Montgomery College to Celebrate the Retirement of Renowned Art Professor with Retrospective Exhibition, Oct. 1-25

Komelia Hongja Okim has travelled the world as a well-known artist and lecturer, but for 40 years, she has called Montgomery College home. Professor Okim is retiring and the College is celebrating her work with a retrospective exhibition spanning over 40 years of creative work, October 1-25, titled “My Life as an Artist and Educator.”

The exhibition will take place in the Sarah Silberman Art Gallery of the Paul Peck Art Building at the College’s Rockville Campus, located at 51 Mannakee Street. The exhibition will feature an opening reception on October 1 from 5-7 p.m. and an artist’s reception on Saturday, October 5 from 1-4 p.m. Professor Okim will speak at the receptions, 5 p.m. for the opening reception and at 2 p.m. for the artist’s reception. The gallery is open for visitors Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Professor Okim, coordinator of jewelry and crafts at Montgomery College, has conducted over 120 lectures and workshops worldwide, including the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. She has curated and exhibited in numerous national and international expositions and symposiums, most recently the 2011 World Taiwan Expo: International Craft and Design Exhibition; Symbiosis & Environment. A Fulbright senior scholar, Professor Okim has conducted metal technique workshops and lectures in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Russia, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. Professor Okim is a recipient of a Montgomery County arts grant on research metal patina techniques.

The Sarah Silberman Art Gallery is an educational resource of the Rockville Campus Art Department. Its primary function is to augment, enhance and promote the teaching and understanding of art through a diverse program of changing exhibitions, benefiting Montgomery College and the public.

For more information about the Sarah Silberman Art Gallery, call 240-567-5115 or visit www.montgomerycollege.edu/artrockville.