Arts Center showcases printmaking, paintings, and ceramics in three fall art exhibits

Nazareth University Arts Center showcases the talents of its art and design faculty, printmaker Kathleen Sherin, the paintings and ceramics of Nazareth alumni Joseph Accorso '81 and Annette Verna '84, and an exhibition of new work by painter Bradley Butler and sculptor Mitchell Messina at its two art galleries this fall.

2025 Faculty Art Show
On exhibit: Through Sept. 21 | Arts Center Gallery

The Faculty Art Show is an annual exhibition featuring work by Nazareth’s art and design department faculty in a variety of styles and media including ceramics, illustration, graphic design, jewelry, metalsmithing, printmaking, painting, photography, sculpture, and more. There will be an opening reception on Friday, Sept. 19, 5-7 p.m. during Naz Weekend. Arts Center Gallery hours: Tuesday-Thursday noon-5 p.m., Friday-Saturday noon-8 p.m., Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Closed Monday.

"Contention” by printmaker Kathleen Sherin
On exhibit: Through Sept. 21 | Colacino Art Gallery

Sherin’s exhibit of her one-of-a-kind, hand-pulled prints titled “Contention” is on display through Sept. 21 in the Colacino Gallery of the Arts Center. An opening reception is Friday, Sept. 19, from 5-7 p.m., during Naz Weekend. Colacino Gallery hours: Wednesday-Sunday noon-5 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

"I approach the art of printmaking as an explorer in search of making a discovery,” said Sherin. “Abstract work for this exhibition was guided by the working concept of 'conflicting systems' with a subtext of 'searching for connections' and develops its narrative through contrasts. The continuing dialogue that informs almost all my past and present work explores the distinction and overlap of our human experience as both 'physical/biological and thinking/emotional' beings. My conceptual and working methods include contrasts of energy vs. stasis, fluid vs. solid, gestures vs. slow percussive movements and physicality vs. perception. The resulting prints are the symbol of an interplay and balance between perception, reason, and intuition." 

Sherin’s prints contain a combination of non-chemically mediated printmaking methods that include her personal spin on collagraph, carborundum printing, and monoprint techniques.

Elements Together in Harmony by Joseph Accorso and Annette Verna
On exhibit: Oct. 10 – Nov. 23 | Colacino Art Gallery

Elements Together in Harmony exhibits paintings and ceramics by Nazareth alumni Joseph Accorso '81 and Annette Verna '84. The exhibition in Nazareth’s Colacino Gallery focuses on common elements in their work: drawing the viewer to up-close details through texture, color, value, proportion, focal point, and surface treatments; combining disparate sources to create unity; and creating awareness of beauty in our world. An opening reception is Friday, Oct. 10, from 5-7 p.m. in the Arts Center’s upper lobby. Colacino Gallery hours: Wednesday-Sunday noon-5 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Flood: Bradley Butler and Mitchell Messina
On exhibit: Oct. 10 – Nov. 23 | Nazareth Arts Center Gallery

Flood (v.): to arrive in overwhelming amounts or quantities

An exhibition of new work by Bradley Butler and Mitchell Messina begins Oct. 10 in the Arts Center Gallery. In Butler’s paintings and Messina’s sculptures, the artists contextualize a visual flood of emotions, thoughts, and beliefs through their investigation of light and darkness, the known and unknown, and other nuances of human existence. Surfaces that are deep and seem never-ending are painted across the canvas, while the changed meaning of objects creates a contrast between the familiar and the unfamiliar. Both artists use a personal vocabulary of abstraction to examine the powerful boundaries inherent in these parallels, parallels that surround and subconsciously bombard us emotionally and physically every day. The search for answers in their work serves not only to drive the art-making process but also to fuel the desire to keep asking questions. Messina is also a Nazareth University art professor who focuses on ceramics and sculpture. An opening reception is Friday, Oct. 10, from 5-7 p.m., in the Arts Center upper lobby. Arts Center Gallery hours: Tuesday-Thursday noon-5 p.m., Friday-Saturday noon-8 p.m., Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Closed Monday.

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2025 September
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