A large metal vessel stands in the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames. On Friday, people will be able to look and admire “Conversations of a Hammer” by ISU alumnus Aaron Doerder at the Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood Exhibition. The exhibit will be open to the public Friday through March 26.

The exhibit will feature artists from several different states, including a few from Iowa State, said Heather Straszheim, curator of the Octagon.

The show will feature 72 artworks from 53 artists from 10 different states. Straszheim said this particular show is unique and diverse.

“This exhibit is a conglomeration of different media,” said Straszheim. “It’s now in its 38th year. It’s a national show, so we’ve gotten entries from all over the United States, including Florida and North California this year. It’s a very unique show; it’s very eclectic with media that people use.”

Two of Doerder’s entries were accepted into the show this year, and he had one entry accepted last year as well.

The former ISU student said it wasn’t easy for him to get to this point.

“It takes time and know-how,” Doerder said. “I’ve been working at it for five years; I’m starting to figure out exactly what’s going on. It’s a pretty tough process; it’s not something you can pick up right away.

“You need to be really precise, like making a piece of furniture. It needs to be right on and right where you need it to be.”

Doerder said he learned about the exhibit through flyers the Octagon distributed.

He said his art professors stressed the importance of this national exhibit and encouraged him to enter.

Ingrid Lilligren, associate professor in art and design, will also have her artwork displayed at the exhibit. Her piece, “Finding Home” consists of a wooden chair, a bowl with some hair inside, a poem and, interestingly enough, Braille.

“The reason I used Braille in this piece [is] it’s not so that blind people can experience the work, because it’s really not effectively arranged for a blind person to experience it,” Lilligren said. “It’s really to talk about the areas in which we are blind. Love is blind, and this is a piece about love, specifically about the deep joy and wonder of finding a companion for life, and pays homage to that.”

Lilligren said she is excited about displaying her artwork and helping the Octagon and their exhibition program.

April Katz, associate professor of art and design, said she is looking forward to the exhibition, because it is an opportunity for her to display her artwork locally. Katz said she exhibits her art extensively throughout the country, and displaying her art is something she doesn’t normally do. Her piece, “Since,” is based on her concerns for identity.

“The work is based on my concern with identity and it shows the sort of multilayered forces or factors that make us who we are, and that includes social background, family background, cultural background and also medical – the body – and how that makes us who we are,” she said.

Katz plans on giving a presentation Feb. 17, at which she said she will be giving a history of more current work. She said the Octagon is a wonderful institution for the city of Ames.

“I believe art has a way of talking about the world in a way that’s different than other types of information,” Katz said. “Normally in a large city there are many opportunities to be exposed to art, but it’s limited here, and the Octagon is a phenomenal resource.”