Mary Elizabeth Onley, known as ‘MAMA-girl’ will have her exhibition displayed at the Gordon Art Gallery from September 27, 2024, to May 10, 2025.
The exhibition gathered over 150 objects that were donated by more than a dozen lenders from Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. These works depict Onley’s life and it’s soaked in her very essence of who she is, a woman who has been tried and overcomes every obstacle that has been planted at her feet. It’s optimism and imagination at its highest.
Her optimism shines brightly in her piece, depicting the Obama family by the White House with a watermelon tree in the yard. The piece was painted prior to 2008 “MAMA- girl was afraid that the United States would not accept a black president; she gradually grew excited about the possibility.” According to the lender of the piece she wrote on the back “Never Alone/ Love go a/ long ways/ MAMA -Girl.
Mary Elizabeth “MAMA-Girl” Onley’s pieces are deeply rooted in her identity as a black Christian woman on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Every piece is a testament to her life and who she continues to be beyond her time here on Earth. Her pieces are unique and bright, and while her artworks are being displayed in the gallery, I hope the community reflects what she wants to give to us in her artwork.
Born into a life rooted in agriculture, Onley uses her work to challenge stereotypes and explore themes of religion, encouraging deep introspection of oneself and others. Her art will be a familiar sight in the Gordon Art Gallery, offering ODU students a profound and thought-provoking experience.
All in all, it would be an enriching experience for those who are on campus to stop in on an experience that Mary Elizabeth Onley has to offer.
