PennWest University invites students, employees and community members to explore Double Take: A Closer Look at Contemporary Art, an exhibition drawn from the permanent collection of PennWest Edinboro’s Bruce Gallery and curated by Master of Fine Arts (MFA) students.
The exhibition will be on view February 17 through May 5, 2026, in the Mandarino Library Gallery, third floor, and is open during regular library hours.
A public exhibition reception will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, in Mandarino Gallery. The reception coincides with a twilight tour of the California campus, offering prospective students and families an opportunity to experience campus life through the arts. Refreshments will be provided, and the event is free and open to the public.
Curated and organized by the current class of MFA students at PennWest Edinboro, Double Take centers on the theme of perception, inviting viewers to consider the complex relationships between seeing, thinking and feeling. Throughout the exhibition, student curators share insights into the works on display, encouraging visitors to engage deeply and interpret the artwork in new ways.
"I really like the name of the show, and the invitation to slow down and think about the art we're looking at,” said Laura DeFazio, professor of art at PennWest. “There's no right or wrong way to look at art, just more or less experienced ways, and of course we all bring different experiences to the table. But art is for everyone to enjoy, and there's no better way of becoming more experienced than to spend more time looking at and thinking about art. The MFA students did a fabulous job curating this show, and I hope a lot of people will come see and enjoy it."
The exhibition features works created between the 1970s and 2021, including several prints by Erie artist Roy Ahlgren, known for his Op Art style. Also included are works by regional artists John Silk Deckard, Daniel Burke, Carl Sundberg, Tom Hubert, Susan and Steven Kemenyffy, and Francis T. Schanz.
All works on view are recent gifts to the Bruce Gallery’s permanent collection and reflect a wide range of media, including painting, ceramics, enamels, fabric and printmaking.
For PennWest students, the exhibition highlights the collaborative connection between campuses and the role of graduate students in shaping curatorial practice and public engagement. For visitors, it offers an accessible entry point into contemporary art while showcasing the depth of artistic talent represented in the university’s collections.
The March 25 reception provides an opportunity to meet faculty, experience student-curated work firsthand and engage with the creative energy of PennWest’s visual arts community.