Athens, Ga. – The artwork of award-winning author and University of Georgia alumna Mary Padgelek will be on display in the College of Education’s Office of Information Technology through August 31.
The Southern Memories exhibition features a series of paintings inspired by Padgelek’s memories of her mother-in-law, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 90. Some of the featured works include paintings of her garden, where she loved to grow flowers and vegetables, and images of store fronts in Athens that are slowly being replaced by more modern fixtures.
“Through this exhibit I have sought to hold on to and to honor the past,” said Padgelek.
Padgelek earned her master’s degree in art education in 1988 and her Ph.D. in art from the Lamar Dodd School of Art in 1998. She taught art in public schools for 10 years in Richmond and Oconee counties and was a teaching assistant and instructor in UGA’s department of art education from 1996-2000. Her book, In the Hand of the Holy Spirit: The Visionary Art of J.B. Murray, earned Padgelek the Georgia Author of the Year award in the biography category in 2000.
Padgelek exhibits her art locally in several public collections, including the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, where her work is on permanent display. Ten of her Athens series paintings were included in the Athens Sketchbook published by Indigo Press.
The Southern Memories exhibit is on display in the main OIT office, Room 232, Aderhold Hall. More information about Padgelek and a selection of her work can be found at www.padgelek.com.