Tree Week Painting Party
2025-10-16 16:15 - 17:30 (America/Kentucky/Louisville) | Lower Traylor Gallery
Join the Galleries and the Forestry Outreach Center to celebrate Tree Week and paint raised beds that will be used to grow tree seedlings gathered from around campus. Once they’re big enough, these little trees will be given out to Berea community members to help expand the city’s tree canopy.
Wear clothes you don’t mind getting messy! All supplies are provided at no cost. This event is open to the Berea community. Space is limited! Please RSVP by Oct. 15 – email Dr. Kelsey Malone (malonek2@berea.edu) to reserve your spot!

Abbey Peters: Carefully Held
2025-10-22 08:00 - 2025-12-05 17:00 | Lower Traylor Gallery
Abbey Peters: Carefully Held is on view in the Lower Traylor Gallery from October 22 through December 5, 2025. Abbey Peters will give an artist talk at the exhibition’s opening reception on Wednesday, October 22, at 5:00pm in the Lower Traylor Gallery in the Rogers-Traylor Art Building. All are welcome; no RSVP required. For more information, visit our Events page.
Abbey Peters: Carefully Held is a collection of ceramic vessels and small sculptures that explore how women offer and receive care across generations. Ranging from personal, to archival, to the mundane, the pocket-sized objects reference the many ways we nurture and carry others in the palms of our hands; the decorative vessels contain hidden compartments to safeguard knowledge related to reproductive care for future generations.
Peters is an artist based in Iowa City, IA, working with ceramics and collected materials. She holds an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Iowa and a BFA from the University of Arkansas. Her work has been exhibited nationally in over thirty group exhibitions. Peters has received international research grants supporting projects on midwifery and beekeeping in London, UK. She has held positions at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, CO, and Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, IL. Her artist residencies include laRex l’Atelier in St. Raphael, France; the inaugural CIRCA Exchange in Boulder, CO; and the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT. Peters is currently the 3D Studio Technician at Grinnell College.

Artist Talk with Abbey Peters
2025-10-22 17:00 - 18:30 | Lower Traylor Gallery
Abbey Peters will give an artist talk in conjunction with her exhibition, Carefully Held, on Wednesday, October 22, at 5:00 in the Lower Traylor Gallery. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments and snacks will be available after the talk. No RSVP necessary.
Abbey Peters is an artist based in Iowa City, IA, working with ceramics and collected materials. She holds an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Iowa and a BFA from the University of Arkansas. Her work has been exhibited nationally in over thirty group exhibitions. Peters has received international research grants supporting projects on midwifery and beekeeping in London, UK. She has held positions at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, CO, and Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, IL. Her artist residencies include laRex l’Atelier in St. Raphael, France; the inaugural CIRCA Exchange in Boulder, CO; and the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT. Peters is currently the 3D Studio Technician at Grinnell College.
Abbey Peters: Carefully Held is on view in the Lower Traylor Gallery from October 22 through December 5, 2025.

Sangmi Yoo: Dream a little dream of me
2025-10-29 08:00 - 2025-12-05 17:00 | Upper Traylor Gallery
Sangmi Yoo: Dream a little dream of me is on view in the Upper Traylor Gallery from October 29 through December 5, 2025. Sangmi Yoo will give an artist talk at the exhibition’s opening reception on Wednesday, October 29, at 5:00pm in the Upper Traylor Gallery in the Rogers-Traylor Art Building. All are welcome; no RSVP required. For more information, visit our Events page.
The installation and prints in Sangmi Yoo: Dream a little dream of me originate from her research, gleaned from the Huntington Museum’s William Morris Co. collection and her studies on labor in the history of textile printing. She brings us back to the nineteenth-century frenzy over printed cotton with floral motifs in English households, the popular Chintz imports from India, and the subsequent arrival of the English textile revolution. Yoo’s personal memory also reflects on the women workers in textile factories of the 1970s who contributed to the rapid economic development of post-war South Korea.
Born in South Korea, Yoo’s recent work has considered the often-problematic cultural representations of botanic gardens. Her print installations combine various digital, traditional, and post-digital printmaking techniques. Awards for her work include a Denbo Fellowship from Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, an AHL Foundation’s Visual Arts Prize, and a Puffin Foundation Artist Grant. She has exhibited in venues, such as Lucca Biennale Cartasia 2024 in Lucca, Italy, MOCA Jacksonville in Florida, the American University Museum in Washington DC, Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, the Museum of Printing History in Houston, the Moonshin Museum in South Korea, the Gyeongnam International Art Festival in South Korea and the Pacific Rim International Print Exhibition in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Artist Talk with Sangmi Yoo
2025-10-29 17:00 - 18:30 | Upper Traylor Gallery
In conjunction with her exhibition, Dream a little dream of me, visiting artist Sangmi Yoo will host an artist talk on Wednesday, October 29, at 5:00 in the Upper Traylor Gallery. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments and snacks will be available after the talk. No RSVP required.
Born in South Korea, Yoo’s recent work has considered the often-problematic cultural representations of botanic gardens. Her print installations combine various digital, traditional, and post-digital printmaking techniques. Awards for her work include a Denbo Fellowship from Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, an AHL Foundation’s Visual Arts Prize, and a Puffin Foundation Artist Grant. She has exhibited in venues, such as Lucca Biennale Cartasia 2024 in Lucca, Italy, MOCA Jacksonville in Florida, the American University Museum in Washington DC, Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, the Museum of Printing History in Houston, the Moonshin Museum in South Korea, the Gyeongnam International Art Festival in South Korea and the Pacific Rim International Print Exhibition in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Sangmi Yoo: Dream a little dream of me is on view in the Upper Traylor Gallery from October 29 through December 5, 2025.

Kat Spears: Surface Lore
2026-01-21 - 2026-03-13 | Upper Traylor Gallery
Kat Spears: Surface Lore is on view in the Upper Traylor Gallery from January 21 through March 13, 2026. Kat Spears will give an artist talk on Wednesday, March 11, at 5:00pm in the Upper Traylor Gallery in the Rogers-Traylor Art Building. All are welcome; no RSVP required. Kat will also lead a workshop focusing on monotype printmaking techniques on Wednesday, March 11, at 7:00pm. Advanced registration for this workshop is required. The workshop is free and all supplies are provided, but space is limited. For more information, visit our Events page.
The paintings in Surface Lore hide many layers of imagery gleaned from observation, sketches, personal photo archives, art history, memory and imagination. Their surfaces have been metamorphosing for the past three years, during which time they have changed to reflect the artist’s changing preoccupations and favorite icons. The surface quality and imagery visible at last has been guided by the unexpected textures and colors that appeared in this process of layering, painting-over, and un-painting.
Kat Spears is an artist originally from Kentucky. Their studio practice is founded largely in an inexhaustible love for observational and figural drawing and painting. Parallel to this practice, they engage with many modes of image-making, as well as installation, sculpture, poetry, music, and sound. They graduated from Berea College in 2014 (Studio Art, Art History, Spanish), and completed a Masters of Fine Arts from Indiana University Bloomington in 2022. They have been teaching drawing and painting courses since 2019 and currently serve as the Visiting Professor of Painting and Drawing at Berea College.

Sara Torgison: Spanned Separations
2026-01-28 - 2026-03-20 | Lower Traylor Gallery
Sara Torgison: Spanned Separations is on view in the Lower Traylor Gallery from January 28 through March 20, 2026. Sara Torgison will give an artist talk at the exhibition’s closing reception on Friday, March 20, at 12:00pm in the Lower Traylor Gallery in the Rogers-Traylor Art Building. All are welcome; no RSVP required. For more information, visit our Events page.
In this visiting artist exhibition, Sara Torgison presents a collection of recent works that explore the deceptions and detachment of anthropocentric culture, while imagining repair to our relationship with ecosystems and the more-than-human world. Animal figures play at the edges of human, while humans merge with experimental ecologies. Each work troubles the distance between us and the animals and environments we exploit for our wellness and comfort. During an era of mass extinctions and climate collapse, Torgison’s work complicates binary narratives by dwelling in the margins of material and symbolic corporealities of human and non-human animals.
Sara Torgison is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus in ceramics and fiber art. She received an MFA from the University of Cincinnati Department of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and a BFA (ceramics) and BS (Zoology) from Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, California. Her work often blends media, extending finite and fragile surfaces to emphasize and inhabit marginal spaces. Sara is currently Visiting Ceramics Faculty at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and works as a preparator at the Weston Art Gallery in Cincinnati.

Doris After Dark! February 25, 2026
2026-02-25 17:00 - 2026-02-26 20:30 | Doris Ulmann Galleries
Join us for a new monthly late-night programming series at the Doris Ulmann Galleries that brings creativity and community together in fun new ways! The February event lineup starts at 5:00pm with a gallery talk hosted by Director and Curator, Dr. Kelsey Frady Malone, highlighting Our Land, a painting by African-American artist Charles W. White that is on loan to the Doris Ulmann Galleries for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The talk will be followed by a portrait painting workshop at 7:00 inspired by White’s painting. Workshop participants will explore how visual elements and stylistic choices can communicate a subject’s values and character (such as strength, resilience, power, tenderness, and empathy) and then practice those skills by creating their own self-portrait with intention and agency – showcasing the facets of themselves that they value the most. Pizza will be served between the gallery talk and the workshop, so you can plan to hang at the Galleries all night!
No art expertise is required; all workshop supplies are provided. Space is limited in the workshop, so advanced registration is required. Email malonek2@berea.edu to reserve your spot. These events are free and open to the public and guests of all ages. Doris After Dark is made possible in part by grant funding provided by The Art Bridges Foundation.

Artist Talk with Kat Spears
2026-03-11 17:00 - 18:30 | Upper Traylor Gallery
In conjunction with their exhibition, Surface Lore, visiting artist Kat Spears will host an artist talk on Wednesday, March 11, at 5:00 in the Upper Traylor Gallery. This event is free and open to the public. A reception with refreshments and snacks will be available after the talk. No RSVP required.
Originally from Kentucky, Kat Spears’ studio practice is founded largely in an inexhaustible love for observational and figural drawing and painting. Parallel to this practice, they engage with many modes of image-making, as well as installation, sculpture, poetry, music, and sound. They graduated from Berea College in 2014 (Studio Art, Art History, Spanish), and completed a Masters of Fine Arts from Indiana University Bloomington in 2022. They have been teaching drawing and painting courses since 2019 and currently serve as the Visiting Professor of Painting and Drawing at Berea College.
Kat Spears: Surface Lore is on view in the Upper Traylor Gallery from January 21 through March 13, 2026.

Doris After Dark! March 11, 2026
2026-03-11 17:00 - 20:30 | Doris Ulmann Galleries
Join us for a new monthly late-night programming series at the Doris Ulmann Galleries that brings creativity and community together in fun new ways! The March event lineup starts at 5:00pm with an artist talk hosted by Visiting Professor of Painting and Drawing, Kat Spears, in conjunction with their current exhibition Kat Spears: Surface Lore.
The talk will be followed by an experimental monotype printmaking workshop at 7:00 hosted by Prof. Spears. Use reductive (“dark field”) monotype and other alternative printing methods as a means to producing surprising images, compositions, and textures. Participants will make their own prints to take home, and learn a method of DIY printmaking using everyday, accessible materials. Pizza and snacks will be served between the gallery talk and the workshop, so you can hang at the Galleries all night!
No art expertise is required; all workshop supplies are provided. Space is limited in the workshop, so advanced registration is required. Email malonek2@berea.edu to reserve your spot. These events are free and open to the public and guests of all ages. Doris After Dark is made possible in part by grant funding provided by The Art Bridges Foundation.

Artist Talk with Sara Torgison
2026-03-20 12:00 - 13:30 | Lower Traylor Gallery
In conjunction with her exhibition, Spanned Separations, visiting artist Sara Torgison will host an artist talk on Friday, March 20, at 12:00pm (noon) in the Lower Traylor Gallery. This event is free and open to the public. An opening reception with refreshments and snacks will be available after the talk. No RSVP required.
Sara Torgison is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus in ceramics and fiber art. She received an MFA from the University of Cincinnati Department of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and a BFA (ceramics) and BS (Zoology) from Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, California. Her work often blends media, extending finite and fragile surfaces to emphasize and inhabit marginal spaces. Sara is currently Visiting Ceramics Faculty at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and works as a preparator at the Weston Art Gallery in Cincinnati.
Sara Torgison: Spanned Separations is on view in the Lower Traylor Gallery from January 28 through March 20, 2026.

Clay Critters: Ceramics Workshop with Sara Torgison
2026-03-20 14:00 - 16:00 | Rogers-Traylor Art Building Room 211
Led by visiting artist Sara Torgison, this immersive workshop will follow Torgison’s artist talk on Friday, March 20, at 2:00 in Rogers-Traylor 211. The workshop will focus on hollow building strategies for rendering animal subjects in clay. Participants will be encouraged to consider form, structure, and texture in ceramic surface treatments through exploration of small animal figures. The workshop will cover capturing likeness in pinch and coil techniques and honing skills in noticing and recording important details. Torgison will guide participants through planning with photo references, initial shaping, and forming a base structure. Participants should come prepared to make one small animal and have access to images either printed or saved on a mobile device. Beginner friendly, some handbuilding experience is helpful. Experienced potters are welcome to bring their own tools.

The workshop is free and open to the public and guests of all ages. Space is limited! Please RSVP by emailing your name and number of attendees in your group to Dr. Kelsey Malone (malonek2@berea.edu). There is potential to make some mess, so wear clothing you don’t mind getting a bit dirty.

Doris After Dark! April 8, 2026
2026-03-29 17:00 - 19:00 | Doris Ulmann Galleries
Join us for Doris After Dark, a new monthly late-night programming series at the Doris Ulmann Galleries that brings creativity and community together in fun new ways!
In honor of the College’s All Peoples of the Earth Day, the evening programming will begin at 5:00 with a curator-led tour of the permanent collection exhibition, “All Peoples of the Earth: Selections from the Berea College Art Collection,” with Dr. Kelsey Malone. Come learn more about the vast holdings of the College’s permanent art collection, which is home to artworks and artifacts from all over the world, made by “all peoples of the Earth.”
Following the gallery tour, Dr. Shannon Phelps will lead a yoga session in the Galleries, encouraging connections between our minds, bodies, and surroundings on “All Peoples of the Earth Day.” Yoga mats, blankets, and water will be provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own mats, blocks, water bottles, etc. Please wear comfortable clothing that allows for stretching. This session is designed for practicers at all levels of familiarity with yoga. Space is limited! To reserve your spot in the yoga session, email Kelsey Malone (malonek2@berea.edu) with your name and the number of guests you’re attending with.
Come to one event or stay for both – it’s up to you! All Doris After Dark programs are free and open to the public and guests of all ages. These events are made possible with generous funding from The Art Bridges Foundation.

(re)envision: Senior Exhibition
2026-04-15 - 2026-05-06 | Doris Ulmann Galleries
For this year’s annual senior exhibition, ten graduating Studio Art majors have taken over four of our galleries, with work on display in the Upper Traylor, Lower Traylor, Masterpiece, and Tredennick Galleries that represents their concentrations in Ceramics, Fibers, Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture. All unique in their approaches, the individual bodies of work presented in this group exhibition share a common goal of re-envisioning our surroundings, encouraging viewers to consider and contemplate familiar environments, historical traditions, mythologies, bodily experiences, global issues, and relationships in new, alternative ways.The exhibition will be on view through Wednesday, May 6. The seniors will give artist talks on Wednesday, April 22, starting at 4:00 in the Hutchins Library lobby, with a reception to follow at the Doris Ulmann Galleries.

(re)envision: Senior Exhibition Reception and Artist Talks
2026-04-22 16:00 - 17:30 | Doris Ulmann Galleries
The annual Senior Exhibition showcases bodies of work made by graduating Studio Art majors showcasing their concentrations in Ceramics, Fibers, Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture. The exhibition will be open from Wednesday, April 15, through Wednesday, May 6. The seniors will give artist talks on Wednesday, April 22, starting at 4:00 with a reception to follow at the Doris Ulmann Galleries. All are welcome!
