Fantastic Reality, an installation of prints and drawings on ceramic, glass, cloth, and paper opens at The Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska City on Monday, May 4. The exhibition of works by Lori Wegener runs through Thursday, June 18, 2009, with a public reception for the artist on Saturday, May 16, from 1-3 p.m.

Lori Wegener’s part-abstract, part-representational drawings, paintings, and prints cover a variety of rectangular surfaces that she assembles into grids to create landscapes of images from her imagination. “By laying the artworks on the floor, placing them between pieces of glass suspended from the ceiling, or painting them on gigantic canvases, papers, and cloths, I want observers to engage with the art pieces by viewing them from multiple perspectives.”

Currently a full-time artist and visual art teacher at Westside Community Schools, Lori earned a BA in studio art from Wellesly College in Massachusetts, an MS in art education from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and an MFA in drawing and painting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is also a published illustrator, and she serves on the board of directors of The Gorilla Press, Inc., a children's book publishing company (www.gorillapress.com).

The artist’s works are available for purchase, and guests at the Saturday reception will be treated to the Center’s homemade ice cream.

The Kimmel Harding Nelson gallery is located at 801 3rd Corso in Nebraska City and is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Appointments at other times are encouraged; please call. Both the exhibit and the reception are free, handicapped accessible, and open to the public.