"Mary Dawson: Enduring Beauty" art exhibit and public reception
20 North Gallery to open “Mary Dawson: Enduring Beauty”
Solo exhibition featuring the artist’s new paintings and legacy ceramics
Toledo, OH—September 30, 2025 On October 17, 2025, 20 North Gallery will open “Mary Dawson: Enduring Beauty,” a solo exhibition pairing two distinct bodies of work by Bowling Green, Ohio artist, Mary Dawson. Best known for her abstract, wall-mounted ceramic sculptures, Dawson has recently embarked upon a series of large-scale oil paintings depicting close-up views of cultivated flowers in vibrant color.
The exhibit will open with a free Public Reception on Friday, October 17, 2025 from 6 – 8 p.m., featuring a light tapas buffet and cash bar by Venue. The exhibition will continue through December 20, 2025. An Artist Talk will take place Sunday, November 23, between 2 – 5p.m., featuring Mary Dawson sharing insights on her artwork and processes. That event is free and open to the public, although reservations (via [email protected]) are recommended to ensure adequate seating.
The “Enduring Beauty” exhibition displays Dawson’s new, photorealistic floral studies interspersed with earlier black-and-white ceramic sculptures, the form of which mirrors the calming, flowing lines of her brushwork. These legacy ceramic artworks hail from her personal collection, curated from the four decades of her work as a fine artist. All artworks exhibited are available for sale—many for the first time.
20 North Gallery art director Condessa Croninger states, “Sinuous in line and form, Mary Dawson's monochromatic ceramic sculptures and large-scale botanical paintings of intense color create unexpected echoes in the visual dialogues she evokes—each one a testament to the artist’s quest for pure, classical beauty.”
Mary Dawson (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Mary Dawson received an Associate degree in Fine Art, magna cum laude, from Monticello College (Godfrey, Illinois), her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University (Ohio), as well as post-graduate studies in ceramics, painting and graphic design at the same. In addition to teaching graphic design at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), she has also served as a gallery manager for the Patrick Gallery in San Juan (Puerto Rico).
In 1988, she founded Dawson Design, serving as both the principal and creative director until her retirement in the early 2020s. Her work there provided a full range of concept, design and production services for clients in the corporate and public sectors, including the international Dana Corporation and the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo / Toledo Area Rapid Transit Authority’s joint public art program, Art in TARTA, for which she designed and implemented their award-winning bus wrap graphics based on studio art submissions from area students.
As a studio artist, Mary Dawson’s clay sculpture has been displayed in the annual, juried Toledo Area Artists Exhibit at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio (2002; 2004 Second Place Award for Five Figures); the Bowling Green University School of Art Faculty Exhibit (2002; 2003), the Art Commission of Greater Toledo Exhibit (2003; 2005), as well as solo and feature shows in commercial galleries throughout the region. Dawson is a former trustee for the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo and the Medici Circle, BGSU, School of Art; she is a current member of the Toledo Potters’ Guild (Ohio).
In addition to the featured exhibit, 20 North Gallery continues to display glass, sculpture, paintings and jewelry by noted artists of the region. Gallery hours are Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 4p.m.
The “Mary Dawson: Enduring Beauty” online exhibition catalogue, containing artist information, art images and artwork prices will be posted on the exhibit page at 20northgallery.com soon.
What: “Mary Dawson: Enduring Beauty” art exhibition
Where: 20 North Gallery, 18 N. St. Clair Street, (Downtown) Toledo, Ohio 43604, 419-241-2400
When: October 17, 2025 – December 20, 2025
Gallery Hours
Wednesday – Saturday:
Noon – 4 p.m.
and By Appointment
Free public reception: Friday, October 17, 2025, 6 – 8 p.m.
Free Artist Talk: Sunday, November 23, 2025, 2 – 5 p.m. Reservations recommended via: [email protected] / 419-241-2400.
For More Information Contact: Condessa Croninger (Art Director) or visit www.20northgallery.com