Opening Reception 3-5 p.m. | Feb. 21 | Goppert Gallery

(Leavenworth, Kan.)—Jessica Simorte, a 2010 graduate of the University of Saint Mary, will return to her alma mater for an exhibition of her acrylic paintings in the Goppert Gallery on USM's Main Campus in Leavenworth at 4100 S. 4th St.

The exhibit is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays from Feb. 21-March 6. The USM Department of Fine Arts will host an opening reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 21 in the Goppert Gallery.

"This series of small, acrylic paintings ultimately connect to the public through what I see as one of many universal cultural connections, the pull of place that operates on all of us," Simorte said. "This work is an ongoing examination of how art making can serve as a mode of placemaking. Through painting, I am able to create environments that interest me in a manner that is suggestive but not specific – these works are meditations on the infinite power of psychical and psychological space."

Simorte earned a bachelor's in studio art from Saint Mary in 2010. She then earned an MFA from the University of Cincinnati in 2014. She has been nominated for several honors in recent years, including the Sam Houston State University Excellence in Teaching Award, FATE Emerging Educator Award, and the FATE Shout Out Award – a national award for non-tenure track faculty demonstrating excellence in teaching.

"I'm thrilled to be able to show my work at USM," Simorte said. "I credit the art department in helping me facilitate my initial interest and research in placemaking as a field of study. So many of my interests and abilities today are a direct result of Saint Mary's faculty and overall support throughout my undergraduate education."

Learn more about her work at jessicasimorte.com

 

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The University of Saint Mary is a Catholic co-educational applied liberal arts university founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. The University of Saint Mary main campus is located at 4100 South 4th Street, Leavenworth, Kan. USM's Overland Park Campus at 4500 College Boulevard offers evening accelerated graduate and undergraduate degree-completion programs. The university also offers online programs. Visit stmary.edu for more information.