The Origins series highlights the work of UMW Art alumni and the UMW Galleries are thrilled to host Samantha Van Heest (UMW Class of 2020). Van Heest utilizes still life, found objects, and textiles to explore our relationships and rituals with the seemingly mundane, navigating patterns of collecting and preserving through unconventional means of presentation. Her hyperrealistic renderings of everyday domestic objects memorializes ephemeral discards and invites conversation around the politics of consumerism.
The exhibition will be on view from January 20 – March 15, 2026, in the duPont Gallery, with an opening reception on Tuesday, January 20th from 5-7pm.
A gallery talk with Samantha Van Heest will be held on March 12th at 5pm in duPont Gallery.

Carolyn Marks Johnson: Woman, The Spirit of the Universe features twenty-three collars, hand-stitched and cast in bronze, created by Texas artist and judicial judge Carolyn Marks Johnson. Each collar honors the lifelong achievements of brave women who contributed to equality for all women. In addition to the exquisite collars, this traveling exhibition includes ephemera and paintings that invite further exploration and conversation about the achievements of women such as Margaret Brent, Dorothea Lange, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Harriet Tubman, among others.
The exhibition will be on view from January 20 – March 15, 2026, in the Ridderhof Martin Gallery, with an opening talk with Carolyn Marks Johnson, artist, and Tracy Stonestreet, Gallery Director, in Seacobeck 145 at 4-5pm and an opening reception from 5-7pm on Tuesday, January 20th. The Galleries will host “20 Women in 40 Minutes,” a Lunch and Learn on March 11th at noon.

Over the centuries Patawomecks have come together to celebrate, work, build, play, and worship, always as a distinct and bounded community with deep ties to one another and to their homeland around Potomac Creek. The objects in this exhibition represent the full spectrum from tools, to crafts, to fine art, and have a distinct connection to place – a powerful theme within the Patawomeck community because it provides sustenance to its people economically, culturally, and spiritually. Patawomeck art is strongly tied to the homeland through material, subject, community interaction, and use – reinforced through daily practice. This exhibition represents a people coming together to support one another, share, and create. A community where identity is perpetuated, knowledge is passed down, traditions are maintained, and connections are renewed.

This exhibition is organized by Dr. Brad Hatch and supported, in part, by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250).
Adaptation, Innovation, and Tradition: Art from the Patawomeck Community will be on view from October 30 – December 7, 2025 in the Ridderhof Martin Gallery with an opening reception taking place on October 30 from 5-7pm.
An artists’ round table will be held on November 6th from 5-6pm in Seacobeck Hall, 145.

The Annual Student Art Exhibition showcases the incredible talent and creativity of UMW students. This year’s juror is Clare van Loenen, Director of Museums at Sweetbriar College in Amherst County, VA. The Studio Art Department will announce three awards of excellence at the opening reception on October 30th at 5pm: The Anne Elizabeth Collins ’73 Memorial Art Award, the Emil R. Schnellock Award for Excellence in Painting, and the Melchers Gray Purchase Award. For this specific award, the Studio Art faculty select an artwork that will be purchased and become part of the UMW Galleries permanent collection.

The exhibition will be on view from October 30 – December 7, 2025, in the duPont Gallery, with an opening reception on Thursday, October 30th from 5-7pm. Clare van Loenen will give a juror talk on November 20, 2025 at 5pm at the HCC Digital Auditorium.

The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present Take a Painting, on view in the duPont Gallery from September 4 through October 10, 2025.

Launched by artist Erika Stearly in 2013, Take a Painting is an interactive painting installation that invites viewers to select a small painting on paper to keep, and provides the space and materials for them to make a painting, which can be embedded back into the installation for future visitors to take. Stearly’s role is to create and sustain the conditions in which individuals can collaborate with each other to develop works of art that are meaningful to their community. Her participatory projects emphasize both the process and the product, blurring the line between audience, participant, artist, and individual, and offer multiple ways to engage with the work.

An artist’s talk with Erika Stearly will take place on Thursday, September 11 at 5pm in duPont Gallery.

The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present Intersection, on view in the Ridderhof Martin Gallery from September 4 through October 10, 2025.
Intersection brings together the abstract paintings of David Carlson alongside the mixed-media paintings, sculptures, and installations by Chee Keong Kung. Both artists explore concepts of space and time through graceful, undulating forms. Their geometric compositions are filled with rhythmic energy, creating an abstract narrative characterized by bold gestures, subtle transitions, and a commitment to materials and process. The integration of layers, shadows, textures, and forms in their work invites viewers to uncover hidden meanings.
Intersection is curated by Sarah Hardesty, an artist and associate professor of art at Marymount University.
David Carlson, Chee Keong Kung, and Sarah Hardesty will participate in a gallery talk on October 9th at 5pm in Ridderhof Martin Gallery.

The University of Mary Washington Department of Studio Art is pleased to present the UMW Studio Art Senior Exhibition 2025 on display in the Cedric Rucker University Center (1st Floor) from Saturday, April 19th – Sunday, April 27th with the opening reception taking place on Friday, April 25th from 5 to 7pm.

This exhibition showcases the exceptional senior thesis works from the following talented graduating artists: Carter Austin, Esa Austin, Erica Barr, Nellie Bittenbender, Dylan Bowen, Annelen Callaway, James Campas, Jazmin Cochran, Tobias Conner, Eniya Cropper, Cassidy Ervin, Eve Front, Brogan Giampietro, Chloe Kasper, Melanie Keith, Javier Lescano, Sydney Light, John Mabry, Juno Mell, Maha Momtaz, Rachel Nolan, Ella Schmehl, Nadia Cloud Shiblie, Cara Smith, Kathleen Trenchard, Jamie Vuong, Jack Wiese, Sallie Wittkamper, and Sarah Yowell.