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This cardboard miniature, created by husband-and-wife artists Josh Cox and Dawn Gettler, will be featured in an upcoming exhibit celebrating the beauty of family and home.

MARSHALLTOWN, IA — A unique art exhibition, “la vie en rose,” will open at Marshalltown Community College (MCC) featuring the combined work of husband-and-wife artists Josh Cox and Dawn Gettler. The exhibit showcases a projected video installation with cardboard miniatures and drawings that celebrate the beauty found within the routines of family and home. The public is invited to a reception on Wednesday, September 3, from noon to 1:30 pm in the Ray Frederick Gallery.

Fifteen years ago, both artists were creating work centered on a sense of absence and the search for a “missing piece.” Upon meeting and starting their life together, their art evolved. “Our lives have become the artwork,” Cox said, explaining how their collaborative pieces now celebrate their family and home life.

The artists hope their highly personal work resonates with viewers and evokes a strong personal reaction based on their own life experiences. “We’re not ‘finding beauty in the everyday,’ the everyday IS beautiful,” Cox explained.

This will be the couple’s first exhibit at MCC, a location that holds special significance for their work. “Our artwork is centered around our daily life at home and in our community, so it is valuable and enriching to show this work in the same place that inspired it,” Cox noted.

Gettler, a Marshalltown native, holds a BFA from the University of Northern Iowa and an MFA in printmaking from Ohio University. She is a nationally recognized artist who has installed large-scale sculptural installations in residencies and university galleries across the country and has taught art at St. Francis Catholic School. Cox, originally from Central Illinois, has an MS in Art History and Criticism from the Pratt Institute and an MFA from the Art Institute of Boston. He began his artistic journey as an art historian before producing exhibits for arts organizations, museums, and universities. Today, Cox works as a U.S. Postal Worker, and Gettler owns a vintage goods business with her sister.

The artists credit their collaboration to mutual respect and trust. “When we create work together, I defer to Dawn’s conceptual and organizational leadership,” Cox said. “She has a vision, and I trust it.” While they acknowledge the challenge of finding time to create while balancing jobs and family, they believe their intertwined lives make collaboration essential. “It’s a sad reality for most artists these days, the thing that feeds our soul and helps define our purpose, is usually the last thing that we can commit time and energy to,” Cox shared. Despite this, he believes their relationship is the driving force for their art. “It’s hard to imagine not creating together,” Cox said. “Our lives and interests are so inherently intertwined that our artwork wouldn’t really work without collaboration.”

None of the pieces on display will be for sale. The exhibition closes at noon on Friday, September 26. The gallery is open weekdays, 9 am – 5 pm. For further information about the Ray Frederick Gallery, please contact Tim Castle at Tim.Castle@iavalley.edu.