Italy in the Artist’s Imagination

November 21-December 10, 2025

Over the last four and a half decades, the Bowling Green State University School of Art has been sending its students to Florence, Italy to inspire their creative spirits and hone their skills as draftsmen, painters, sculptors, designers, art historians, animators, and educators. No one has returned to Ohio without a transformation in mind and spirit. This exhibition celebrates the exhilaration of artistic exploration abroad and seeks to display works that highlight “Italy in the Artist’s Imagination.”

Curated by a group of sixteen students enrolled in Dr. Allie Terry-Fritsch’s “Professional Practices Seminar in Art History” during the Fall semester of 2025, the exhibition features nearly fifty works from BGSU’s University Art Collection, including works by Renaissance and Baroque masters, such as Albrecht Dürer and Jacques Callot, Mid-Century Modern Italian artists, such as Massimo Campigli and Bruno Caruso, and leading names in the Art Glass Movement.

In addition, out of an overwhelming number of contemporary works by BGSU faculty, students, and alumni submitted for consideration for inclusion to the exhibition, the student jury selected forty-five works, ranging from distinguished artists at the culmination of their career to students who have just returned from their first study abroad experience. They selected works in large scale and in miniature, two-dimensional works on vellum, paper, canvas, and on digital screens, along with three-dimensional works in metal, glass, and ceramic. All represent the spirit of discovery that fills the mind’s eye long after an inspirational encounter.

This exhibition is supported by the RING Center for Experiential Learning in Art and Design, American Frame, BGSU Division of Art History, and the BGSU School of Art.