There’s a new coordinator and new exhibits to be seen at the Jack Olson Gallery.

“I want to bring in a broader audience and make it a more interesting space,” said new coordinator Peter Van Ael.

Van Ael is a practicing woodcutter artist and has experience in formal museum settings.

He is eager about the thought of raising money for victims of the recent natural disasters and is excited about the gallery in general. He sounds hopeful for the future and about his own ability to be an asset to the NIU community.

Van Ael, who comes to NIU from Midwestern State University in Texas, says he sees the gallery as a sort of advertisement for NIU and hopes to attract prospective students to NIU as well as visiting students from other universities.

“When it works well, it really becomes a space for visual stimulation,” Van Ael said. “Visitors are really encouraged.”

Van Ael hopes to increase attendance and knowledge of the gallery and of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

He said he hopes to raise awareness for the space so it is used more by all the different entities of NIU.

Though the Bushwick Farms exhibit at the gallery has left, there are plenty of new, innovative exhibits coming to the gallery this year.

Next in line for the gallery is an area high-school show, which will showcase the works of high-school students in the NIU and DeKalb community. It will run Monday through Nov. 6.

The Black Box special exhibition, entitled “Black Box: Displacement,” is scheduled for Nov. 8 to 11, with a reception and silent auction Nov. 10. The auction will feature donated pieces of work from various artists and designers. Money raised will benefit the Southern Arts Federation, based in Atlanta.

The gallery is located in the Visual Arts Building in the southeast corner of campus, near the corner of Lucinda Avenue and Garden Road. It is part of NIU’s School of Art. For more information, contact Van Ael at 753-4521. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is free.