KENT, OH.- This winter, the Kent State University School of Art Collection and Galleries invites the public to experience three compelling exhibitions that span bold contemporary voices, historic printmaking traditions and landmark German Expressionist works. Together, these exhibitions highlight the depth of the university’s collections and its ongoing commitment to presenting global perspectives, emerging artists and transformative stories across its campus and downtown galleries.

‘A Gift in Ink’

"A Gift in Ink: Prints from the New York Print Club’s Recent Donation to the School of Art Collection," celebrates a significant addition to the Kent State University School of Art Collection. This exhibition showcases a selection of prints generously donated by the New York Print Club, one of the nation’s oldest and most respected organizations dedicated to the appreciation and collection of fine prints.

Featuring works by a range of modern and contemporary artists, this exhibition highlights the enduring vitality of printmaking as both an artistic and communal practice. "A Gift in Ink" underscores the importance of cultural exchange and the role of philanthropy in expanding the educational and creative resources available to students, scholars and the public.

‘Wood and Ink’

Curated from the School of Art Collection, "Wood and Ink: Expressionist Voices from Germany" explores the dynamic themes and techniques of German Expressionism, a major modernist movement that flourished during the early decades of the 20th century. Through woodcuts, prints and works on paper, visitors will encounter the raw emotional power and bold visual language that defined this era.

Expressionism emerged in the years surrounding World War I, reflecting deeply humanistic concerns and an ambivalent attitude toward modernity.

The works on view address themes such as:

• The allure and complexity of modern urban life
• Spirituality and the solace of nature
• The human figure as a vessel for primal emotion
• Emotionally charged portraiture
• The profound impact of war and its aftermath

Featured artists include Ernst Barlach, Max Beckmann, Lyonel Feininger, George Grosz, Hans Hartung, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Käthe Kollwitz, Emil Nolde and Fritz Winter—figures whose contributions shaped the trajectory of modern art.

Biennial Faculty Show

The School of Art Collection and Galleries at Kent State University will be hosting the Biennial Faculty Show. Featuring the work of full-time, part-time and emeritus Kent State University School of Art faculty.

The Biennial Faculty Show will be on display Jan. 20–Feb. 13, 2026, at the CVA Gallery. An opening reception will take place from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23.

‘None of us really know what we look like inside’

Corrie Slawson’s work engages a matrix of social, political, environmental and cultural concerns. “None of us really know what we look like inside” includes work from the past year, including mixed media paintings, drawings and prints that can only imagine what it looks like inside of our bodies. A full-color catalog will be available with an essay by noted painter and critic Douglas Max Utter.

The surfaces of the works are where visceral events grow and bloom into pictures, devoid of stops or starts except maybe in distant retrospect, fading in and out, overlapping, crumbling, hemorrhaging sudden color. Each medium provides a vital key into Slawson’s process; gravity and pressure, in the way that traditional printmaking does, also speaks of the passage of time, recorded not just over eons, but as moments in the life of things that cannot last in stone, the unseen parts of life, bound deep in flesh or otherwise beyond the normal reach of our eyes, that tell and constitute the truest stories of their being - from myth to womb.

Corrie Slawson was born and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. They received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design, New York, New York, and an Master of Fine Arts from Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. Slawson’s work is represented by Shaheen Modern and Contemporary Art.