Morlan Gallery

Sara Turner (Cricket Press) “The Walkmen” (2012) LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s Morlan Gallery celebrates local printmakers with its newest exhibition, Lexington Legatees: Contemporary Printmaking in the Bluegrass, which opens Monday, Nov. 5, and runs through Wednesday, Dec. 5. The exhibition focuses on Lexington printmakers who carry on the city’s strong printmaking history. Artists in the exhibition include Nick Alley, Cricket Press (Sara and Brian Turner), Joel Feldman, Liz Foley, Homegrown Press (Johnny Lackey), Hound Dog Press (Nick Baute and Robert Ronk), Larkspur Press (Gray Zeitz) and dRock Press (Derrick Riley). Kentucky’s first printmaker set up shop in Lexington in 1787. John Bradford unloaded his press and type from the Ohio River landing in Maysville and traversed 65 miles of rough roads to establish the Kentucke Gazette. In the 1940s, when hobby presses were all the rage, noted Viennese artist and printmaker Victor Karl Hammer moved to Lexington to serve as artist-in-residence at Transylvania. The quick result was a deepening dedication to the fine craft of book arts by these home press operators. Although Hammer had many devotees, it was printmaker Carolyn Reading who advanced the press in Lexington perhaps more than any other, eventually establishing the King Library Press, located in the Margaret I. King Library at the University of Kentucky. Reading and Hammer married in 1955. Lexington Legatees artist Gray Zeitz bridges the gap between the vibrant Hammer era and today’s resurgent printmaking scene in Lexington. Zeitz, who learned the

Read “Morlan Gallery celebrates local printmakers; exhibition opens Nov. 5 and culminates in holiday party and print sale Dec. 5”

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s Morlan Gallery opens its 2012-13 season on Sept. 17 with Ink in the Cage: The Stories Behind MMA Fighter Tattoos. The exhibition, an installation of larger-than-life photographic images, runs through Oct. 26. While tattoos are common among mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters and are highly visible in the cage, the stories behind them are less public. Ink in the Cage is a photographic exploration of those tattoos that reveal unique aspects of fighter identities—their convictions, passions and personal histories. Through interview excerpts and photographs, observers are granted entrée into the private lives of these athletes whose tattoos commemorate major turning points, serve as reminders of loved ones, echo religious sentiments and are frequently symbols of the philosophy fighters live by, both inside and outside the cage. Anthropology professor Barbara LoMonaco, who was named vice president for student affairs and dean of students this summer, began the project over two years ago. She combined her passion for mixed martial arts fighting and her academic interests in the gendered meanings underlying body decoration cross-culturally. She teamed up with photographer Angela Baldridge, a 2004 Transylvania University graduate with a master’s degree in visual communications from Syracuse University. Baldridge’s work has taken her to California, Las Vegas, New York, Mexico, Germany, Hungary, England and all over Kentucky, where she has been inspired by people’s shared and individual stories.  LoMonaco and Baldridge traveled to Las Vegas, Lexington, Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Diego

Read “Ink in the Cage: The Stories Behind MMA Fighter Tattoos opens in Transylvania University’s Morlan Gallery Monday, Sept. 17”

LEXINGTON, Ky.—The Juried Student Exhibition runs May 4-18 in Transylvania’s Morlan Gallery.  All students who made art during the 2011-12 academic year were invited to show their work in the exhibition. There are about 50 pieces, from 30 artists, on display. At a public reception honoring the artists on Friday, May 4, several jurors’ awards were presented, including the Dean’s Purchase Award and the Lampton Prize. Each year, William F. Pollard, vice president and dean of the college, selects one piece to receive the Dean’s Purchase Award and become part of Transylvania’s permanent collection. The Lampton Prize is named in honor of artist Nana Lampton and given to a student of exceptional creative vision, a fierce work ethic and natural leadership. Junior Hunter Kissel, from Louisville, Ky., received the Dean’s Purchase Award for his oil painting, 3. Senior Ryla Luttrell, from Shepherdsville, Ky., received the Lampton Prize. Other awards went to: Printmaking: senior Julia Sebastian, from Nicholasville, Ky. Sculpture: senior Katelynn Ralston, from Winter Haven, Fla. Ceramics: senior Lauren Hatchett, from Henderson, Ky. Video: junior Paul Brown, from Owensboro, Ky., and sophomore Zach Stanley, from Prestonsburg, Ky. Sophomore Raelyn Nickerson, from Springfield, Ohio, received honorable mention in sculpture. Senior Sara Escobedo, from Wheaton, Ill., received honorable mention for ceramic sculpture. Morlan Gallery is open weekdays, noon to 5 p.m., and the exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information go to www.transy.edu/morlan or contact Morlan Gallery Director

Read “Juried student exhibition runs May 4-18 in Transylvania’s Morlan Gallery”

Hansel’s Sewn. LEXINGTON, KY—Transylvania University’s art program is graduating a record 10 art majors this year: Isabel Barr, Alison Cahill, Sara Escobedo, Allison Fender, Kara Hansel, Ryla Luttrell, Alexis Schuman, Julia Sebastian, Megan Wainscott and Kayla Weber. The culminating event of their Transylvania arts education is their senior thesis exhibition appropriately titled, “Ten,” opening April 2 and running through April 20 in the Morlan Gallery. There is a reception for the artists on Friday, April 20, 5-8 p.m. as part of the Lexington Gallery Hop. The gallery is open weekdays from noon-5 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Barr is a studio art and education double major. She grew up in Takoma Park and Bethesda, Maryland. She plans to receive a master’s degree in art therapy from the University of Louisville and create an after-school program for special-needs children. Cahill is an art major and art history minor from Richmond, Ky. Her primary medium is photography and she has recently worked with Triple Play Productions taking sports action photography. After graduation she plans to pursue her passion for art. She is currently looking into the photography and ceramic fields. Escobedo is a studio art major minoring in biology and Spanish from Wheaton, Ill. She hopes to pursue a career that will lead her to working with animals and expanding her artistic endeavors. She works in digital illustration, ceramic, mixed media sculpture, carving, painting and costume-making. Fender is

Read “Transylvania University’s art program graduates the largest class of art majors to date; senior exhibition, "Ten," runs April 2-20”