AZARIAN MCCULLOUGH ART GALLERY PRESENTS LANNIE HART EXHIBIT

St. Thomas Aquinas College’s Azarian McCullough Art Gallery (AMAG)
announces its newest exhibit, “Steel Lace” the works of artist Lannie
Hart, announced Nina Bellisio, director of the Azarian McCullough Art
Gallery. The exhibit runs February 24 through March 23, 2014 with an
artist reception scheduled for Wednesday, March 5, from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30
p.m. A Gallery talk will be given at 5:30 p.m. that evening. The event
is free and open to the public.

Images of the female figure as
angel, virgin, siren or warrior are omnipresent in history and myth.
Hart’s sculptures and paintings explore these archetypes using found
objects, welded steel, porcelain and clay. These pieces are heavy and
sharp, but retain at the core the heart of the woman portrayed. Hart
describes the pieces as the interpretive study of woman as a symbolic
image; allegorical narratives which originate from her rural beginnings
in the South where she learned from the women in her family to use
objects found in the home and in nature to create art. “While they are
meant to be symbolic representations of these categories,” Hart says,
“they also retain an element of uniqueness, each figure becoming a
individual through the use of sculpted body parts and the irregularity
of found objects.”

Hart has been a working artist for over 35
years. She began her career in the cosmetic industry as an art director
and package designer. This experience, as well as her work with jewelry
design, porcelain and soft sculpture, informs her sensibilities as an
artist. Her work has been shown in numerous solo and group shows in New
York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Regular Gallery viewing hours
are Tuesday 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. – 4 p.m., Wednesday 11 a.m. – 1
p.m. and Thursday 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The Azarian McCullough Art Gallery
(AMAG) is located at the base of Costello Tower on the campus of St.
Thomas Aquinas College. The Gallery hosts seven exhibits during the
academic year. Each exhibit features an artist’s reception and a Gallery
talk. Refreshments are served. Admission is always free and open to the
public. For more information about the Azarian McCullough Art Gallery,
including upcoming exhibits, visit www.stac.edu/amag or call
845-398-4195 for information about regular viewing hours.