“Zylinder” created by Markus Haala from concrete, cement, gravel, and rebar is just one of the many sculptures included in his “Urban Jazz” exhibit opening on Wednesday, January 18, in the Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace.

Some people look at industrial materials and see industrial materials. Lowell artist Markus Haala, looks at industrial materials and sees inspiration for his art.

Prints and sculptures inspired by and created with industrial materials like rebar, wood, concrete and gravel, are the centerpiece of Haala’s exhibit “Urban Jazz” which opens Wednesday, January 18, at Northern Essex Community College’s Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace in the Bentley Library on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliot St.

The show will run through March 4. The exhibit is free and open to the public during library hours which are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The library is closed Monday, January 16, Martin Luther King Day.
An artist’s reception will be held Thursday, January 26, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

“Many of my methods of creating artwork are rather unusual,” said Haala, the owner of the Lowell print shop “Western Avenue Press”. “I see my work as ‘urban inspired’… My inspiration and enthusiasm is rooted in childhood memories, observations of man-made interventions into nature, the ongoing metamorphosis of the environment we are living in, the infrastructure that surrounds us and architecture in its purest form…”

Lowell artist Markus Haala, owner of the Lowell print shop “Western Avenue Press,” will exhibit his work at NECC’s ArtSpace beginning January 18. He will speak at an artist’s reception on Thursday, January 26.

Haala is both an artist and educator. Currently a Master of Fine Arts candidate in visual arts at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, NH, he studied at the University of Bonn, Germany; Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam, The Netherlands; and Lesley University College of Art and Design.
He is presently an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University College of Art & Design and Salem State University in Salem. He is also the education and programs director at ConcordArt – Concord Center for the Visual Arts. In addition to being founder and director of Western Avenue Press – Lowell’s first project space for contemporary printmaking, Haala operates Studio Markus Haala where he works as both artist and curator of exhibitions and events within the field of fine art printmaking.

His work has been nationally and internationally exhibited and published. His exhibits have appeared in Pakistan, Estonia, Spain, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Australia.

Additional information on Haala can be found at his website.

This exhibit is sponsored by the art department and the NECC Foundation. The exhibits featured in the Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace Gallery express the views of the artists. They do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.

NECC offers an associate degree in general studies: art which provides a two-year degree with a focus on specific area of the arts, such as fine arts, multi-media, photography, or visual communications.

For further information contact Patricia Kidney at pkidney@necc.mass.edu or Marc Mannheimer at mmannheimer@necc.mass.edu