Vegetable and Mineral presents an exhibition of sculptural works in clay and wood by Lincoln artists, Eric Nels Petersen and Dan Terpstra. The exhibition opens on Monday, January 10, 2011 at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska City.

The exhibition presents 21st century cultural artifacts that explore the physical qualities of clay (mineral) and wood (vegetable). These works assert the primacy of the artists' creative actions and reactions to the inherent characteristics of their chosen materials over any intended or implied content. Both artists believe that the energy of an object or sculpture creates a visceral response in the viewer, and that attempts to explain that reaction linguistically devalues the object and taints the experience of the viewer.

Eric Nels Petersen was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has travelled widely throughout the US and has live in many places in the mountain west. Creating art, whether visually or musically, has always been important facet of his life. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1994 with a degree in Geology, and has gained experience in ceramics through post-graduate programs at Western New Mexico University (Silver City), Utah State University-Logan, University of Missouri-Columbia, as well as at UNL.

Dan Terpstra was born July 25, 1953, in Grinnell, Iowa. He and his family became Nebraska residents in 1965. He graduated from York High School in 1971. In 1984, he married his wife, Patsy. His creative interest in wood sculpting began in 1996. He is a self-taught artist and has exhibited his work throughout Lincoln at LUX Center for the Arts, Haydon Art Center, and at the Parrish Project.

The public is invited to meet the artists and view their work at a reception on Thursday, January 13 from 5-7 p.m. Vegetable and Mineral will remain on exhibit through Thursday, December 16, 2010.

The Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts is located at 801 3rd Corso in Nebraska City and is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Appointments at other times are encouraged: please call ahead. Both the exhibit and the reception are free, handicapped accessible, and open to the public.