MSU's Mesa-Gaido chosen for Kentucky Visions exhibit
Morehead State University art professor Gary Mesa-Gaido is among 24 artists represented in the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Visions at the Capitol. The exhibit showcases the artwork in the halls, reception areas and conference rooms of Senate and House offices in the Capitol Annex in Frankfort.
Mesa-Gaido, a faculty member in the Department of Art and Design since 1992, teaches courses in digital art, animation, painting and foundations.
His creative productions focus on assembling large-scale panoramic photographs that are digital montages. Using digital equipment and a stitching construction technique, Mesa-Gaido records human activity within historical architectural spaces, such as plazas, courtyards, train stations, churches and museums. His method of documenting locations in a 180-degree rotation results in a unique panoramic view.
An active artist, Mesa-Gaido has participated in more than 100 exhibitions, including solo, two-person, and small and large group. His artwork has been supported through various grants and awards, including two prestigious Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Fellowships and three MSU Creative Production Awards.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Ohio University.
The Kentucky Arts Council exhibit “Kentucky Visions at the Capitol” will be on display 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, through March 31 at the Annex. The exhibit features 58 individual pieces by Kentucky Crafted artists and Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship recipients.
“Longtime legislators have always remarked how much they look forward to hosting ‘Visions’ at the Annex, but there are new legislators joining the General Assembly this session who will discover outstanding artwork by Kentucky’s finest artists,” said Lydia Bailey Brown, arts council executive director. “With the corps of artists selected for this exhibit, Kentucky’s arts community is putting its best foot forward.”
Participating artists, their media, and home counties are:
Philis Alvic, fibers, Fayette; Bill Berryman, graphite, Clark; Patricia Brock, photography, Jefferson; Marianne Brown, ceramic, Anderson; Jim Cantrell, watercolor/oil on canvas, Nelson; Steve Clay, watercolor, Barren; Kathleen Conroy, scratchboard, Henry; Ray Daughtery, photography, Scott; Bruce Frank, photography, Scott; Timothy Gold, oils, Kenton;
Gary Graham, wood, Fayette; Elsie Harris, acrylic on canvas, Fayette; Eva King, paper, Calloway; Michael McCardwell, colored ink, Shelby; Michael Nichols, silverpoint on paper, Warren; Kathleen O’Brien, watercolor, drawing collage, Mercer; Laura Poulette, watercolor, Madison; Cecila Ridge, fibers, Jefferson; Lacey Roberts, fibers, Franklin; Judy Rosati, hand-colored photography, Jefferson; Sarah Spradlin, oils and acrylic, Bourbon; Jason Sturgill, mixed media, Fayette; and Sharon Tesser, fibers, Jefferson.
For more information about “Kentucky Visions at the Capitol,” contact Kate Sprengnether, arts council public art and design director, at 502-892-3111 or kate.sprengnether@ky.gov.
