The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present our Intern Curated Online Exhibition: Dark Feelings and the Human Experience.  This virtual exhibition was designed, researched, and prepared by UMW Galleries Interns Kathleen Daly, Kaelyn Escuadra, Mackenzie Hoffman, Taylor Johnson, Caroline Patton, and Karla Santos.  Please click HERE to view the exhibition.

Dark Feelings is an exhibition about expressing your feelings through the use of art. The art provides a visual to viewers making it relatable to the audience allowing them to not feel alone and that it is okay to have those feelings. At some point in our lives, we will experience despair, grief, and fear. At the end of this tunnel, there will be the light of hope. The artists in this exhibition have a connection to the University of Mary Washington either by being a professor, a student, donating their work to the school, or having had their work purchased by the school. 

For all the artists, art was an outlet to express their feelings. An example of this is a piece titled Dark Place by Helen Mirkil. This piece is about the artist doing a self-portrait looking into a mirror reflecting on their emotions during a difficult time in their life. At the time, the artist was going through a divorce while having two young children. With most of Mirkil’s self-portraits, the artist mostly focuses on their interior of themselves vs their exterior. This piece is an example that at some point in people’s lives, they take a moment to reflect on what is going on in their personal lives. Dark Place is a piece that ties in with our Dark Feelings exhibit because of the human experience of having their heart broken at a point in their life and reflecting on the experience. 

Hours & Admission:  The exhibition will be on view starting May 20th.

Writing Attribution: Many thanks to UMW Galleries Intern Karla Santos for her research throughout the semester and the writing of this press release.

Featured Artwork:  Ben Shahn, Moses, 1958. Ink on paper. UMW Permanent Collection.

The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present the UMW Studio Art Senior Exhibition 2023!

Artists featured in the exhibition include Emma Bower, Ellianna Bowman, Olivia Breda, Kaelyn Escuadra, Jordan Hadler, Mackenzie Hoffman, Azaria Lewis, Shea Martin, Margaret Neafsey, Madi Newlon, Caroline Patton, Minajhadore Redd, Kimberly Sak, Juliette Sanusi, Ella Schultz, Taylor White, Sara Zhou, and Paula Zuleta.

Hours & Admission: 

The exhibition will be on view from April 15th through April 23rd, 2023 in the Cedric Rucker University Center, with the opening reception taking place on April 21st from 5 to 7pm.  Admission is always free.

The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present the Annual Student Art Exhibition!  

The Annual Student Art Exhibition features a guest curated exhibition of UMW students’ studio artwork.  This year’s submissions will be juried by Jimmy LeFlore.   Three awards of excellence will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on March 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 recipient’s artwork is purchased from the exhibition to become part of the UMW Galleries permanent art collection.

Hours & Admission:  

The exhibition will be on view from March 30th through April 23rd, 2023 in duPont Gallery, with the opening reception taking place on March 30th from 5 to 7pm.  Admission is always free.

The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present the group exhibition Mirror Mirror!

Mirror Mirror looks at contemporary women artists who focus on issues of identity – as a woman, artist, mother, wife, and/or daughter. Curated by Dr. Christine Fowler Shearer, this exhibition brings together 30 works by artists around the country.

Artists featured in the exhibition include Erin Holscher Almazan (printmaking), Alicia Brown (painting), Jessica Calderwood (ceramics), Kristen Cliffel (ceramics), Rebecca Cross (textiles), Jessica Gardner (ceramics), Marcella Hackbardt (photography), Mabi Ponce de Leon (mixed media), Bellamy Printz (printmaking), Stephanie Rond (mixed media), Margo Selski (painting), and Babette Wainwright (ceramics).

Hours & Admission:  

The exhibition will be on view from March 30th through April 28th, 2023 in Ridderhof Martin Gallery, with the opening reception taking place on March 30th from 5 to 7pm.  Private tours run May 1st through June 4th, just email gallery@umw.edu to schedule your visit!  Admission is always free.

The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present the exhibition Meant to be looked at.  Please click HERE to explore the exhibition virtually (many thanks to Alex Lee for making this virtual option possible).

The exhibition was curated by students in ARTH 317: Laboratory in Museum Studies – Katelyn Bonaccorsy, Margaret Copeland, Kayleigh Dugger, Neonya Garner, Fiona Helms, Kendell Jenkins, Ben Kline, Elliot Knell, Alex Lee, Mario Martinez, Olivia McGarity, Cynthia-Rose Seeds, Krissa Thorndike, and Caroline Urove.

Hours & Admission:  

The exhibition will be on view from April 6th through August 3rd, 2023 in the Convergence Gallery, located on the third floor of the Hurley Convergence Center.  Admission is always free. 

The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present a group exhibition, “Collective Efforts,” featuring the 3D Studio Arts faculty of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.  Please click HERE to view images from the exhibit.

On display are recent works featuring diverse materials by: 

Mark Rooker, Professor in Metals & Jewelry 

Greg Stewart, Professor in Sculpture

R. Mertens, Professor in Fibers

Sukjin Choi, Professor in Ceramics

Dymph de Wild, Professor in Foundations

Hours & Admission:  

The exhibition will be on view from January 26th through March 12th, 2023 in Ridderhof Martin Gallery, with the opening reception taking place on January 26th from 5 to 7pm.   Admission is always free.

The University of Mary Washington Galleries is pleased to present Steve Griffin:  Recent Paintings, 2020-2022.  This exhibition features evocative abstract paintings by UMW Professor Emeritus Steve Griffin.  In the artist’s own words:  “When I was around six or seven years old I remember taking a bucket of water and a large house painting brush and spending hours painting the sidewalk in front of our house. Of course the water would evaporate very quickly and I would just start painting it again.  There is still some of that in every painting I make.”

Hours & Admission: 

The exhibition will be on view from September 8th to October 16th in Ridderhof Martin Gallery, with the opening reception taking place on September 8th from 5pm to 7pm.  There will also be an artist lecture at 5pm in Ridderhof Martin Gallery on September 15th.  Admission is always free.