Exhibit Showcases Theatrical Design Talents of Mielziner

Set designs, abstract paintings and second-hand clothing each have a place in the three exhibitions opening at Wake Forest University’s Fine Arts Gallery on Tuesday, Oct. 14. An opening reception will be held Friday, Oct. 17. The shows run through Nov. 25.

A collection of more than 50 original scene and costume designs by designer Jo Mielziner will be on display in the upstairs gallery.

Set designs for Broadway productions of “The Crucible,” “Look Homeward Angel,” “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” and many others are included. In his 52-year career, Mielziner (1901-1976) designed 270 theatrical productions. Examples of his work from the 1920s to the 1970s are included. Among the costume designs included in the exhibit are those created for a 1930s production of “Romeo and Juliet.” In the early 1970s, he designed the two theatres, the Main Stage and the Ring, housed in Scales Fine Arts Center.

“Jo Mielziner is considered by many to be America’s premiere designer for the theater,” said Harold Tedford, director of Wake Forest University Theatre.

Mary Henderson, Mielziner’s biographer and author of many books on the American theater, has served as a consultant for the exhibition and will discuss his career during the Oct. 17 opening reception. Her lecture will begin at 8 p.m. in Room 102 of the Scales Fine Arts Center.

Two artists, Dan Devening and Jane Mulfinger, will share the downstairs gallery. Devening, known for his combinations of realism and abstraction, will show several of his paintings. He has had several solo and group exhibitions, and his work has received positive reviews in the Chicago Tribune.

Devening will present a slide lecture on his work at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, in Room 9 of the Fine Arts Center.

“Lost for Words,” featuring more than 200 pairs of eyeglasses, is one of two large-scale installations presented by Mulfinger. “Rhoberts, I.,” the second installation, incorporates second-hand clothing over a 21 by 23-foot window in the gallery. Mulfinger has had solo exhibitions in the United States, England, France and Spain. She has also been featured in “Art Monthly” and other arts publications.

Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1 -5 p.m. For information, call 910-758-5585.

Categories: Arts & Culture, Events