Meredith College Art Department

For the past few days, the ART288: Art, Culture, & Landscape of the Southwest students have been staying at Ghost Ranch. It is clear why Georgia O’Keeffe fell in love with this landscape and spent decades capturing its beauty and vibrant layers.

Students took tours to view the subjects and sites depicted in O’Keeffe’s paintings. They also hiked through the towering red cliffs and took in the sweeping views at Ghost Ranch.

Every trail felt like walking through a living canvas.

Fun facts:

• Ghost Ranch is one of the world's premier dinosaur graveyards. In 1947, paleontologists found thousands of perfectly preserved Coelophysis skeletons here, dating back 210 million years, making it the official state fossil of New Mexico!

• Georgia O’Keeffe loved Cerro Pedernal, the iconic flat-topped mountain that frames the horizon at Ghost Ranch. She painted it 28 times from her property. She loved it so deeply that when she died in 1986, her ashes were scattered right at the very top of its peak.

The application is now open for the Emerging Artist-in-Residency Program in Visual Arts.

The residency is designed to assist Meredith art department graduates in growing and strengthening their artistic practice in a supportive community with access to studio facilities and mentorship as they create a mature body of work to launch their professional art career or apply for Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs or postgraduate degrees in related fields, such as M.A. in art education, museum studies, or art history.

Visit the Emerging Artist-in-Residency webpage to learn more about the program and view profiles of previous residents: https://www.meredith.edu/art-residence/

Link can also be found in the bio

The ART288: Art, Culture, & Landscape of the Southwest students had the privilege of visiting the gallery and studio of photographer Cara Romero.

Cara gave our students a personal tour of her space and an inside look at her creative process. Our students got a firsthand look at how her identity shapes her photography. Listening to her discuss her approach to representing cultural memory, collective history, and lived experiences from a Native American female perspective was incredibly inspiring for our group.

The ART288: Art, Culture, & Landscape of the Southwest, students stepped into a different dimension here in Santa Fe. The group spent an afternoon exploring the House of Eternal Return, the massive, immersive art experience created by Meow Wolf.

Did you know that Meow Wolf’s first permanent installation here in Santa Fe is actually housed in a former, renovated bowling alley that was purchased and leased to them by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin?

Our students crawled through fireplaces, opened secret refrigerator doors, and immersed themselves in collaborative storytelling, multimedia installation, and creative problem-solving.

On days 3 and 4 of our ART288: Art, Culture, & Landscape of the Southwest, students explored Santa Fe. The students took a deep dive into Native art at The Wheelwright Museum and The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. They wrapped up the weekend with a visit to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.

Our ART288 Art, Culture, & Landscape of the Southwest trip is officially underway. The students spent the last two days exploring Old Town Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Museum, and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Next up on the trip is Santa Fe.

Nothing beats learning about art and the environment out in the real world!

Meredith College and the Frankie G. Weems Gallery are honored to host the 16th Annual Wake County Teen Art Exhibition. This year’s exhibition features 131 incredible pieces from students representing 19 local high schools!

For nearly two decades, the Fine Arts League of Cary () has provided young creatives with a professional gallery space to showcase their talent. We are thrilled to award and celebrate the student artists and their school art programs!

Support local art and see the world through the eyes of these talented students. The exhibition will be on display at Frankie G. Weems gallery from May 6–27, 2026.

Congratulations to the Meredith College Class of 2026!

Today was all about celebrating our incredible Art Department seniors. We’ve watched you find your voices, sharpen your crafts, and support one another through every critique and gallery opening. The world is getting a lot more colorful today.