The Steckline Gallery at Newman University presents “Say Good Night, Gracie” featuring works by artists Mary Werner, Maria Somes
Werner has been a professor of art at Newman University for 16 years and the exhibition will be her “goodnight” to Newman as well as her academic career, she said. Werner’s displayed art is a continuation of the work she is known best for — dress paintings.
“My current work is part of a continued investigation of my own peculiar view of the world through the window of the dress. The work deals with images from nature in a nexus with the animated form of the dress, incorporating flat and patterned qualities that create a timeless space. The images speak as an alter ego who boldly comments on female roles and experiences,” said Werner.
The theme of “the female experience” will carry throughout the exhibition featuring women’s clothing and women’s empowerment through drawings and paintings.
Somes, a current student at Newman University, will exhibit multiple feminine drawings.
Laura Thompson, a friend of Werner’s, will present work by her mother, Ellen Clark, from her time as a fashion illustrator in Wichita. Clark’s pieces represent a time when hand rendering was the norm and there were no computers or digital cameras. Werner said she feels the drawings are a perfect fit for the show, which focuses on the dress as an identifier of the female experience.
There will be an Art for Lunch presentation noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, in the gallery. A light lunch will be served on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests are also welcome to bring their lunch. This event is free and reservations are not required.
The Steckline Gallery is located inside the De Mattias Fine Arts Center on the Newman campus, 3100 McCormick. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment.
For more information, email Director of Steckline Gallery Shannon Johnston at [email protected].
