Art display opens at Luther College

An art display that is Inspired in part by the history, culture and geography of South Africa opened Friday in the upper level foyer of the Luther College Center for Faith and Life.

Siblings Elsa (Otte) Hammond, Paul Otte and Daniel Otte created the mixed-media artworks, inspired by their experiences in South Africa.

Elsa first earned a nursing degree at Waldorf College before earning a bachelor's degree in biology from Luther in 1962.  After earning a master's degree in worship arts, she began to paint with oils as well.

Paul earned a bachelor's degree in biology at Luther in 1963 before earning a bachelor's degree in English at Augustana College.  In South Africa, he taught himself batiking, the creation of imagery on fabric through the use of wax and colored dyes, before settling in Eugene, Oregon, to teach batiking to young artists at the Eugene Artist-in-the-Schools Elementary Program.

Daniel earned a bachelor's degree in biology at Luther in 1963. He then earned a doctoral degree in zoology at the University of Michigan and currently serves as curator emeritus at the Academy of Natural Sciences and professor of biology at Drexel University in Philadelphia.