Contemporary painter Susanna Coffey exhibiting at Wright State

A painting of a man's head with a fire in the background.

"Fall" by Susanna Coffey, oil on canvas

Paintings by New York artist Susanna Coffey will be on display in the Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries from Sept. 11 to Oct. 9. The exhibition features Coffey’s austere yet powerful paintings, many of which investigate internal and external conditions using self-portraiture and flora.

Penny Park, associate professor of art and art history at Wright State University curated the exhibition.

“While very contemporary, Susanna Coffey’s paintings stem from figurative painting tradition,” explains Park. “She is known for her self-portraits with extraordinary sense of color and beautifully built-up paint surfaces. Her work over the last several years explores the relationship of the individual with society and the natural world.”

Coffey was born in New London, Connecticut, and she received her B.F.A. from the University of Connecticut. She then went on to earn her M.F.A. from Yale University in 1982. Her work is in a number of collections and has been exhibited in solo and group shows  across the United States, Spain, Italy and Greece. The artist is represented by Valerie Carberry Gallery in Chicago.

On Sunday, September 11, Coffey will present a free public lecture at 2:30 p.m. in Wright State’s Creative Arts Center, with a reception to follow in the Robert & Elaine Stein Galleries until 5:30 p.m. The exhibition is made possible with support by the Ohio Arts Council, the Friends and Members of the Galleries and the Wright State University College of Liberal Arts.

Also on display are selections from the permanent collection and “Go Figure: Drawings from the Tuesday Night Drawing Group,” in the Cantelupe Gallery. “Go Figure” features work by 10 area artists, including past and present Wright State professors Ernest Koerlin, Ray Must, David Leach and Kim Vito.

Gallery hours are Wednesday and Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.  All visitor parking areas on campus are free, and parking at the Creative Arts Center is unrestricted after 4:00 p.m. Fridays and weekends. A dedicated parking space for Galleries patrons is available during school hours. All Galleries events are free and open to the public.

For more information on upcoming events and exhibitions or for driving directions, please contact the galleries at (937) 775-2978 or visit our website, http://www.wright.edu/artgalleries.

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