Mary Lou Zelazny: Spontaneous Generation

After more than forty years of painting, artist Mary Loy Zelazny has developed a cast of recurring characters and personalities that continually return to the canvas. These familiar figures reemerge almost beyond her conscious control, inspiring a new body of work in which long-standing artistic companions encounter newly imagined beings. Through a process of creative regeneration, the seemingly inert materials of canvas, paint, and paper become a meeting place where the old and the new converge. Working in mixed media, Zelazny creates richly allegorical and narrative compositions inspired by premodern genre painting. Her representational works feature both humanoid and fantastical characters whose ambiguous identities invite multiple interpretations. Through these imaginative encounters, Zelazny explores themes of memory, transformation, and storytelling, encouraging viewers to engage with the paintings' layered meanings and evolving narratives.

The Public Reception takes place on Thursday, May 13, 5 – 8 p.m.

Viewings take place from May 13 - June 25, during regular museum hours.