Park University’s Norrington Center houses beautiful works of art in the Campanella Gallery. The current feature, running from Jan. 8 to Feb. 23., is the intricate artwork of Lynn Richardson. The Park University adjunct professor titled her collection “Different Views.”

The works of art, created from the years 2009 to 2016, all highlight a keen attention to detail.

“I like to explore interesting objects, and then render the curious nuances that are contained on the surface,” Richardson wrote in the artist’s statement. “I accomplish this by blowing up the image of the object to more than 5x its normal size and then complete in various mediums, most notably graphite.”

In addition to the pieces of art created by graphite, she also shows her talent through mediums such as ink, paint and photography.

Andrea Lee, assistant professor of art and director of the Campanella Gallery, has been at Park for around nine years and has helped to showcase a great number of artworks from students, professors, and local artists. The exhibits are scheduled about a year in advance and feature a reception for the artist upon its debut.

“We are excited to support her and her art,” said Lee. “One of the missions of the gallery is to express the artistic design of artists, faculty and students.”

The gallery was founded in 1988 by Professor Donna Bachmann. It was named after Vincent Campanella, who founded Park’s fine art program in 1952 and taught here for around 30 years. The current gallery however, is the newest reincarnation of it, as it was part of the recent Norrington renovation. It was previously in the underground. Lee feels there are many benefits to having an art gallery on campus.

“Students have expressed that they find the gallery to be a peaceful place where they can enjoy artwork and provide a break from their studies,” said Lee.

The gallery provides another benefit as well.

“Our art and design students may know her (Richardson) from class but don’t really get to see what she creates outside of the classroom,” said Lee. “It provides a great experience for the students to see a different side of their professor.”

The exhibit is located near the center of the Parkville campus and is also free. Easy access and affordability aren’t the only reasons to attend, however.

“Exposure to the arts can enrich people’s lives,” said Lee. “It can inspire them in their own lives.”

The next show in the Campanella Gallery will be the New Works faculty art exhibit, on display from March 5-April 26.