A social event occurred in the Elizabethtown College Zug Memorial Hall on Sept. 29. It was for an artist named Ron Ettelman to display his works.

Participants viewed Ettelman’s works throughout the Hess Gallery and commented on them. Then, Ettelman told his story of becoming an artist and his process of creating art.

Ettelman’s works lie within his assemblages. He gathers many random things and makes his artworks from them. His assemblages are limitless. One of his works, “Balancing Act, 2015,” uses piano parts. Doing this makes his works unique because it grants him access to many art materials.

“He is a master craftsman,” professor of art Milt Friedly said.

Essentially, the items in Ettelman’s assemblage are sparks of his imagination.

“Everything comes from seeds,” Ettelman said.

Whenever Ettelman gets stuck with something while creating something, he puts it away and then goes back to it. During this, he may find something unordinary and adds it to his assemblage. This element most likely gets added into the work he struggled with.

“Chance and time are two great ingredients in my work,” Ettelman said.

This coincides with Ettelman’s thought process of evolution within his works. He normally starts with one object, then he adds stuff to it until it becomes a finished project. During this, Ettelman does not know what the finished work will look like. The additions make the original project develop into something unexpected.

“Everything develops from nothing,” Ettelman said.

Another thing Ettelman discussed during the event was the different concepts of art. Art can be perceived in many ways because every viewer’s mind is infinite. Their vast imaginations let them see and connect with artwork differently.

“Art only exists in your mind,” Ettelman said.

When people see and comment on your artwork, it lives. It grows from many perspectives and becomes something different from the finished work. However, it cannot receive this if the artist hides it from the world.

After his story, Ettelman allowed the participants to ask questions about certain features within his individual pieces. Then, he explained the meanings within those features and how they connected as a whole.

Ettelman also had experience in history, which allows most of his projects to contain historic elements. There are also some subtle political references in his works. Some include references to religion and state institutions.

During the event Ettelman discussed one of his works mentioning the mental effects of global warming. He stated that it began developing after he grew up, but it was oblivious to other people.

Friedly helped set up the event along with his senior seminar students. He brought Ettelman and his artworks and the seminar students installed them in the Hess Gallery to gain experience mounting an exhibit.

 Friedly gained a close connection with Ettelman from meeting him 20 years ago. Throughout that time, Friedly appreciated Ettelman’s artwork and process. Most of them look well-articulated even though Ettelman does not have a known goal when creating. There is a meaning behind them and their assemblages.

“Each one of them has a story,” Friedly said.

Friedly also finds Ettelman’s works unordinary humorous because of how he arranges his objects.

“Ron is kind of a wacky artist,” Friedly said.

Ettelman worked hard to become the artist he is today. He started working with art in 1962, and between that year and 1970, he honed his skills through institutions and colleges with scholarships. Many of his experiences afterward include being a freelance illustrator, promoting his works on television, and being a framer.

You can visit the Hess Gallery in Zug Memorial Hall to view his artworks. It is open from 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. during the weekdays and from 1- 5 p.m. on the weekends.