Faculty Art to be Exhibited in Lea Gallery

Paintings, pottery and more original creations will be displayed at the University of Findlay’s annual Faculty Art Exhibition in the Virginia B. Gardner Fine Arts Pavilion’s Lea Gallery from Jan. 11 through Feb. 3.
A public reception will be held Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in the gallery.
Represented faculty will include Ed Corle; Valerie Escobedo; Anita McCandless; Spencer Cunningham; Diane Kontar, Ph.D.; Anne Beekman; Marie Louden-Hanes, Ph.D.; and Laura Barnhardt Corle.
Ed Corle, associate professor of art, teaches ceramics, sculpture and three-dimensional design. He has taught at UF since 1986. He attended Ohio Northern University where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1974. He also attended Rochester Institute of Technology School for the American Craftsman and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1982. Corle enjoys making functional hand-thrown pots. He has participated in many regional exhibitions and arts fairs and festivals such as the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair and the Black Swamp Arts Festival. He is a member of the Findlay Art League and The Michigan Guild.
Anita McCandless has taught design at the University of Findlay since 1990. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Findlay College and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Bowling Green State University. McCandless’ artwork is simply a very tactile response to observations and influences in her life.
Spencer Cunningham, art instructor, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bluffton University, a Master of Arts degree in photography/film from The Ohio State University; a Master of Fine Arts degree from Bowling Green State University; and has done post-graduate visual studies at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. He has also freelanced in public relations photography, film and video production. Clients have included a wide range of businesses, organizations, design agencies and production companies. Cunningham has shown his photographs in many juried and solo fine art exhibitions. In 2015 he had work exhibited and published in the “International Photography Annual” with Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, and was a finalist in “Photographers’ Forum” magazine’s Best of 2014 and 2016 international publications.
Diane Kontar, Ph.D., has taught art history and art appreciation at UF since 2004. A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, she earned degrees in art history, classical archeology and art education, completing her Ph.D. at Florida State University in 2000. Her artwork is inspired by art history.
Anne Beekman, associate professor of graphic design, worked for 20 years as an art director, graphic designer and web developer in publishing and advertising, winning multiple awards for her work. Her client accounts have included ADT, Calvin Klein, Johnson & Johnson, Oscar de la Renta, U.S. Army and Verizon Wireless. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Cleveland Institute of Art, and a Master of Fine Arts in graphic design and illustration from Marywood University. She now donates her creative services to local nonprofit organizations.
Marie Louden-Hanes, Ph.D., is a professor of art history. A visual artist and historian, she continues to research the public and private lives of 19^th century urban women as revealed in illustrations and paintings by Winslow Homer, 19^th century American artist. In her own paintings, Louden-Hanes manipulates form and color and plays the resulting imagery against the light of the natural environment. She joined the visual arts faculty of Findlay College in 1986. She added administrative responsibilities in 1998 as graduate program director and provided other administrative leadership including various deanships for another 12 years. Louden-Hanes returned to the classroom in 2014.
Laura Barnhardt Corle was one of Ohio Northern University’s first fine arts graduates in 1977. She proceeded to earn a Master of Fine Arts at Bowling Green State University in 2015. She has served as an adjunct art instructor at ONU, and also at the University of Findlay teaching watercolors. Corle is a freelance artist and teacher in the Jones Building in downtown Findlay, and a Findlay Art League member. She specializes in painting, specifically photorealistic watercolors, and exhibits her work at local, regional and national art shows and fairs, including the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair.
Some of the artists’ works will be for sale. To purchase art, contact Spencer Cunningham at cunningham@findlay.edu or at 419-367-7460.
Lea Gallery hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. All of its exhibitions are free and open to the public.

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