“Miss Mash,” an exhibit of paintings and drawings by Laurel Farrin, will be on display in Unity Gallery in the Library from March 30 through May 2. The opening reception is on Friday, March 30, 7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Using the technique of trompe l’oeil, Laurel Farrin addresses what she calls the basic deception of painting. In her work a perpetual construction and deconstruction of form create visual uncertainties in which the paradox of being and becoming is expressed. For instance, she depicts an illusionistic canvas on real canvas, a doubling of the object that we call a "painting.” It is Ms. Farrin’s hope that her work “goes beyond the discourse of painting to resonate with the pathos and humor of living.”

Ms. Farrin is an Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of Iowa. She earned a B.F.A. in Studio Art from Ohio University and later received a M.F.A. from the University of Maryland at College Park. Her work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibits in many locations including. Iowa, Maryland, Virginia, New York. Most recently her work was seen in solo exhibits at the Joyce Goldstein Gallery, Chatham, NY, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Buffalo, NY and the Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, IA.

Her work is included in many public and private collections including the Washington, D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Wilson Building Collection, Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, Roswell, NM and Hughes, Paula & Edward, Rome Italy.

Unity Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. and 7:15–9:00 p.m., Saturday 9:45 a.m.&ndash 4:00 p.m., and Sunday 7:15–9:00 p.m.

For more information call 641-472-7000, ext. 5035 or email art@mum.edu.