Museum to host retrospective of local artist Opdahl

Monday, October 18, 2021
Greencastle artist Martha Donovan Opdahl with her work “Construction 1” in the background.
Courtesy photo

Local artist Martha Donovan Opdahl has an upcoming art show opening on Sunday.

The Putnam County Museum is hosting Out of Line – A Retrospective Exhibition from Oct. 24 through Feb. 13, 2022.

The work in the show covers a wide range of mediums representing the various directions her work has taken over the years. These include abstract 2D work in fiber, pastel drawings, montage, photography and sculpture. She approaches art making with a drawing sensibility — the constant element is line.

The opening reception is set for 3-5 p.m. on Sunday, with a gallery talk by Opdahl at 3:30 p.m.

Opdahl found early local instruction in making things by borrowing how-to books from the library. Longtime residents of Greencastle might remember her winning the Flower Garden Quilt competition sponsored by the Indianapolis Star in 1977. That win gave her a nudge to pursue graduate studies in art.

Opdahl has been working in fiber professionally since earning her M.F.A. degree in 1985 from the Hope School of Fine Art, Indiana University–Bloomington. She set up her studio in Greencastle, with a winter studio in Santa Fe, N.M., for several years. She worked at DePauw University as curator of the DePauw Art Collection and as gallery director of the Emison Art Center until 1998, when she decided to dedicate herself full-time to making art.

Opdahl has exhibited her work in juried and invitational shows nationwide and internationally. She is represented in private, public and corporate collections such as the Mint Museum in Charlotte, N.C., the Museum of Art and Design in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Art in Santa Fe and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, among others. Her work has appeared in various journals and books.

Her work draws inspiration from living and working in Greencastle.

Putnam County Museum, 105 N. Jackson St., Greencastle, is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday and, special hours during the show, Sundays from 2-4 p.m. For more information, call 653-8419 or visit www.putnamcountymuseum.org.

Additionally, the Putnam County Public Library, 103 E. Poplar St., will host a satellite extension of the Out of Line retrospective exhibition.

It documents Opdahl’s public art installations and events that draw attention to what we risk losing if the accelerated and rising temperatures due to climate change continue unabated. The artist’s goal is to initiate dialogue among us to find common purpose — to exert pressure on those with governmental and corporate power to avert environmental disaster by acting meaningfully to stop the increasing and accelerating temperatures that wreak catastrophic havoc on the land which sustains life.

The library is open from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

To learn more, call 653-2755 or visit www.pcpl21.org.

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