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News Release

OWU Art Galleries Feature Globally Influenced Exhibits
Works by Dayton-Area Artist Derrick Davis, OWU Alumna Gale Wallar

April 27, 2009

Derrick Davis discussed his work at a showing on April 22 in OWU’s Gallery 2001 at Beeghly Library.

Photo by Hersey Liu ’09

Click here for a high resolution version. (1405k JPG)

DELAWARE, OH – Derrick Davis creates colored pencil drawings inspired by the kente cloth patterns worn in Ghana, which he says have a strong architectural influence. Gale Wallar is inspired by views from world travels, creating realistic city and countryside scenes. The works of both are on display in two galleries on the Ohio Wesleyan University campus.

Derrick Davis’s “Journey from the Cloth” exhibit focuses on the vibrant colors and geometric patterns of kente cloth in what he calls “abstructure art”—a combination of abstract and architecture. Davis says he creates his works from an inner vision, which he translates into intricate drawings.

Davis’s works are on display through May 17 in Gallery 2001 in the lobby of OWU’s Beeghly Library, 43 Rowland Ave., on Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

“Vietnam: Hanoi Street Market”, by OWU alumna Gale Weidenbusch Wallar ’71, is one of the works now on display in her “Crossing Boundaries” exhibit in The OWU Alumni Gallery in the Mowry Alumni Center.

Image courtesy of Gale Weidenbusch Wallar

Click here for a high resolution version. (2035k JPG)

OWU alumna Gale (Weidenbusch) Wallar’s “Crossing Boundaries” exhibit includes drawings and paintings that portray things seen in Europe and Asia. She created these artworks while living and traveling abroad with her husband, Jim, who worked for the U.S. State and Treasury departments.

Her works are on display through Aug. 25 in The OWU Alumni Gallery on the first and second floors of the Mowry Alumni Center, 16 Rowland Ave. The gallery is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. During OWU Alumni Weekend, the exhibit will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 16 and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 17.

Wallar graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. She later earned a master’s degree in art history from George Washington University. Other family members who graduated from Ohio Wesleyan include her husband, Jim, Class of 1970, and her brothers, Coleman Weidenbusch ’72 and John Weidenbusch ’86. Her father, Colonel Albert C. Weidenbusch, was the director of the OWU ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps) program from 1967-1971, and served as the OWU Director of Planned Giving and as Treasurer of the OWU Board of Trustees from 1973-1981.

OWU alumni interested in showing at The OWU Alumni Gallery should contact Justin Kronewetter, director of the Ross Art Museum, at jrkronew@owu.edu.

Ohio Wesleyan University is an undergraduate liberal arts college that transforms the lives of its students through a combination of rigorous academics, mentoring relationships, and real-world experiences. Featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” the private university’s 1,850 students come from 47 states and 50 countries. Visit www.owu.edu for more information.