McDonough Museum to open 2026 season with three new exhibitions

The McDonough Museum of Art will open its 2026 season with three new exhibitions by guest artists Misty Gamble, Hannah Parrett, and Mary Urbas beginning Tuesday, January 20, through Saturday, February 28.

Gamble’s “Of Flesh and The Feminine” exhibits “ceramic figuration, installation, ceramic cast multiples, and sculpture that explore ideas about interspecies relationships, animal exploitation, and ecofeminism,” Gamble said. “This exhibit explores environmental issues through eco-social engagement that is anchored in community-led development and uses art to draw the community into talking about and acting on social, political, or environmental issues.”

Gamble, the recipient of numerous residencies, grants, and fellowships, currently serves as 3D area head, associate professor of art, and the Steven Mayes Endowed Professor of Visual Arts at West Texas A&M University. She is the founder of Studio Nong: International Sculpture Collective and Residency Program and is also founder of TETRA: Women of Ceramics at the Texas A&M System.

Parrett is an artist an educator based out of Cincinnati. She helped co-found the Dream Clinic Project Space, an artist-run gallery and studio space. Her work has been exhibited both locally and nationally, and in 2025 she was named the recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence grant.

Parrett’s work in “I Do Not Always Understand, But I Feel Desire” grounds itself in the emotional and psychological experience of place; specifically, “the scale shift cadence between landscape, architecture, and domestic space,” Parrett said. As she looks to wilderness myths and science fiction narratives to explore their landscapes as spiritual geography and utopian fallacy, she “builds layered tableaus that explore the distance between memory and desire in highly adorned scenes.”

Parrett will also present as part of the Department of Art Lecture Series January 20 at 5:30 PM in the McDonough Museum lecture hall (room 3000).

Urbas, curating “From WOMAN 19,” will display works that present fresh visual approaches to storytelling from the female perspective. “Visual impact is key. The female underlying inspirations and backstories are intriguing,” Urbas said.

Urbas comes to the McDonough Museum with over 46 years of experience in the professional art world as a gallery owner, curator, teacher, consultant, exhibition juror, prize judge, and an award-winning exhibiting fiber artist.

A closing reception for these exhibits will be held February 28 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, with Gamble set to give a gallery talk at 2:30 PM as part of the reception.

Entry to these exhibits is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Wick Avenue Deck (M30) for a $5 fee payable in cash only. The McDonough Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.