'Meticulously crafted sculptures' on display at Woskob Family Gallery

“High Strung,” featuring the meticulously crafted sculptures of local artist and educator Melissa Forkner Lesher, will be on display in the Woskob Family Gallery, Sept. 21 through December 2023.

The show will open with a public reception on Thursday, Sept. 21, 5 to 8 p.m., in the gallery.

Lesher is well recognized for her mesmerizing and methodical creations. Much like her previous exhibitions, she transforms commonplace materials into delicate works of art. She weaves her creations with precision and efficiency by carefully assembling small hand-built pieces into larger, meticulously crafted configurations.

The precision evident in each honeycomb-like component conveys a sense of order within the chaos of mental and behavioral health challenges. Viewable from the gallery's exterior, these vibrant structures captivate onlookers and invite contemplation.

An alumna of both the Penn State School of Visual Arts and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Lesher currently works as an instructor of art at Penn State. She has shown her work in several galleries and museums, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, the Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens, the Target Gallery/Torpedo Factory Art Center, the Br. Kenneth Chapman Gallery of Iona University, and the Pajama Factory.

Woskob Family Gallery, open 12:30-5 p.m. on Fridays, is located in the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, 146 S. Allen St, State College. For more information about exhibitions and First Friday events, visit arts.psu.edu/woskob.