Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Muskegon Community College’s Overbrook Art Gallery will present I See What You’re Playing: Jazz Portraits Reimagined, an exhibition of vibrant paintings by artist John Rieben, Sept. 14 through Oct. 15.

The exhibition explores the connection between music and visual art, using color, composition and portraiture to capture the energy, personality and spirit of jazz. Rieben’s work invites viewers to experience familiar musical figures and the character of jazz through a distinctly visual lens.

“Jazz has always had a visual quality to it — the movement, the personalities, the energy and the emotion,” said MCC Art Faculty Erin Hoffman. “This exhibition gives people an opportunity to experience that energy in a completely different way.

The public is invited to meet Rieben during a free artist reception and gallery talk from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, in the Overbrook Gallery. Rieben will discuss his work and the ideas and experiences that influenced the exhibition.

“We’re excited to welcome John to campus and give our community the chance to hear directly from him about the inspiration and creative process behind these works,” Hoffman said.

• WHAT: I See What You’re Playing: Jazz Portraits Reimagined
• WHEN: Sept. 14-Oct. 15
• RECEPTION & ARTIST’S GALLERY TALK: 3:30-4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14
• WHERE: Overbrook Gallery, Muskegon Community College, 221 S. Quarterline Road, Muskegon
• ADMISSION: Free

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

John Rieben is an internationally recognized graphic designer, artist and educator whose career spans more than five decades. He studied at the University of Michigan before earning graduate degrees at Indiana University, including an MFA in graphic design. His career has included leadership positions with Container Corporation of America and UNIMARK International, as well as design and communications work for companies including Raychem Corporation. He later served as an executive vice president and creative director with Mobium/RR Donnelley before establishing a private design-consulting practice.

Rieben also spent 18 years teaching in the Department of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is professor emeritus. His work has been exhibited internationally and is represented in permanent collections at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, Denver Art Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum and the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at Rochester Institute of Technology. Rieben has a longstanding connection to jazz and graphic design. His earlier design work includes Jazz Ltd., a poster recognized for its use of color, shape and visual rhythm to convey the improvisational character of jazz.