The Surface - The Space is an exhibition of paintings and wall drawings by Kansas City based artist Laura Nugent. Nugent’s works investigate the continued restating of abstract painting. Aleksandr Rodchenko declared of his red monochrome in 1921 that he had accomplished the “last painting,” yet one hundred years later there remains meaningful/significant dialogue in much contemporary art practice with myriad expressions of pure color and form. With the “tradition” of the repeated statements of the death and rebirth of abstract art, Nugent literally repurposes, reincarnates older works to create new forms and unique, unexpected juxtapositions. For the Hunt Gallery exhibition, the artist will create large-scale abstract wall paintings.

Laura Nugent earned the BFA degree from Maryland Institute College of Art, she also studied in Florence, Italy in the Independent Painting Program of the Studio Arts College International. Her work is in numerous private and public collections, she has an extensive exhibition record, including exhibitions at Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL; A.I.R. Gallery, New York, NY; Sheldon Swope Museum of Art, Terre Haute, IN; Jewish Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS; Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, WI; Leedy Voulkos Art Center, Kansas City, MO; etc. In addition to her studio practice, Nugent is also a curator, arts advocate, and a former board president of the Kansas City Artists Coalition.

As an integral part of the educational mission of the Department of Art, Design and Art History (DADAH), the Hunt Gallery features curated exhibitions of contemporary art for the academic community and broader St. Louis area public. Thanks to generous support of the Missouri Arts Council, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, DADAH and The Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts, all events at the Cecille R. Hunt Gallery are free and open to the public.