New art exhibits planned in the winter quarter include the world premiere of the university's newly acquired collection of lithographs by James McNeil Whistler.

The Whistler show and three other Nelson Gallery exhibits are set to open Jan. 9 and run through March 18 in three places.

• Jeffrey Ruesch Collection of Lithographs by James McNeil Whistler -- Room 124, Art Building. Ruesch, an alumnus who died in 2003, assembled some of the best and rarest of Whistler's works. With his gift of 60 pieces, the university now holds 71 Whistler prints.
• War and Representation: Photojournalism of War from the 1930s to Today -- Room 124, Art Building. This small exhibit will feature images from Darfur and Iraq by Lynsey Addario and Benjamin Lowy, and vintage works from the collection of Barry Ramer. The Nelson also plans ongoing screenings of a video documentary on acclaimed war photographer James Nachtway.
• Formalism in the Photographic Landscape -- Entryway Gallery, Room 125, Art Building. This small exhibit draws from the university's collection of formal or abstract works, almost always devoid of people and focusing instead on architecture, or pattern, shape, repetition and similar design qualities.
• Profiles, Silhouettes and Faces -- Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center. This exhibit will be a sampling of drawings and prints from the last several centuries, highlighting "the enduring curiosity that people have about themselves, their kind and their appearance," according to a news release.

Gorman Museum

Ana de Orbegoso's The Invisible Wall, described by the museum as "a photographic confrontation where barriers become inseparable from the essence of human beings." An opening reception is set for 5 p.m. Jan. 9, and the exhibit is scheduled to run through March 16. A talk by the artist is scheduled for 5 p.m. Feb. 15.

Design Museum

Encountering Textiles: Celebrating the Legacy of Daniel Crowley, the late professor of anthropology and art history. According to the museum's Web site, Crowley's contributions to the university's Design Collection "demonstrate the creativity and beauty of ethnic textile traditions." Crowley collected these "extraordinary objects" during his many expeditions to Africa, South America and Asia, and the objects "represent the aesthetic attitudes and techniques that continue to influence contemporary design and living." The exhibit is set to run from Jan. 4 through March 11.

Craft Center Gallery

New ceramic work by Latika Jain, Craft Center wheelthrowing instructor, Jan. 8 through Feb. 9.

Basement Gallery

The Inevitable End, with everyone in the community invited to participate in the art's creation, through Jan. 2. Directors of the the student-run gallery in the Art Building basement designed and welded the exhibit's "seed," a wrought-iron sculpture, and people are invited to add to it -- so long as each addition is physically connected to something already part of the work, and that no existing pieces are moved or altered in any dramatic or disrespectful way. A reception is planned at 7 p.m. Jan. 4 to present the finished work.