Donated Paintings of Berenice D’Vorzon Displayed in Loyola Science Center
A collection of large-scale paintings by Berenice D’Vorzo, donated to The University of Scranton by her estate, are now on display throughout the Loyola Science Center.
The estate of artist Berenice D’Vorzon, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 82, donated to The University of Scranton a collection of her large-scale gestural paintings, which are now on display throughout the Loyola Science Center. Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director of the University’s Hope Horn Gallery, oversaw the installation of the collection in January.
D’Vorzon’s long career spanned five decades of art styles, including Abstract Expressionism, Color Field and Postmodernism. She also admired American transcendental art and Asian Zen art. According to Dr. Miller-Lanning, D’Vorzon’s work contained many thematic elements, such as the environment and nature, feminism and women’s contributions to the arts, and culture and spirituality.
“Most of my work deals with water images and the experience of being in nature,” said D’Vorzon. “Environmental concerns are also part of the work, which is especially pertinent in these days of ecological crisis. Southern swamps, Long Island wetlands, Northern ice, the River Li in China, coral reefs and jungles in Caribbean ... are some of my investigations.”
The scale of the paintings fits the expansive wall space of the Loyola Science Center, as do the multifaceted themes and style of the artwork, said Dr. Miller-Lanning. The Loyola Science Center, dedicated in 2012, is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold status building that houses the University’s biology and other science departments, as well as its programs in theology, philosophy and Asian studies on upper floors that connect to St. Thomas Hall.
D’Vorzon’s work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums in the U.S. and abroad, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. In the fall of 2013, the University’s Hope Horn Gallery hosted “Depth and Edges,” a collection of D’Vorzon’s artwork.
A New York City-area native, D’Vorzon also taught studio art at Wilkes University for 20 years and was Dr. Miller-Lanning’s first year advisor. D’Vorzon earned her bachelor’s degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art and her master’s degree from Columbia University.
Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director of The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery, oversaw the installation of a collection of large-scale gestural paintings by artist Berenice D’Vorzon, which took place in January in the Loyola Science Center. From left: Dr. Miller-Lanning; Erika Beyrent, a junior biomathematics major from Clarks Summit; Nicole Christiansen, a senior biology major from Honesdale; and Ray Stemrich, a first-year graduate student in the Health Administration Program from Sweet Valley; and Renee Giovagnoli, biology lab supervisor for the Loyola Science Center.
