On Display August 24 through October 11, 2026
The Memorial Union Art Gallery is hosting "Counting Sheep", an exhibition of work by Iowa City artist Jamie Elizabeth Hudrlik, on display August 24 through October 11, 2026. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 11am to 4pm and Sunday from 1 to 4pm. A come-and-go reception will be held on Friday, September 18, from 6:30-8pm.
Hudrlik’s mixed-media paintings are drawn from personal memory and her enduring sense of home. These large-scale works on suspended canvas combine richly layered colors, stamped patterns, handwritten words, and recurring imagery, with figures of women and girls as central subjects. Hudrlik describes her pieces as “immersive spaces where figures drift between inner and outer landscapes, blurring the boundary between childhood and adulthood.” She draws inspiration from journals, memories, children’s books, and the rhythms of the natural world.
Hudrlik studied Children's Book Illustration and Painting at the School of Visual Arts in New York before earning a BFA in Painting from Columbia College Chicago in 2004. While at Columbia, she received a studio residency and a Weisman Grant. She lives in Iowa City and maintains a studio at PS1 Close House. Her work can be found at Wonderland, a vintage and décor shop she co-founded with her sister in 2025, where her love of color, pattern, and storytelling extends beyond the canvas.
The Memorial Union is located at 2229 Lincoln Way in Ames on the ISU campus, and paid parking is available in the ramp adjacent to the building. The Art Gallery is located on the 1st floor and has free admission.