The Olin Art Gallery, on the campus of Washington & Jefferson College, supports the educational mission of the College through the exhibition of original works by local, regional, and national artists.  By exhibiting a wide variety of art forms and styles the Olin Art Gallery seeks to stimulate the creation and understanding of contemporary art for the benefit of Washington & Jefferson College and the larger community.  Each show includes an opening reception and a gallery talk, providing an exciting opportunity to meet our exhibition artist.

Olin Fine Arts Center, 285 E. Wheeling St., Wash., PA 15301

Open Daily 12-7pm, except during college breaks

All events are free and open to the public

ViewSelectedPast Exhibitions

2009-2010Schedule of Exhibitions

Doug Anderson, ASPHODEL

September 18-October 25, 2009

(Closed during Fall break October 17-20)

Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Friday, September 18, 7-9pm

  Drawing inspiration from Greek mythology, Doug Anderson creates an interactive installation that connects contemporary experiences with the ancient underworld. Using simple everyday materials such as packing tape and charcoal, Anderson creates a hauntingly magical experience where viewers are invited to the center of Asphodel, a place where souls await judgment, to place a written thought or dream into the Vessel of Lethe (forgetfulness). The letters mysteriously peel away and mix with other letters to reveal a sense of universal thought and experience.

Anderson received his M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin and his B.F.A. from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.  The artist currently resides in Geneseo, New York and serves as an Associate Professor of Art at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo, New York.

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Tracy Featherstone and Roscoe Wilson

November 6-December 6, 2009

Opening Reception and Artist Talks: Friday, November 6, 7-9pm

   Working both individually and collaboratively, Tracy Featherstone and Roscoe Wilson explore the notion of growth and consumerism. Using familiar and ordinary household objects, Featherstone explores the connection between childhood fort building and the adult false sense of security through over-consumption.  Her awkward environments or structures exemplify the impulse to devise safe personal spaces while emphasizing the inadequate nature of the concept itself.

  Wilson's work involves the dilemma of consumerism and waste in contemporary society.  His installations similarly use everyday discards to emphasize the artist's contention that the problem with consumerism originates when we buy habitually and compounds when we waste apathetically. Often visually bold and overwhelming Wilson's work epitomizes the artist's desire for consumer restraint.

Featherstone received her M.F.A. from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona and her B.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.  Tracy Featherstone serves as an Assistant Professor and Foundations Coordinator at Miami University, Miami, Ohio.

Wilson received his M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, M.A. from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana and his B.A. from Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana.  Roscoe Wilson serves as an Assistant Professor of Art at Miami University, Miami, Ohio.

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John Benvenuto and Dana Saulnier

February 5-February 21, 2010

Opening Reception and Artist Talks: Friday, February 5, 7-9pm

  Working in diverse media, sculptor John Benvenuto and painter Dana Saulnier work with the idea of scale and monumentality.  The essence of Benvenuto's work is to create an architecture, site-specific, that is seductive spatially in its shifting and destabilized boundaries.  Working with polychrome mason's line and salvaged architectural materials, Benvenuto creates rooms for the visitor to move in(to).  These spaces become a means for the viewer to re-think or re-evaluate our assumptions of living space.

  Dana Saulnier's large scale works consider painting's intimacy with time. The artist states, "This work is History Painting that negotiates our distance and disconnection from lost 'spiritual' frameworks." Working with the notions of History Paintings, body sensation, and mapping of formal trajectories, Saulnier creates masterful, densely layered and lush canvases that invite the viewer to reconsider the shallow surfaces of our culture in favor of a paradigm of creativity. 

Benvenuto received his M.F.A. from the University of Iowa and his B.A. from University College of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York.

Saulnier received his M.F.A. from Cornell University and his B.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Jacque Clement

March 5-April 2, 2010

Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Friday, March 5, 7-9pm

  It is the process that interests artist Jacque Clement.  Using folded and unfolded paper canvases, Clement creates map-like images that reflect the act of drawing.  The artist states, "I draw, I fold, I unfold, I install the work. (The work) happens in the act of doing." Clement finds visual inspiration in everyday activities and surroundings: the random poses of figures; architecture; light; and the gallery where the work is installed.

Clement received his B.A. from the University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada.  The artist lives and maintains a studio in Montreal, Canada.

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W&J Senior Show

April 16-May 9, 2010

Opening Reception and Artist Talks: Friday, April 16, 7-9pm

Washington & Jefferson College art and art education majors graduating in spring 2010 exhibit their work across a variety of media in this annual senior capstone event. 

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*Click on images for closer view

Questions: Please contact Doug McGlumphy, Director, Olin Art Gallery at, dmcglumphy@RemoveThisPart.washjeff.edu