Honoring the past while celebrating the present is a hot topic lately at Ursuline College. The liberal arts college in Pepper Pike celebrates its sesquicentennial this year, starting with a show in its Florence O’Donnell Wasmer Gallery, Legacy: The 2021 Ursuline College Staff and Faculty Exhibition.

With a range of artwork including photography, painting, drawing, and sculpture, this exhibition showcases the work of current faculty and staff, while acknowledging the legacy of the artists, educators, and thinkers who came before them.

In 1978, the late Sister Kathleen Burke, OSU, PhD, then co-director of the college’s art department, proposed an art gallery on campus to showcase student and faculty work and the work of local, national, and international artists. The proposal was approved and financed primarily by the Wasmer family, specifically John C. and Florence O’Donnell Wasmer. The late Peter van Dijk, celebrated architect of the college’s original buildings, designed the original Wasmer Gallery, which opened in October 1980.

“In 2020, the gallery quietly reached its 40th anniversary. We also moved the gallery to our beautiful, new contemporary location, designed by Bialosky Architects, in our Mullen Building,” said Anna Arnold, gallery director. “We were unable to celebrate all that because of COVID-19 restrictions.”

With vaccination rates rising and numerous safety measures in place, the gallery will be open this summer, by appointment, three afternoons a week.

Arnold, an acclaimed artist who earned a BFA at Cleveland Institute of Art and an MA in Education at Case Western Reserve University, is excited to show new works. “We invite the public to schedule an appointment to view the immense talent of our community This exhibition offers an opportunity for the Ursuline faculty and staff to display their personal work that they’ve been diligently creating in their private studios. This community of artists not only teach and work behind the scenes here, but also actively sharpen and expand their critical thinking, knowledge, and skills through their artistic practices.”

To schedule an appointment and receive detailed directions to the gallery, contact Arnold at aarnold@ursuline.edu. For a virtual experience, the exhibition will also be on view on the college’s Flickr site starting June 11 at flickr.com/photos/ursulinecollege/albums.

The fall exhibit will be ReFuge: The Last Days of Wonder, an immersive, interactive mixed media experience.

 

LEGACY: THE 2021 URSULINE COLLEGE STAFF & FACULTY EXHIBITION | JUNE 11–AUGUST 27

OPEN BY APPOINTMENT NOON-4:30PM TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY

URSULINE COLLEGE, THE MULLEN BLDG., 1ST FLOOR

Check the website for any changes in hours.

 

FLORENCE O’DONNELL WASMER GALLERY
URSULINE COLLEGE
2550 Lander Road
Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124
ursuline.edu/wasmergallery
aarnold@ursuline.edu
440.646.8121