Home / Wasmer Gallery / History
Bringing fine art to the Ursuline and Northeast Ohio communities for nearly 40 years.
In 1978, the late Sr. Kathleen Burke, OSU, PhD, then co-director of the art department, proposed an art gallery on campus to showcase student and faculty work and the work of local, national and international artists. The proposal was approved and financed primarily by the Wasmer family, specifically John C. and Florence (O'Donnell) Wasmer. Peter van Dijk, the celebrated architect of the College's original buildings, designed the gallery. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on April 16, 1980, and the dedication and blessing of the Wasmer Gallery on October 6, 1980.
1980 Sr. Kathleen Burke, OSU, PhD
1981 Donna Kristoff, OSU, MFA
1981-1983 Jim Jansen
1983-1990 Pat Fallon
1991-2012 Frank Frate
2012-Present Anna Arnold, BFA, MA
Current Director Anna Arnold, is an acclaimed artist who earned a BFA at Cleveland Institute of Art and an MA at Case Western Reserve University.
There have been several major exhibits in the Wasmer Gallery. In December of 1980, just two months after its dedication, the gallery hosted “Ursuline Images,” featuring work by Ursuline Sisters. A 1981 exhibit featured watercolors and prints by Richard Treaster and Ralph Woerhman. Architect van Dijk, had an exhibit of his work in the gallery in the fall of 1983.
"Eastern Edge," a 2017 juried exhibition showcased works by amateur and professional artists living in communities on the eastern edge of Cuyahoga County. This exhibition was made possible by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. "New Masters" and "New Masters 2" were juried exhibitions in 2018 and 2020 respectively, which celebrated works by accomplished women artists of Northeast Ohio.
