Wright State seniors and recent grads to exhibit artwork at Dutoit Gallery in October

“Synthesis” includes printmaking, painting, short films, photography, sculpture and book arts by Wright State seniors and recent graduates.

Wright State University seniors and 2020 graduates who were unable to participate in thesis exhibitions in the spring due to coronavirus shutdowns will present some of their artwork at the Dutoit Gallery in October.

The exhibition, titled “Synthesis,” includes printmaking, painting, short films, photography, sculpture and book arts.

It will feature artwork from 23 Wright State students as well as 12 other students from Antioch College, Indiana University East, Indiana University Southeast, Sinclair Community College and the University of Dayton.

The exhibition can be viewed Friday, Oct. 2, between 5 and 9 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 24, between noon and 4 p.m. The gallery is in the Front Street Studios, 1001 E. Second St., Dayton, Building 100, B-C Door, Third Floor.

Face coverings are required, and there is a limit of 15 people at a time in the gallery. The show can also be viewed by appointment by contacting Tracy Longley-Cook, associate professor of photography, at tlongleycook@gmail.com.

Dutoit Gallery is a cooperative gallery in the Front Street Studios, consisting of 30 members who collectively run the space. Eleven of those members are affiliated with Wright State as faculty, alumni and instructors.

“We had an open slot this fall and wanted to showcase work made by seniors in the region who had their thesis exhibitions canceled last spring due to COVID shutdowns,” Longley-Cook said. “This is a small gesture to recognize and celebrate the work of our hard-working and talented students in the region.”

Shelby Tomasiak, a senior photography student, will exhibit her photograph of a dam near campus to show the beauty in silence.

“I see it every day as I go back and forth from work or school,” she said. “If you take a minute and actually study the architecture of this dam, it is quite beautiful and serene.”

Tomasiak said the exhibition will enable her family and friends to see her artwork in a gallery setting.

“Having a piece in the Dutoit Gallery in Dayton, where my journey started, is very sentimental to me, which I will remember forever,” she said.

A detail of a woodcut relief monotype by William Worley, a senior majoring in printmaking.

William Worley, a senior majoring in printmaking, will present “Cascade in Purple,” an eight-foot-high woodcut relief monotype on Japanese paper. The composition is a cascade of abstract shapes filled with minimalist foliage-based images and printed in purples, greens and yellows.

“I rarely get the chance to see the piece or any of the others in its series because of its size and fragility, so it’ll be nice to see it up,” said Worley. “It’s great that this show is happening because I was supposed to have a solo show this fall with this piece and other large pieces I’ve done, but never got the chance to due to the circumstances around the pandemic.”

He said the exhibition represents a huge opportunity for him.

“I feel that this is important for morale and a sign that artists will persevere and are attempting to regain some sense of normalcy in these strange times,” he said.

A version of the exhibition will be extended in November and moved to the EDU Gallery, also in the Front Street Studios. The EDU Gallery is a cooperative gallery space shared by Wright State, the University of Dayton and Sinclair Community College.