Woodlands Academy Hosts "Women in the Arts" in March

Works by painter Megan Williamson and photographer Allison Barnes will be on exhibit at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart March 3-21 as part of the 2015 “Women in the Arts” program, which also will include a presentation by each artist.

Williamson will offer a program at the all-girls college prep high school, 760 East Westleigh Road, Lake Forest, March 9 at 9:15 a.m. Barnes’ presentation is March 16 at 10:45 a.m. Both programs are open to the general public free of charge.

Williamson’s work has been featured in 20 solo exhibitions and more than 40 group shows. In addition it’s displayed at venues such as the Swope Museum of American Art; The Bond Market Association, Loyola University Medical School, The Myron B. Shure collection, The Ragsdale Foundation, Ryerson Woods Library, Knox College and The International School of Art as well as more than 100 private collections.

Williamson is a member of Zeuxis (an association of still life painters in New York City) and The Midwest Paint Group.

Barnes is a photographer and writer currently based in Chicago. Her work has explored the history of the landscape and its role in our contemporary lives. From creating new works, to implementing them in installations and various printed forms, she approaches photography with history, science and literature on her side. Recently using the inspiration of W.G. Sebald, ancient Greek poet Sappho and the culture of bees, Barnes creates images that examine the importance of space and place as well as the ways we approach them subjectively and objectively.

“Women in the Arts” has been a Woodlands Academy tradition since 2005, when parents of two alumnae offered to sponsor exhibits by two visiting artists. In addition to the exhibits, each visiting artist presented a “master class” to students taking studio art and photography. Because this initial event was so well received by the visiting artists and Woodlands students alike, the donors offered to make “Women in the Arts” an annual event.

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Founded in 1858, Woodlands Academy is an independent Catholic college preparatory day and boarding high school for young women, and part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans 19 cities in the United States and 44 countries around the world. A nonprofit, Woodlands Academy’s identity is rooted in Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat’s desire to inspire young hearts and minds to excel, to lead lives of integrity and to serve. For more information about Woodlands Academy, please visit www.woodlandsacademy.org