Park University’s Campanella Gallery to Host Painting Exhibit

Nugent’s work has been exhibited at numerous venues and galleries, including the Kansas City (Mo.) Artists Coalition, Epsten Gallery in Leawood, Kan., and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Overland Park, Kan. Her works are incorporated in various private and corporate collections, including Black and Veatch and St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., and the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. Nugent earned a Bachelor of Fine Art in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and furthered her studies at the Art School of Florence, Italy, and the New School for Social Research in New York.

Nugent’s paintings are compiled out of used materials found in her studio, usually beginning with a wood or canvas surface. She then layers abandoned works on paper and a plaster-like medium, and sands with different tools to create subtle textures and colors.

Nugent said that her recent paintings reflect geometric patterns that inspire an initial structure. “When you view my work from a distance you see something that resembles a precisely design quilted textile,” she said. “Upon closer inspection, the viewer captures hand-painted lines, highly imperfect grids and drips of paint allowed to remain where they fell.”

The Campanella Gallery is located inside the University’s McAfee Memorial Library, within Park’s Mabee Learning Center/Academic Underground. Admission is free. The Gallery is open 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and 4 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

For more information about the exhibit, contact Matthew LaRose, director of the Campanella Gallery and chair of Park’s Department of Art and Design, at matthew.larose@park.edu or (816) 584-6457.