By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the Sept. 24 meeting of the Guthrie County Hospital’s board of trustees, Chief Nursing Officer Tina Nourse reported on the nursing department. CEO Chris Stipe added comments.

“We had the opportunity to interview a very interesting nurse practitioner who has some internal medicine background. It went very well,” Stipe said.

Foundation Director Dennis Flanery updated the trustees on plans for the hospital’s celebration of its 75^th anniversary.

“Put it on your calendars, Dec. 3. We will be hosting events here at the hospital,” he said. “We would like people to submit to us their memories or stories about the hospital.”

Chief Human Resources Officer Mary Anderson reported on her department.

“Our retention rate has dropped a little bit, but it’s still at 93.1%. But anything over 90 is amazing,” she said.

Regarding the employee health insurance premiums, Anderson and Stipe said the expected premium increase is expected to be minimal, likely less than a 10% increase.

Chief Operations Officer Travis Martin reported on the ongoing construction project at the hospital.

“Everything is still moving forward. We dug the hole, and we have a pond out there for MRI. It seems like it has never stopped raining since we dug,” he said, adding that the main entrance to the hospital is now slightly east of where it had been in previous months. He said the current entrance is at the “radiology door” and he expects that to be a temporary situation of only a week or so.

Chief Financial Officer Brandon Johnson reported on the hospital’s financial status and performance. He noted that the start of the school year brought an increase in boosters and vaccinations.

The next regular meeting of the trustees is set for Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. The public is welcome. Because of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, the trustees rescheduled the monthly meetings in November and December. The meetings are now set for Nov. 30 and Dec. 28.

David B Dahlquist | “Relic of a Kiss” | 31” x 18” x 17” | ceramic

Special to the Times Vedette

An art exhibition by Lake Panorama resident David B. Dahlquist titled “INTERIORITY: New Work by David B. Dahlquist” will open Oct. 2 with an artist reception from 5-8 p.m. at Moberg Gallery, 2411 Grand Ave. in Des Moines and will remain on view through Nov. 6.

This exhibition explores the relationship between inner life, nature, architecture and the spaces we create to contain and protect what is within.

At the heart of “INTERIORITY” is the idea that the natural world can provide a metaphor for our own internal lives. Forests, caves, shells, nests, and other naturally occurring forms create sheltered spaces — places of refuge, protection, transformation and growth. Dahlquist considers these spaces alongside the human experience of identity, memory, consciousness and self-reflection.

“The concept of interiority in relationship to nature bridges philosophy, ecology, art and architecture,” Dahlquist writes. “It is the thread that connects mind and body.”

For Dahlquist, the concept also returns to one of the oldest relationships in art: the vessel. Throughout the history of ceramics, pottery has embodied the relationship between inside and outside — the physical act of creating a container becomes a meditation on what it means to hold, shelter, preserve and reveal.

Dahlquist’s longstanding relationship with clay makes this exploration particularly resonant. A nationally recognized artist, educator and public-art collaborator, Dahlquist has spent decades creating site-specific sculptural works that connect art, architecture, landscape and community. His work includes more than 80 public-art projects across the country, including the widely recognized “From Here to There” installation at Iowa’s High Trestle Trail Bridge. He also served as creative director of the RDG Dahlquist Art Studio and is currently principal emeritus and creative consultant with RDG Planning and Design.

Dahlquist returned to personal studio ceramics in 2020, reconnecting with the material and processes that have been central to his artistic practice. His work is rooted in storytelling and in the belief that materials, objects, and environments can create meaningful experiences for those who encounter them.

In “INTERIORITY,” these ideas come together in a body of work that encourages viewers to look beyond the exterior — to consider the spaces within objects, within nature and within us.

“Perhaps the oldest and most profound understanding of Interiority is found in the history of ceramics and specifically in pottery where the ‘spirit of containment,’ the relationship between inside and outside, is made real,” Dahlquist writes.