By Joslyn DelSignore / The Jambar
The John J. McDonough Museum of Art announced three new exhibitions to kick off 2026, including Misty Gamble’s “Of Flesh and The Feminine,” Hannah Parrett’s “I Do Not Always Understand, But I Feel Desire” and “From WOMAN 19,” curated by Mary Urbas that will all be on display from Jan. 20 to Feb. 28.
The museum will host a closing ceremony from 2-4 p.m. Feb. 28. The artists will be in attendance, and Gamble, an associate professor of art and the Steven Mayes Endowed Professor of Visual Arts at West Texas A&M University, will be giving a gallery talk to discuss her work.
McDonough Museum Director Claudia Berlinski organizes the exhibitions, and said she discovers new art in a variety of ways. Artists either send her proposals or she finds connections through other exhibitions, art magazines and social media.
“I try to find work that I think the students, the art students, will respond to, that the community will respond to positively. Something that is very contemporary and addresses current issues,” Berlinski said.
Gamble’s “Of Flesh and The Feminine” is a piece that explores ideas about ecofeminism and animal exploitation. A press release stated that Gamble intended to use art to draw the community into acting on and talking about political, social or environmental issues. The piece exhibits use of ceramic cast multiples, installation and sculpture.
In addition to her professorship, Gamble is head of the 3D area. She founded both Studio Nong International Sculpture Collective and Residency Program and TETRA: Women of Ceramics at the Texas A&M System.
Hannah Parrett’s “I Do Not Always Understand, But I Feel Desire” draws from the psychological and emotional experience of place. The same release stated that she builds work that explores the distance between memory and desire.
Parrett is an artist and educator based out of Cincinnati. In 2025 she received an Ohio Arts Individual Excellence Grant. Parrett also helped cofound Dream Clinic Project Space, an artist organized gallery and studio in Columbus.
“From WOMAN 19” curated by Mary Urbas is an exhibition that celebrates women and their art. Urbas selects female artists who present fresh visual approaches to storytelling with an aesthetic standard.
The press release stated that Urbas has over 46 years of experience in the art world, working as a curator, gallery owner, teacher, exhibition juror, prize judge and more of as an artist herself.
Berlinski said she hopes these exhibitions will inspire students on campus in their own work.
“I think that they will bring ideas and manifestation of their ideas, that is maybe something that the community and our students haven’t seen and can inspire viewers to really think about what those artists are doing and why they’re doing it,” Berlinski said.
The McDonough Museum of Art galleries are open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. Groups and classes on campus are welcome to meet in the museum and can contact Berlinski at caberlinski@ysu.edu for more details.