The Intentional Gaze

To gaze - defined as a long lingering look - can also mean to admire with wonder, surprise, and deep thought. The artwork in ACWL-Nuveen's first guest artist exhibition of 2026, Steady Gaze, poses a challenge to viewers: how does it feel to keep an unfaltering focus on a painting and what if the painting's subject stares back? What impact does that have on you, the viewer?

Steady Gaze, on display May 8 – June 27, is sponsored by Howmet Aerospace and features artist and Assistant Professor of Art Instruction at Hope College of Art and Art History, Amelia Mendolsohn and five of her students; Anna Snader, Nico Kazlauskas, Carlee Shafer, Ava Kramer and Grace Barnes. 

Jacksonville Horses, Oil and acrylic on canvas Amelia Mendelsohn

Ms. Mendolsohn, who received her BA in Studio Art and Art History from Sweet Briar College in Virginia and her MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Notre Dame, describes herself as both an educator and an artist. This exhibition, Steady Gaze, showcases the strength of those talents. The subject matter for her paintings at first glance appears familiar and nostalgic. But her eerie use of pulsing color, composition and scale communicates something brewing below the surface. She states this about her work, “I am concerned with familial conflict existing within mundane domestic scenes, especially when social mores and value systems bury traumatic experiences within the home.”  Ms. Mendolsohn is motivated by feminist reinterpretations of the uncanny in domestic situations. She states, “In my paintings the uncanny exists in spaces that oscillate between a familiar and unfamiliar domestic environment, tapping into psychological unease through a return of repressed familial memory.”

The strength of Ms. Mendolsohn’s visual message and her talented painting skills can also be found in the work of her students. It is obvious that as an art instructor at a liberal arts college she has pushed her students to explore not only the techniques of painting and drawing but to encourage each student toward their own personal expression. Senior English Literature Major, Anna Snader from Nashville, Tennessee commented, “Professor Mendolsohn emphasizes the importance of reading theory to inform artistic creation. In Painting II, Laura Mulvey’s gaze theory really fascinated me, and I completed a series of paintings and drawings on that subject. Since I am a writer by training, Professor Mendolsohn also encouraged me to use writing and art in conversation with each other. This combination has opened many artistic doorways for me.” Visual Art Education major Nico Kazlauskas reflects on his college art experience, "Hope's Art Department had me recognize the importance of conversation; whether it's conversations from teacher to student, or between contemporary dialog in the art world, nothing exists in a bubble but is consistently learning, evolving and adapting."

Fitting Room detail, Nico Kazlauskas Apocalyptic Memory, Anna Snader Bead, Amelia Mendelsohn

The artwork in our new exhibition, Steady Gaze, is not to be missed. It is bold, expressive and thought provoking. It is a masterclass in how the influence of a strong teacher who is also a serious artist can guide younger artists toward their own meaningful art expression. We invite the community to meet Ms. Mendolsohn and some of her students at a free public reception on Friday, May 8 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm. The best part of this reception is that the artists will be sharing insights about their work starting at 5:30pm. We will also be serving light refreshments.

In conjunction with the Steady Gaze exhibition, we invited Ms. Mendolsohn to give a workshop on Saturday, May 30 from 12:00pm – 2:00pm. The workshop entitled – Narrative Memory: Visual Methods for Accessing Personal History Within Your Studio Practice is open to anyone interested in finding uniquely personal ways to expand their image making skills into meaningful visual storytelling. Participants will be using their own photos as source material and will be working with watercolor paper and different mediums.  The class is $10 for non-members and $9 for members. This workshop is also being sponsored by the Howmet Aerospace Foundation.  https://www.artswhitelake.org/service-page/narrative-memory