drawing of a face and leavesOct. 25, 2022–The Potter Hall Gallery at Missouri Western State University will exhibit “Future Fables: Drawings by Brittany Noriega,” Oct. 27-Dec. 2. There will be an opening reception with the artist from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 in the gallery. Admission is free and open to the public.

Brittany Noriega is a visual artist and arts community organizer living and working in Kansas City. She creates large-scale, ethereal worlds that combine the past, present, and hopeful future that are based in themes of femininity, strength and power.

Noriega was born in Kansas City and traveled the world throughout her young life. She has worked on her personal art development and community-based projects since moving back to Kansas City in 2015. Brittany is a 2021 Inspiration Grant recipient, a 2022 Rocket Grant recipient and has received rewards through ArtsKC, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mid-American Arts Alliance. She is a current resident artist at the InterUrban Arthouse through the Centerpiece for Social Justice Arts Residency program. Her artwork is shown publicly throughout the region and can be found in public and private collections throughout the United States. Brittany is also the creator of core., a free local arts publication that highlights Kansas City artists and creators. You can find more about core at www.corezinekc.com.

Artist’s statement about the exhibition: Future Fables is a series of graphite drawings that explore the relationships between personal experiences, feminist theory, and which (if any) moral lessons will be carried into the future. My work is rooted in themes of sexual discrimination, objectification and gender roles, but is assembled in a way that connects with the viewer through a narrative, story-telling lens. These drawings appear as dreamlike images in which fiction and reality meet, well-known tropes merge, and past and present fuse to create surreal statements about the lives of women and the ways in which we can build a better future for ourselves.

The Potter Art Gallery is located at the front entrance of Potter Hall on the Missouri Western campus. The primary mission of the Visiting Artists and Gallery Program is to educate and foster a greater understanding and appreciation of contemporary art through discourse.

Missouri Western State University is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit missouriwestern.edu