The Vice and Virtue curator gave insight into the reasoning for his designed exhibition, which includes artwork from more than 45 local and famous artists, on Saturday at the NIU art Museum in Atgeld Hall.

The curator, Peter Olson, who is also the assistant director of the NIU Art Museum, hosted the discussion on his latest exhibition at 1 p.m.

As the talk began, Olson gave insight into the flow of the exhibition, the overarching themes and how they create a dichotomy, and the reasons he chose certain pieces.

Olson, who graduated from NIU with a MFA in printmaking, has been with the Art Museum ever since. Over 20 years, he has worked his way up to assistant director.

“Well, it’s an honor to still be involved with an institution and to get to really have stayed with it for a long time,” said Olson. “I really know the institution well, so it’s kind of like knowing the audience.”

During the event, he talked about how he assembles an exhibition artistically and how it comes together logistically. “Vice and Virtue” took more than a year to assemble.

“What I really wanted to do with this exhibition was present something for people that maybe I don’t see as often in the art museum,” said Olson. “I think because these themes are so universal that it’s not just a show for artists.”

Work from more than 45 artists, including local talent and famous artists like Andy Warhol, highlight the exhibition. Pieces came from the artists themselves, commercial galleries, museums and other academic institutions. Olson said obtaining all the artwork was a lengthy process, with lots of paperwork, getting to know other artists and establishing trust.

The exhibition features a couple of firsts for the Art Museum. The museum issued a call for entries, asking artists to submit works they thought relevant to the show. In response, Chicagoland artist April Dauscha’s work Magdalene was relocated from the Richmond, Va., area to DeKalb. The exhibition features multiple works by Dauscha and she will give her own talk and workshop from 6 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 6 in the Visual Arts Building.

Another first Olson developed for the exhibition was an interactive element. One part of the exhibit features a series of Polaroid photos shot by Warhol. Beneath the pictures are changeable labels that guests are encouraged to switch amongst the pictures to fit their own interpretation. Olson explained that the context of an image, its lighting, placement and the labels around it affect how it’s perceived.

“That was probably my favorite, depending on what you put underneath it,” said Jessica Biller, sophomore special education major. “It changes your vision in how you look at the picture. Actually, there was a picture of Santa and someone put under it ‘lust’ and it was funny. Then I switched it to hope.”

Biller attended along with her boyfriend, Mike Brannon, UIC chemical engineering student, who thought NIU had something to appreciate.

“I like what you guys have got here,” said Brannon, “I like the split between Vice and Virtue. They’re definitely different in their own ways.”

After the hour-and-a-half discussion concluded, Olson commented on how he wished guests would view the exhibition.

“The concepts are universal but they find expression in some very idiosyncratic ways,” said Olson. “It’s a little bit opaque to most people and you sort of have to have a little faith, which is one of the virtues. You have to have a little faith in some of the stuff and the artists.”

Makenna Moscinski, freshman speech pathology major, viewed the exhibition.

“I love it,” said Moscinski. “It’s really interesting, especially for college students. It seems like is a good topic to ponder on.”

The exhibition continues through Feb. 23 at the NIU Art Museum in the west wing of Altgeld Hall. Admission is free for all and the exhibition can be seen during regular museum hours. For more information, visit the Art Museum’s website at www.niu.edu/artmuseum/.