Myths, Glyphs, and Archetypes: Selected Works by Don Kruse

Myths, Glyphs and Archetypes: Selected Works by Don Kruse features work from the entirety of Kruse’s long and fruitful career as artist and educator. Kruse was a professor at the Fort Wayne Art School from 1962-1976, during which time he established three departments: printmaking, photography, and offset printing.  He moved with the art school when it merged with IPFW in 1976, and continued teaching until he retired in 1998.

Kruse is inspired by pre-industrial traditional societies in which everything was made by hand and with exceptional care, when every member of society created art by way of fulfilling their trade. According to Kruse, “To make a book or a wagon, to spin and weave, these were humanizing experiences…often a religious or spiritual discipline. In those times, an artist was not a special kind of person, every person was a special kind of artist.” Kruse is also interested in Jungian psychology and the teachings of Theosophy and Comparative Religion, which is best illustrated by the vibrancy and intricate detail of Kruse’s work.

Featuring paintings, prints, drawings, and calligraphy, Myths, Glyphs and Archetypes embodies the esoteric and ethereal influences that have captivated Kruse in both his artwork and personal life.