Morgan Binkerd ’20 Returns to Wilson Gallery With “Vessel”
Alumna exhibition features years of painting and storytelling work opening Feb. 13 at Anderson University
Morgan Binkerd ’20, an Indianapolis-based writer and painter, welcomes the community to experience “Vessel.” This is a dynamic collection of paintings spanning several years of her creative work. The exhibition opens at Wilson Gallery on Friday, February 13.
Binkerd, an Anderson native, pursued her passion for storytelling through writing and literary studies at AU. Her involvement with “Slates,” the university’s literary arts magazine, and The Andersonian student news outlet helped shape her voice as a writer. Her work as a student gallery assistant proved formative to her growth as a visual artist. In that role, she gained hands-on experience with artwork and built relationships with exhibiting artists. She also played a key role in the relocation of the Jeeninga Museum from Nicholson Library to the lobby of York Performance Hall.
Following her mid-pandemic graduation, Binkerd spent four consecutive summers studying at the Mount Gretna School of Art with world-renowned artists. This past summer, she also completed a six-week residency at the Chautauqua Institution’s School of Art.
Today, Binkerd’s creative practice reflects her dual identity as both a storyteller and painter. Based in Indianapolis, she uses her studio work as a way to seek a deeper connection with herself and with the natural world. Her process is slow and internally driven, built through scraping and layering paint over extended periods of time. The resulting surfaces become a meditative response to nature’s ever-changing state and explore the overlap between written and visual mediums, with many of her paintings approached as works of fiction.
Her studio is housed at the Harrison Center in Indianapolis, where her work and that of other Indy-based artists can be viewed during monthly First Friday events.
“Vessel” marks Binkerd’s return to Wilson Gallery. Her work has previously been exhibited at the Speck Gallery at the Harrison Center, Newfields in Indianapolis, and both Blue Mountain Gallery and Bowery Gallery in New York City.
“The work in ‘Vessel’ contains several years of work and is a representation of my journey into painting, spanning the last few years in which I found my voice as a painter and my explorations in different methods of working and grappling with the medium of oil paint. I am interested in exploring the overlap of written and visual mediums, often seeing the paintings as works of poetry. My work explores themes of time, transformation, decomposing and regenerative energies, and the power of nature as a guiding force.” – Morgan Binkerd ’20
Meet Morgan Binkerd and view the exhibition at Wilson Gallery on Friday, February 13, 5-7 p.m. The show will be open to the public through Friday, March 13.
About Anderson University
Anderson University educates students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 50 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 18 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult, graduate, and online programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized for excellence in business, computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, music, nursing, psychology, social work, and teacher education programs. Established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God, the university remains committed to its Christ-centered mission.
