The Daura Museum of Art at the University of Lynchburg is exhibiting works by local artists Laura Reed Howell and the late Georgia Weston Morgan through July 17. Morgan, a pioneering female painter from Lynchburg who studied in Paris and had her portrait accepted into the Paris Salon, is honored in Gallery I with a curated exhibition by museum assistant Thomas Canard. Howell’s award-winning plein air paintings are displayed in Gallery II, and she will give an artist talk on May 22.
This exhibition matters because it highlights the legacy of Georgia Weston Morgan, a boundary-breaking female artist who founded the Lynchburg Art Club and helped establish art education at the University of Lynchburg, while also showcasing the ongoing vitality of regional contemporary artists like Laura Reed Howell. By celebrating local art history and current practice, the Daura Museum strengthens community engagement and preserves the stories of artists who shaped the cultural landscape of central Virginia.