Department of Art & Design hosts summer art exhibition
By Ann Gosser | May 27, 2026
MURRAY, Ky. — "ON THE MARK," an exhibition on view on the sixth floor of the Price Doyle Fine Arts Building through June 22, spotlights abstract art held in the collection of the Clara M. Eagle Gallery on the campus of Murray State University.
"ON THE MARK" features a sampling of two-dimensional artworks created in a range of mediums by artists who have been selected to represent a variety of interests within abstraction. Curator/Director of University Galleries and Professor of Art & Design at Murray State, T. Michael Martin, explained that abstraction began as a practice to move away from realistic and naturalistic representation to emphasize visual elements such as color, shape, line, texture, pattern, gesture and composition. Rather than depicting the world as it appears, artists use these formal properties to communicate emotion, movement, atmosphere, meaning and/or ideas in a more interpretive or expressive way. Emerging strongly in the early 20th century through artists like Willem de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Wassily Kandinsky, Hilma af Klint, Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, abstraction challenged traditional expectations of art and expanded possibilities within visual language.
Mark-making and gesture are prominent within abstraction, foregrounding the physical act of creation itself. Brushstrokes, drips, scratches and experimentation with layered surfaces become evidence of movement, intent, a passage of time and ultimately process, transforming into a record of action and emotion. Color also plays a central role in abstraction, often carrying emotional or symbolic weight independent from recognizable imagery. Bold contrasts, carefully selected harmonies or layered tones can shape mood and psychological impact. Expression is equally important; abstract works frequently reveal an inner emotive state through energetic compositions or capturing meditative moments. The use of pattern and repetition can place rhythm and structure into artworks, creating visual movement that can feel well-ordered or interpreted as overwhelming and dizzyingly chaotic.
The influence of abstraction as a movement and mindset extends far beyond fine art. It has shaped graphic design, architecture, fashion, cinema and most of contemporary visual culture. An emphasis on experimentation, expression and personal interpretation in abstraction continues to encourage viewers to engage in a cognitive process to problem-solve with reason combined with imagination rather than to simply gravitate to easily recognizable subject matter. Featuring artists Gloria Defilipps Brush, Piero Dorazio, Cynthia Huff, Sharon Johnson, Sherry Shutt, Robert Sajnovsky, William Walmsley and Adja Yunkers, this exhibition allows visitors to discover a curated assortment of remarkable work ranging from 1953 to 1987, selected by T. Michael Martin. Recent exhibits featuring work from the Clara M. Eagle Gallery collection have been curated by individual students or co-curated by groups of students for public display within the galleries under the mentorship of the Director of University Galleries.
The University Galleries visitor hours for Summer 2026 are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the galleries is free and open to the public. For more information about the Department of Art & Design, visit murraystate.edu/art or follow them on Instagram @murraystateart.