publishing, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and many other local/regional businesses. “My nature and your nature. In this confluence of mind and matter, abstraction is often not only relevant, but essential. There are elements of nature in my work, but not necessarily in the sense of birds or trees and water. Rather the energy and motion of all that I perceive around me. That milieu we call life, with all its spontaneity. My work is spontaneous yet studied, with color, gestural stroke and texture resulting in work that has an inherent “history.” Layers upon layers of color build over ‘reused’ recycled materials to “reveal” an exploratory process (like life) that results in a dynamic and vibrant art. All the work carries within it the “energy of life,” both the struggle and Joie de Vivre.”

Originally from the cornfields of Dyersville, Iowa, Lindsay Nickol is a graduate of Drake University with a Master of Arts in Teaching degree with an endorsement in K-12 Art. She completed her Bachelors in Arts from the University of Northern Iowa with emphasis in graphic design and painting. Following graduation, she began her career as a graphic designer which brought her to Des Moines, Iowa. Today, she has over nine years of graphic design experience, creates commissioned and personal artwork both locally and nationally and instructs art classes at all age levels. “My artwork is a powerful glimpse inside my head regarding my voice, deepest thoughts, hidden emotions and strongest desires. These ideas and experiences come to life on the canvas through the process of the painting. My images are combinations of uncontrolled translating lines, shapes, color and textures formed to highlight and suggest defined imagery guiding the viewer through a surreal experience.” The Ankeny Art Center is located in a city park at SW Third and State Front Road. Gallery hours are Tuesday and Wednesday 9 am to 1 pm, Thursday 4 pm to 7 pm, Friday 9am to 1pm and Saturday 9 am to noon. The Center is closed Sunday and Monday. For more information about the Ankeny Art Center, please visit www.ankenyartcenter.com.