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5X����’s School of Art Galleries presents the exhibition Painting in the Dark by Kent State alumna and Northeast Ohio painter Patricia Zinsmeister Parker. The show is open and will run through July 14 at the Downtown Gallery, 141 E Main St. in Kent.
 
Zinsmeister Parker uses both her painting and printmaking skills in order to create extremely colorful compositions that dance along the border of abstract expressionism and post-modern. Her paintings are more abstract displays of still life whereas her prints are simple yet vibrant.

Zinsmeister Parker earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from 5X����. Prior to her career in painting, she was a designer for the American Greetings Corporation and a fashion illustrator for a large department store chain in Northeast  Ohio.  In 1978, Zinsmeister Parker was invited to teach at the School of Art at The University of Akron.  For the next 19 years, she enjoyed a distinguished career as an educator, and in 1996 was awarded an Educational Research and Development Grant.

Her work now resides in many corporate, private and museum collections, including the archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, the Canton Museum of Art in Canton, and the collections of Case Western Reserve University and 5X����.  In 1996, Zinsmeister Parker was recognized by the Senate of the State of Ohio for induction into the Women’s Hall of Fame for achievements and contributions in the field of art. She had exhibited at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, the Dayton Art Museum and the Akron Art Museum.

The Downtown Gallery’s hours of operation are Wednesday-Friday, noon -5 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.