Photo exhibition by Ohio artist Marcella Hackbardt on display at Wright State’s Stein Galleries

“Magical Thinking,” by Marcella Hackbardt

Wright State University’s Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries will present an exhibition of photographs by central Ohio artist Marcella Hackbardt.

“Recent Works: Momentos and My Rooms” is on display now through March 1 in the Stein Galleries, 160 Creative Arts Center on Wright State’s Dayton Campus.

Curated by Benjamin Montague, professor in photography at Wright State, the exhibition features color photographs exploring themes of memory, identity and transience.

Drawing on still life traditions and memento mori, “Momentos” uses damaged objects to reflect on the fragility and impermanence of physical and emotional artifacts, highlighting the tension between memory and destruction.

In “My Rooms,” Hackbardt examines the relationship between environment and identity. Featuring industrial and imagined settings alongside figures, her works evoke ideas of innocence, conflict and meaning. These rooms symbolize both tangible and mental spaces, addressing themes of knowledge, memory and trust.

Hackbardt, a visual artist and curator, is professor and chair of studio art at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Her current work explores aspects of knowledge, self-reflection, the environment and symbolic states.

She received her M.F.A. in studio art/photography from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, and a bachelor’s degree in studio art from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Micah Zavacky: ‘Walking through Stone’

“Serpent Kairn,” by Micah Zavacky

The Stein Galleries will also present an exhibition of paintings, prints and drawings by Wright State fine art alum Micah Zavacky.

“Walking through Stone” is on display through March 15 in the Project Space Gallery.

A Dayton-based artist and educator, Zavacky will give an artist talk on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at noon.

Zavacky’s artistic process has focused on en plein air for the last 10 years. The landscape has motivated Micah to live more connected and concerned with the earth.

He received a B.F.A. in studio art from Wright State and an M.F.A. in studio art from Illinois State University.

The Stein Galleries at Wright State are open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and gallery events are free.

For more information, contact the Stein Galleries at 937-775-2973 or artgalleries@wright.edu or visit wright.edu/artgalleries.