Cummings Art Gallery at Mercyhurst University

Cummings Art Gallery at Mercyhurst University Fine art gallery dedicated to the founder of Mercyhurst Art Department, Sister Angelica Cummings. “For those who knew her well, Sister M. Yahn ’50.

Angelica’s religious life and her career as an artist blended happily. No matter what the subject of her painting, it spoke clearly of beauty, truth and goodness.” - Sister Eustace Taylor

When Mercyhurst opened in 1926, Sister Angelica Cummings founded its fine arts department, remaining at its helm for nearly 50 years. While guiding hundreds of art majors, she steadily built a body of work that

earned her recognition across the country and Europe. In 1984, she witnessed the dedication of an art gallery in her name, surrounded by generations of art students, faculty, and friends. We continue to honor her memory through exhibiting the works of our students and faculty, as well as regional and national artists. Our annual Juried Student Art Show is made possible by a gift from fine artist and Mercyhurst Art Alumna, Patricia S. A yearly photography exhibit is funded by the Rev. Sylvester Jaworski endowment, named after the Divine Word missionary and photographer who was memorialized in a gift by the late Audrey Hirt ‘49. Every year, Cummings Art Gallery proudly offers several fine art exhibitions for the Erie community to enjoy.

🎨 Staff Gallery Pick 🎨This Staff Gallery Pick features Ladybug by Serena Godoy. Painted in acrylic on canvas, the piece ...
03/16/2026

🎨 Staff Gallery Pick 🎨

This Staff Gallery Pick features Ladybug by Serena Godoy. Painted in acrylic on canvas, the piece captures a close-up moment in nature. The bold color contrast and careful detail invite viewers to pause and appreciate the quiet beauty found in small, everyday moments.

See Ladybug and more works from the Juried Student Art Show on view at the Cummings Art Gallery. 🐞🌸

Open NOW!The 2026 Patricia S. Yahn Juried Student Art Show, featuring work by art students at Mercyhurst University and ...
03/16/2026

Open NOW!
The 2026 Patricia S. Yahn Juried Student Art Show, featuring work by art students at Mercyhurst University and currently showing at Cummings Gallery.

This year's juror is IUP Painting and Foundations professor Ivan Fortushniak

Reception will be on Thursday, March 19 from 5-7
Awards will be announced during the Reception at 6pm.

Come, see the work, and support the incredible talent of Mercyhurst student artists!

Meet artist and IUP Painting and Foundations professor Ivan Fortushniak. Enjoy complementary food and drink and amazing ...
02/26/2026

Meet artist and IUP Painting and Foundations professor Ivan Fortushniak. Enjoy complementary food and drink and amazing artwork.

We are excited to have an article published written by Cummings Gallery Attendant Muriel Zollinger on an interview with ...
02/24/2026

We are excited to have an article published written by Cummings Gallery Attendant Muriel Zollinger on an interview with Ivan. Check out the article:

Inside the Artwork: An Interview with Ivan Fortushniak Monday, February 23, 2026 Muriel Zollinger, Mercyhurst student interviewer and Cummings Art Gallery attendant, interviewed Ivan Fortushniak. The full interview can be read below. Fortushniak’s work is currently on display at the Cummings Art G...

✨ Gallery Guest Pick ✨We recently were visited here in the gallery by the Photography 1 students! During their time here...
02/16/2026

✨ Gallery Guest Pick ✨

We recently were visited here in the gallery by the Photography 1 students! During their time here, they chose a couple of their favorites.

One student chose “Highway Aftermath”, saying, “I am impressed with the detail and layering of watercolors in the show.”

Another student chose “State Route”, saying, “I found the contrast of time interesting. I like how the image looks like something from the past and how the McDonald's contrasts with that. I also appreciate how the images were done in two different medias, painting and drawing.”

Kathleen Plaza Johnson from Mercyhurst Preparatory School brought her Yearlong Painting class to the gallery. Her class ...
02/05/2026

Kathleen Plaza Johnson from Mercyhurst Preparatory School brought her Yearlong Painting class to the gallery. Her class of 10-12 graders learned aspects of Gallery curation and installation from Mercyhurst Cummings Gallery Director Matthew Coté. The students also got to see the current exhibition, Recollections, of work by IUP Professor and artist Ivan Fortushniak.

The gallery welcomes all students from the area and will always be available for special viwjnfs and lessons upon request. Contact us directly to learn more!

✨ Gallery Staff Pick ✨This Gallery Staff Pick highlights “In the Midst Of” by Ivan Fortushniak. Created using oil, colla...
01/30/2026

✨ Gallery Staff Pick ✨

This Gallery Staff Pick highlights “In the Midst Of” by Ivan Fortushniak. Created using oil, collage, and transfers, the work brings together layered imagery to create a quiet yet unsettling scene. It is suspended between memory, history, and the present moment.

See In the Midst Of up close as part of Recollections: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints at the Cummings Art Gallery.

✨Gallery Guest Pick✨Today’s Guest Gallery Pick comes from Bella Mitlo, who selected Burial Site by Ivan Fortushniak. Cre...
01/29/2026

✨Gallery Guest Pick✨

Today’s Guest Gallery Pick comes from Bella Mitlo, who selected Burial Site by Ivan Fortushniak. Created using watercolor and collage, this piece layers texture and imagery to evoke memory, place, and quiet reflection.

Be sure to stop by the Cummings Art Gallery to see Burial Site up close as part of Recollections: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints.

👨‍🎨 Meet the Artist! 👨‍🎨 We’re excited to introduce Ivan Fortushniak, the artist behind Recollections: Paintings, Drawin...
01/22/2026

👨‍🎨 Meet the Artist! 👨‍🎨

We’re excited to introduce Ivan Fortushniak, the artist behind Recollections: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints, now on view at the Cummings Art Gallery at Mercyhurst University.

Ivan Fortushniak is a Professor of Painting and Foundations at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). He holds an MFA from the University of Cincinnati and a BFA from Kendall College of Art and Design. His work has been exhibited nationwide at venues including the Westmoreland Museum of American Art and Rogue Buddha Gallery, and is held in permanent collections such as the Dayton Art Museum and the Spencer Museum of Art.

In addition to this solo exhibition, Fortushniak is also serving as the juror for this year’s Juried Student Art Show at Mercyhurst.

🖼️Stop by and experience the show in person!🖼️

We’re back! 🎨 The Cummings Art Gallery at Mercyhurst University is officially open after winter break!Stop by Monday–Fri...
01/20/2026

We’re back! 🎨
The Cummings Art Gallery at Mercyhurst University is officially open after winter break!
Stop by Monday–Friday from 2–6 PM to see our new show: Recollections: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints by Ivan Fortushniak.

After a winter hiatus a new show is brewing at Cummings Gallery. Opening this Tuesday 1/20. More to come!
01/18/2026

After a winter hiatus a new show is brewing at Cummings Gallery. Opening this Tuesday 1/20. More to come!

🖌️ Staff Pick of the Day 🖌️Today’s featured work from The Yellow Chair exhibition is “I Can See You” by Aaron Edmonson. ...
11/25/2025

🖌️ Staff Pick of the Day 🖌️
Today’s featured work from The Yellow Chair exhibition is “I Can See You” by Aaron Edmonson.

🖼️ Watercolor and charcoal
💵 $200

Selected by staff member Olivia Connor, who was drawn to the expressive contrast between the two figures and the subtle tension created through shading and gesture.

Experience this compelling piece in person at Mercyhurst University’s Cummings Art Gallery as part of The Yellow Chair. 🍀🌼

Address

501 E 38th Street
Erie, PA
16546

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 4pm
Tuesday 12pm - 4pm
Wednesday 12pm - 4pm
Thursday 12pm - 4pm
Friday 12pm - 4pm

Website

https://miac.mercyhurst.edu/events/cummings-art-gallery

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Our Story

On January 15, 1984, Sister Angelica Cummings, founder of the Mercyhurst Art Department, watched as generations of art students and supporters honored her efforts by dedicating an art gallery in her name. Today, that gallery ranks among the best in the region, and pulls in artists from the tri-state area. What started as a hallway in Old Main, where student artwork was highlighted just outside the art studio on the third floor of the campus' only building, has grown into a beautiful exhibit space used not only for showcasing our student art, but for traveling shows, juried offerings and is used as a favored reception space. Generous endowments by Mercyhurst Alumni have strengthened the Gallery, fostering substantial exhibit enrichment: A fund established by alumna Audrey Hirt '49 in the name of her friend the late Rev. Sylvester I. Jaworski, SVD, a Divine Word missionary, educator and avid photographer, has enabled the Gallery to rent exhibits from such places as the George Eastman House in Rochester, N.Y., as well as funding for juried photography shows that pull photographers from the entire tri-state region. We are also grateful for the gift to our art students, made by alumna Patricia S. Yahn ‘50. Her generous patronage has allowed the University to host an annual juried student art show with awards in the spring. This endowment assists the Gallery with continually providing the support and opportunities that are so vital to shaping and nurturing the development of our young artists.