MHC instructor has artwork selected for permanent collection by Alberta Foundation of the Arts

By Samantha Johnson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on August 2, 2023.

An art and design instructor at Medicine Hat College has had her work purchased for the permanent collection of the Alberta Foundation of the Arts.

Jessica Plattner remains a professional working artist while teaching at MHC, which she feels is important for the students she teaches because she has the experience to support her instruction.

Currently, she has a show on at Gallery@501 in Sherwood Park called On the Surface: Jessica Plattner & Jen Pankratz, and the piece acquired by the AFA is a self-portrait from this collection. Plattner created the self-portrait during the pandemic and the piece was inspired by a 1920’s surrealist collaborative drawing game called Exquisite Corpse.

“I like the idea of a body that’s holding together, but it’s broken apart, so it doesn’t quite make sense, but somehow, it’s still functioning,” says Plattner. “I think especially through the pandemic, so many people felt that way, like they were barely holding it together.”

The self-portrait was selected by the AFA through its Acquisition by Applications program and will be displayed in the AFA’s virtual museum.

“I think it’s so great that we live in a province that supports the arts,” says Plattner. “It’s really important for artists in smaller cities to be recognized provincially and for the AFA to be aware that there are thriving art communities all across the province.”

Plattner’s work can be viewed on her website at http://www.jessicaplattnerart.com.