Tina Opp’s ‘Wonder Room’ first exhibit for 2024 at Zahradnicek Gallery

Ceramic artist Tina Opp’s “Wonder Room” will be the Mildred Zahradnicek Gallery’s first exhibit of the new year from now through February 22. The exhibit is also part of the 39th Annual Casper College Humanities Festival and Demorest Lecture February 20-24.

“’Wonder Room’ is a ceramic exhibition that celebrates joy and curiosity sparked by the discovery of artifacts, exploring what is lost and what remains in the process of erosion and the passing of time,” said Opp.

“Tina Opp’s ceramic collections on mixed-media displays are designed to elicit feelings of recognition: to compel a desire to touch, feel, and know,” said Valerie Innella Maiers, humanities festival director and visual arts instructor.

Opp will give an artist’s talk as part of the humanities festival on Thursday, Feb. 22, titled “Wonder Room: A Collection of Nature Exhibition.” The talk will begin at 11 a.m. in the Wheeler Concert Hall.

Opp lives near Lark, North Dakota, and divides her time between making ceramic sculptures and working bees with her husband in their beekeeping business, TJO Bees. According to Opp, beekeeping provides an opportunity to work outside and observe her surroundings in nature. “I enjoy seeing how living things interact with each other, how they live, and what they leave behind during their life cycles. These observations are taken back to the studio and used as inspirations to make objects that are playful and invite interaction,” Opp said.

The exhibit and talk are free and open to the public. The Mildred Zahradnicek Gallery is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and it and the Wheeler Concert Hall are located in the Music Building on the Casper College campus.

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