“A Women’s Perspective: In Celebration of Women Artists” Art Exhibit

Kentucky Wesleyan College is hosting “A Women’s Perspective: In Celebration of Women Artists” from Feb. 6 – March 10 at the Ralph Center Gallery of Fine Arts on campus at the corner of College Drive and South Griffith Ave.  The touring exhibition of artworks by 10 western Kentucky women artists prominently features artworks by Professor Heather Logsdon, director of the Wesleyan Art Program, and Enid Roach, Wesleyan art instructor. 

The exhibit includes more than fifty artworks in a variety of media and began in November of 2016 at the Mellwood Art and Event Center in Louisville, then traveled to Bardstown’s Gallery on the Square before coming home to Owensboro.

The women artists are not only creating and exhibiting art today, but have contributed to the future of art in their current or former roles as administrators, professors and instructors at Wesleyan College (Heather Logsdon and Enid Roach), Brescia University (Rebecca Hamlin Green), Owensboro Community and Technical College (Lou O’Leary), Western Kentucky University (Dr. Miwon Choe, Frederica Diane Huff and Enid Roach), and VSA KY, the State Organization on Arts and Disability (Delaire Rowe).

“A Women’s Perspective: In Celebration of Women Artists” seeks to share a perspective of the world through the eyes of a community of Kentucky women artists. The exhibit is free and open to the public, and gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. For further information, contact the Ralph Curator, Assistant Professor Heather Logsdon at hlogsdon@kwc.edu or 270-852-3608.

The Ralph Gallery of Fine Arts will host a Closing Reception with an opportunity for the public to meet the artists on Friday, March 10, from 6 – 8 p.m. 


 

A woman’s perspective: KWC gallery features 10 women artists from western Kentucky

By Bobbie Hayse Messenger-Inquirer

Photo by Alan Warren, Messenger-Inquirer/awarren@messenger-inquirer.com
Heather Logsdon, the director of the Kentucky Wesleyan College art program, stands next to her painting, “Dreaded Scarf,” right, inside the exhibit “A Women’s Perspective: In celebration of Women Artists.” at the Ralph Center at Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Photo by Alan Warren, Messenger-Inquirer/awarren@messenger-inquirer.com
Artwork by Lou O’Leary, from Owensboro Community and Technical College, on display at the exhibit “A Women’s Perspective: In Celebration of Women Artists.” at the Ralph Center at Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Photo by Alan Warren, Messenger-Inquirer/awarren@messenger-inquirer.com
Rebecca Hamlin Green, Brescia University art professor, works on her art pieces of mixed media ceramic sculptures on display on Monday at the exhibit “A Women’s Perspective: In Celebration of Women Artists.” at the Ralph Center at Kentucky Wesleyan College.

Heather Logsdon thinks that women haven’t had a spotlight in much of art history, other than being the subject matter.

It’s why Logsdon, the director of the Kentucky Wesleyan College art program, wanted to develop a women’s-only art exhibition.

Kentucky Wesleyan College opened on Monday “A Women’s Perspective: In Celebration of Women Artists.” The exhibit will remain until March 10 at the Ralph Center Gallery of Fine Arts on the campus at College Drive and South Griffith Avenue.

“It’s hard for (women) to get exhibitions and be taken seriously as artists,” Logsdon said on Monday. “Not to say that it’s like that everywhere, but it’s especially hard coming from a small town like Owensboro.”

The exhibit features 10 western Kentucky women artists, including Logsdon; Enid Roach, a KWC art instructor; Rebecca Hamlin Green, Brescia University art professor; Lou O’Leary, from Owensboro Community & Technical College; Dr. Miwon Choe and Diane Huff, from Western Kentucky University; Delaire Rowe, from VSA KY, the state organization on arts and disability; Tracey Bivins Helm, the Owensboro Art Guild president; Laurie Huff; and Leeza Dukes, according to a press release.

Logsdon said she wanted to provide an opportunity for women to come together and delve into a variety of women’s issues with their art.

Green has eight pieces in the exhibit, that she described as “experimental, ceramic sculptures.”

She calls them nests, and they are include collected materials such as grass and lace. She said she wanted to have them in the show because “they are representative of my new body of work that takes a perspective of somebody that is trying to build a history, or build an identity, by combining a lot of aspects.

“I’m sure that relates to people in general, but definitely women,” Green said.

This is a traveling exhibit that began last November at the Mellwood Art and Event Center in Louisville, Green said.

From there, it traveled to Bardstown’s Gallery on the Square before coming to Owensboro.

Logsdon said the themes include perspectives that might differ from males, such as ideas on motherhood, and political and social issues.

 

“This is just a way for us to promote ourselves as artists,” she said. “We can do it. Why aren’t we doing it?”

She said the exhibition is planned to be a continuation, and there is talk about making it into a yearly event.

The exhibit is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is free and open to the public.

There will be a closing reception 6 to 8 p.m. March 10 at the gallery.

For more information, email Logsdon at hlogsdon@kwc.edu or call 270-852-3608.

Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315, Twitter: @BobbieHayseMI