“Fallen Pine” by David Ahlsted

(GALLOWAY, NJ) -- A new art exhibit centering on small oil studies and large landscapes of national parks across the United States will be on display on the upper floor of the Stockton University Art Gallery until late March.

Professor Emeritus David Ahlsted created the brilliant paintings between 1988 and 1995 after visiting iconic parks such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion and Grand Teton. His view of the American West is unique. He intentionally chose previously unacknowledged locations rather than painting the parks’ most famous features.

Ahlsted helped found Stockton’s Visual Arts program and taught painting, drawing and two-dimensional design for 30 years. As a professor, he was instrumental in expanding Stockton’s art program into the digital world and led the effort to establish the Art Gallery as Stockton’s first professional exhibition space. His works will be displayed until March 23, 2025.

“Fox Creek” by David Ahlsted

The Stockton Art Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 7:000pm and Friday through Saturday from 11:00am to 3:00pm. Exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Stockton University is ranked among the top public universities in the nation. Their nearly 9,000 students can choose to live and learn on the 1,600-acre wooded main campus in the Pinelands National Reserve in South Jersey and at their coastal residential campus just steps from the beach and Boardwalk in Atlantic City. The university offers more than 160 undergraduate and graduate programs.