The University of Saint Francis will open the arts season with “2016 Presidential Gala: Thomas Hilty / Tamara Monk” on Saturday, September 10 in the Weatherhead and Goldfish galleries of the Mimi and Ian Rolland Art and Visual Communication Center, Leesburg Road.

The Presidential Gala opening reception will be held 6 – 9 p.m. on September 10 and will feature food, beverages and live music as visitors enjoy the pieces on display.

Observations: Contemporary Landscapes by Thomas Hilty and Tamara Monk

Thomas Hilty is a professor emeritus of Bowling Green State University and emeritus trustee of Studio Art Centers International – Florence, Italy. He is well known for his abstract figurative works in pastel and mixed media. Over the past four years, he has adapted his aesthetic focus to the contemporary landscape and untouched wilderness, working in black and white with the expressive and inventive application of graphite.

Hilty will also deliver a lecture about his work, October 5, 7:30 p.m., in the USF North Campus auditorium, 2702 Spring Street. This lecture will be free and open to the public.

Tamara Monk, an oil painter, focuses on the luminous qualities of water and its relationship to the wooded environments of the Upper Peninsula and northwest Ohio, exploring the transcendent in nature.

This exhibition will showcase both artists’ unique interpretations of the natural world.

Artist Spotlight Gallery: Ethan Ross – Hybrid Landscapes

This portfolio, shot with a 4×5 camera, is an exploration of nature’s adaptation and humankind’s instinctual need to alter its habitat. Ross is a SOCA alumnus and received his MFA in photography from the Kendall School of Art and Design in 2014.

The exhibit will continue through October 9. Gallery hours are:

Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday, 1 – 5 p.m.