Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 55

The landscape of Sioux Center, Iowa,
where Matt Drissell ’01 teaches art at
Dordt College, has been transformed by
industrial agriculture. Former prairies now
accommodate corn, soybeans, and
confined animal feeding operations.
In this hub of commercial farming, Matt
and his family grow much of their own

Art of Intentionality

food—spinach, chard, snow peas,
and the like. The methodical efforts of
old-fashioned husbandry, such as
pulling weeds by hand, remind Matt of
printmaking, which is also slow,
deliberate work. Matt’s weed prints series,
made in 2012, marries the two processes,
speaking to a desire for intentionality in
a frantic, mechanized world.
Through his art, Matt aims to stretch his
students’ understanding. He learned to
love teaching while working with high
school students through the National City
Ministries Program (now Global Urban
Perspectives) during the summer before
his senior year at Wheaton. Matt earned
an M.F.A. in painting from the New York
Academy of Art. He and his wife,
Becky ’01, both teachers, have three
children whom they unschool.
Family, students, and the surrounding
world inspire Matt’s work. “I firmly believe
in Wheaton’s unofficial motto: All truth is
God’s truth,” he says. “I believe that
as Christians, we can encounter the

“Pigweed from nearby the Swing Set”

world with our eyes open, continually

Plant residue and dirt on Rives BFK 11" x 9"

discovering more about God’s intentions,

by Matt Drissell ’01

understanding humanity’s brokenness,
and seeing how Christ’s love can set
things right.”

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