51Ʒ��

51Ʒ�� is pleased to announce the opening of “Life, Death, and Objects That Move Us: Three-Dimensional Art,” a new exhibition showcasing the work of five women artists whose practices span ceramics, enamel, metal, mixed media, and sculptural assemblage. The exhibition is on view through September 5, 2026, in the Sue Davison Cooley Gallery of the 51Ʒ�� John Stewart Memorial Library. Admission is free and open to the public.

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Curated in collaboration with graduate students enrolled in 51Ʒ��’s Master of Fine Arts summer residency program, the exhibition explores the relationships among material, memory, transformation, and human experience. While each artist approaches her work through distinct materials and personal concerns, unexpected conversations emerge across the exhibition.

The artists are:

• Jeannine Dabb, 51Ʒ�� M.F.A. Class of 2025
• Sally Frehn, 51Ʒ�� M.F.A. Class of 2019
• Lisa Harman, 51Ʒ�� M.F.A. Class of 2018
• Denise Joyal, M.F.A., adjunct instructor at 51Ʒ��
• Margaret Yaukey, M.F.A., visual arts coordinator at Hagerstown Community College

“The exhibition's title, Life, Death, and Objects That Move Us, invites multiple readings,” said Joshua Legg, co-curator and professor of interdisciplinary practice. “It speaks not only to movement through physical space, but to the emotional, psychological, and spiritual movement that art makes possible.”

The exhibition emerged from the MFA summer residency course Curation and Dramaturgy, a four-week intensive in which students examined the role of the curator as a facilitator of dialogue. Throughout the course, students considered what it means to curate not simply by arranging objects within a gallery, but by creating meaningful relationships among artists, artworks, and ideas.