‘Lucretia Begley Retrospective: A Delicate Expression of the Seasons’ on display through Oct. 10.
COLUMBIA, KY. (08/26/2025) The first art exhibit of the Lindsey Wilson University era honors one of the school’s art pioneers.
Works by Lucretia Chilton Begley of Columbia are on display through Oct. 10 in the gallery that bears her name, the Lucretia C. Begley Art Gallery.
Also showing in the gallery are a half-dozen pieces by Lindsey Wilson alumnus Tristan Roy ’23 of Russell Springs, Kentucky, who graduated with a degree in art and history.
“Lucretia Begley Retrospective: A Delicate Expression of the Seasons” is a tribute to Begley’s diverse art career, which spans more than 50 years. The show features eight of her paintings and five ceramic pieces. The paintings celebrate the landscape and color of Southcentral Kentucky, and the ceramic pieces reflect Begley’s observations and impressions of the everyday world.
“There is so much joy to see in her work — in her paintings, in her ceramic pieces,” said Lindsey Wilson Performing Arts Director Kristyne Gilbert.
While curating the exhibit, Gilbert said that Begley offered some valuable advice.
“As she told me while we were working together, ‘When you are in art, you’re going to encounter some things that are difficult. Don’t give up, barrel forward and do the best you can,'” said Gilbert. “That’s not only good advice for how to approach creating and making art but it’s also good advice for dealing with life’s sudden challenges, especially for our students as they begin a new school year.”
Begley was First Lady of Lindsey Wilson for 20 years, when her husband, John, served as the school’s sixth president from 1977-97. In addition to her more than 25 years of voluntary services to Lindsey Wilson, Begley was a public school teacher, served for nine years as an art professor on the Lindsey Wilson faculty and became a well-known Southcentral Kentucky artist.
In 1985-86, she was named curator of the first permanent art gallery in Lindsey Wilson history, and in 1997 the Lindsey Wilson Board of Trustees named the school’s art gallery the Lucretia C. Begley Art Gallery.
Begley founded the first gifted and talented program for students in Adair County schools in 1983, which nurtured students’ creative and intellectual talents. Begley also continued to develop her talents, which included studying at the legendary Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
“Mrs. Begley told me that she liked making ceramic pots because it gave you an opportunity to play in the mud all day,” said Gilbert.
Begley holds a bachelor’s degree from Kentucky Wesleyan and a master’s degree from Western Kentucky University, and she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Lindsey Wilson Board of Trustees.
“One of the things that she shared with me that is relatable to all students at every level of education is that art-making is a process,” said Gilbert. “That means that it’s not always about the end result but instead everything you do during the process to create a piece of art.”
The Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, supports Tristan Roy’s exhibit with state tax dollars from the Kentucky General Assembly and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit history.ky.gov.
The Lucretia C. Begley Art Gallery is located in the Lindsey Wilson University W.W. Slider Humanities Center. Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. CT Monday-Friday and by special appointment. For more information about the 2025-26 Lucretia C. Begley Art Gallery exhibition schedule, contact Kristyne Gilbert at gilberk@lindsey.edu 270-384-8007.
Lucretia Begley’s acrylic painting of a snowy winter day near Gradyville, Kentucky, is one of 13 pieces in “Lucretia Begley Retrospective: A Delicate Expression of the Seasons.” It is on display through Oct. 10 in the Lindsey Wilson University Lucretia C. Begley Art Gallery.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)