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“Sur(face): portraits reexamined" in Bruce Gallery
through February 1
WRITTEN BY JULIA CARDEN - EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR

Mixed-media sculpture from
Murjoni Merriweather’s
“Braided Collection” at the
“sur(face): portraits reexamined” art show in
Edinboro’s Bruce Gallery
located in Doucette Hall. Photo
by Julia Carden.
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EDINBORO — The Bruce Gallery “sur(face): portraits re-examined" art exhibit features
portraiture work by Murjoni Merriweather, Madeline Schwartzman, Dennis Doyle and Carol
Werder, with additional pieces from the gallery’s permanent art collection, including Pablo
Picasso’s 1955 “Exposition de Vallauris.”
The gallery debuted in October in the Bruce Gallery of Doucette Hall on the Edinboro campus
of Pennsylvania Western University. The exhibit will be up for view until Wednesday, Feb. 1.
According to Gallery Director Lisa Austin, graduate students within PennWest Edinboro’s art
program decided to create an interactive viewing experience for “sur(faces): re-examined.”
Upon entry to the gallery, visitors are given a card with prompts like “a piece that makes you
think of your grandmother” and “a piece you want to know more about.” Each prompt has a
color-coordinated star sticker to place next to the piece viewers feel best represent the
different prompts.

The display features several pieces from Madeline
Schwartzman’s “Face Nature Exhibition” series of
self-portrait photographs, linen prints and videos.
The portraits are all captured by the artist and
incorporate natural elements including leaves,
flowers, tree bark and more. “Face Nature
Exhibition” is associated with Schwartzman’s book
series including “See Yourself Sensing: Redefining

Human Perception” and “See Yourself X: Human
Futures Expanded.”
The exhibit also features five mixed-media ceramic

Photo by
Julia
Carden

portrait sculptures from Murjoni
Home Merriweather’s
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“Grillz Collection” and “Braided Collection.”
Staff
Merriweather is a black female artist from Maryland
who creates art with the intention to normalize and
celebrate black culture.

“My work focuses on addressing and eliminating the negative stereotypes of blackness that
still exist both inside and outside of the black community. From my perspective, this starts
with erasing the European standards of beauty from blackness while also pushing and
normalizing black culture,” she explained in her artist statement. “My work is for black
people. It is created to display our innate beauty and to encourage us to be proud of who we
are.”
An essay written by Dr. Rhonda Matthews, associate professor of political studies and
women’s studies at PennWest Edinboro, was featured in the exhibit catalog. The essay, titled
“Undefeated. Indefatigable. Un-stoppable," provides a synopsis of Merriweather’s
contributions to black culture.
The catalog, designed by Shelle Barron, also featured essays by Brooklyn Rail critic Ann
Collins, Penn State Art History student Celine Gauge and Museum of Contemporary Art
Cleveland curator Lauren Leving.
The exhibition also features artwork from Bruce Gallery’s permanent collection, including
artists Jaroslaw Bedkowski, Edgar Degas, Edward Eberly, Bill Fick, Jasper Johns, Francoise
Gilot, Pinchas Litvinovsky, Ayanah Moor, Pablo Picasso, Georges Rouault, Bill Sanders,
Jenny Schmid and Rapheal Soyer.
The gallery will host an event titled the Sweetest Goodbye to close out the exhibit on
Wednesday, Feb. 1 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. There will be refreshments, live music and
interactive art games.
The Bruce Gallery is located on the PennWest Edinboro campus on the ground floor of
Doucette Hall, 215 Meadville St, Edinboro, PA 16444. “Sur(face): portraits re-examined" will
be on display until February 1. The gallery is free and open to the public. For gallery hours
and additional information, visit brucegallery.info.

EDINBORO ART BRUCE GALLERY ART PORTAITS PENNWEST EDINBORO

Julia Carden - Executive Editor of The Spectator
Julia Carden (she/her) is a senior Journalism student at PennWest Edinboro with minors in
Home
News Branding
Features& A&E
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Relations:
Imaging,
and Professional
Writing. She is the
Executive Editor of PennWest Edinboro’s student Staff
newspaper, The Spectator. She can be reached at
jc182837@pennwest.edu.

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