​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Dudley and Mary Marks Lea Gallery

The Dudley and Mary Marks Lea Gallery presents eight to ten exhibition s throughout the year, including works by students, faculty, and regional and national artists. Students engage with exhibiting artists through gallery talks, classroom demonstrations, and public presentations. The Lea Gallery also provides opportunities for students to participate in the organization, preparation, installation and evaluation of shows.

Each spring, the Student Art and Design Juried Exhibition recognizes students for outstanding work in the visual arts and the Senior Exhibitions feature the work of graduating seniors.  

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Gallery Information

Hours: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily during scheduled exhibitions.

Location: Virginia B. Gardner Fine Arts Pavilion on the campus of the University of Findlay.  

All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
 

In the Gallery

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​​​​​Harry Melroy

Aug.19 - Sept. 20 


Harry Melroy is a former University of Findlay adjunct art instructor and current adjunct instructor of art at Heidelberg University. Melroy said he is especially appreciative to show his work in the Dudley and Mary Marks Lea Gallery because in some measure it feels like a “coming home." This exhibition also falls on the fortieth anniversary of his MFA graduate exhibit at Northern Illinois University. As a way to commemorate the event, he will include a pair of paintings from the era. He describes his art as surreal, nonsensical, and distorted, and encourages viewers to follow their own inner voices when attaching stories to the images.

 

Melroy's paintings and drawings are almost always preceded by small, detailed sketches. If the initial rendering seems interesting, he develops it into a more refined state. Because of its surrealistic qualities, the finished work is not meant to be a snapshot of reality. The imagery is rooted in the unconscious or subconscious. This feature allows for the creation of visual narratives where places and participants come together for nonsensical events. In contrast to his paintings, his wooden sculptures are created without plans or visual templates. The colors are chosen arbitrarily and are juxtaposed in passages that complement the overall design. Local color (sun is yellow, sky is blue, etc.) is often distorted and sometimes avoided, so a cloud can be green and a tree may be magenta. 


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Reception

​Tuesday, Sept. 10 | 7 - 8:30 p.m.


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​​Upcoming Exhibits

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Fall 2019


Monica Jorge & Matt Marrash

Sept. 30 - Oct. 25

Reception: Monday, Sept. 30 | 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Teresa Dunn

Nov. 4 - Dec. 6

Reception:  Wednesday​ Nov. 13 | 7 - 8:30 p.m.​



Spring 2020


Faculty Exhibition

Jan. 6 – 31

Reception: Wednesday, Jan. 15 | 7 - 8:30 p.m.

 

Senior Show I

Feb. 10 – 21

Reception: Sunday, Feb. 16​ | 1 - 3 p.m.

 

Senior Show II

March 9 – 19

Reception: Sunday, March  15 | 1 - 3 p.m.

Juried Student Show turn-in

Friday, March 20

 

Judging student show

Saturday, March 21

 

Student Juried Show

April 6 – 24

Reception: Wed. April 15 | 7 - 8:30 p.m.

TBD

May 4 – 29

 


Summer 2020

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The Enchanted Brush

Dan Chudzinski - curator

June 8 – July 31​



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