Tom Hovorka Retrospective Exhibit

Tom Hovorka, professor of art at Alverno College, is exhibiting a retrospective of his art works from 1963-2009 in the Alverno College Art and Cultures Gallery. The exhibit runs through September 27; the opening reception is Friday, September 11, from 4:30 – 8 p.m. with Hovorka giving his artist talk at 7 p.m. The gallery is located at 3401 S. 39th Street, Milwaukee.

Born and raised in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Hovorka attended the Academy of Visual Art between 1964 and 1969. He left his homeland and traveled to Vienna in 1969 after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Hovorka held his first one-person exhibit of graphics in the International Artist’s Club in the Austrian Cultural Center. He applied for an immigration visa at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1976.

Hovorka began his professional career when he participated in producing etched glass murals designed by his professor for the Czechoslovak Pavilion in the World Expo 1967 in Montreal, Canada. After relocating to the United States, he worked in various art-related fields. His graphics and paintings were included in various state, regional and national exhibitions during the 1970s and 1980s. Some of his art works received awards, and some are included in several permanent and private collections. Hovorka’s series of mixed media drawings was selected to win national competition, and he was awarded a one-person exhibit in the Viridian Gallery in New York in 1990.

Hovorka likes to work in various media including drawing, painting, graphics and three-dimensional materials, and he believes that content defines the form of his work. He prefers a classical – structured approach in teaching his fundamental courses at Alverno in drawing and design, and supports individual student’s creative and experimental approaches in the advanced courses he teaches.

Gallery hours are Wednesday – Sunday, 12 noon – 5 p.m., and Thursday, 12 noon – 7 p.m., with the exception of Saturday, September 5 & 19 (open from noon – 4 p.m.) and Sunday, September 6 & 20 (closed). For additional information contact Gallery Director Lynda Sommers at 414-382-6149.