Exhibit Shows Development and Final Pieces of Artist's Work

The exhibit “The Fables of Ora Lerman: Creativity and Critical Thinking,” on display at The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery through March 22, examines the thought and creative development of a vibrant series of pieces based on Aesop’s Fables.

The collection was organized by Josephine Dunn, Ph.D., professor emerita in the University’s art and music program and board member and curator of the Ora Lerman Charitable Trust. The exhibit lecture was presented by assistant curator, Jordan Oakey, a 2020 graduate of the University.

The purpose of the exhibition was to provide the audience with an inside view of Lerman’s mind as she developed her art, showing not only the finished products of her art pieces, but the stages leading up to their finalization.

Lerman, an accomplished artist, professor and creator, took an academic approach to her art.

“She grounded her own pigments and made her own paints. With that she could get such a range of color, range of hue and contrast. She also worked from life, meaning she created basically still life paintings,” Oakey said.

Oakey carefully discussed each individual piece of art in the exhibit, to highlight her style and artistic touch. She displayed all available stages of every piece, giving the audience a closer look into the artist’s sketch-to-mold process.

Lerman used Aesop’s Fables as inspiration for her collection but added her own twist by tweaking some of the plot details and creating a visualization of each story. Oakey explained that she did this not only through physical representation, but by applying a feministic realm to the fables as well.

“She would flip the gender roles to kind of put the woman and the artist forward,” Oakey said.

After discussing each piece, and explaining her process, along with the history of the fable, Oakey invited the audience to visit the University’s Hope Horn Gallery for the exhibit opening that was held on Feb. 2.