Turner McGehee, a distinguished professor of art at Hastings College, is showcasing his latest work in a two-person exhibition titled “Bound/Unbound” at Constellation Studios in Lincoln, Nebraska. The show, which runs through February 28, was the subject of a featured interview on Nebraska Public Media’s “Friday Live” this past week.
Appearing alongside Karen Kunc, the owner of Constellation Studios and a renowned printmaker, McGehee shared insights into the collaborative spirit of the exhibition and the intersection of book arts and visual storytelling. The show also features the work of San Francisco-based artist Ward Schumaker.
“Bound/Unbound” explores the conceptual and physical boundaries of the book as an art form.
McGehee’s contribution plays with adding value and reclaiming discarded book covers for his stream-of-conscience painted flow of mysterious figures, stamped patterns, landscape references and biological-like microworlds. It reflects his expertise in printmaking and mixed media — a skill set he has shared with Hastings College students for years.
“There is a unique energy in working with reclaimed materials — taking something discarded like a book cover and giving it a second life,” said McGehee. “For me, ‘Bound/Unbound’ is about that tension between the structured history of the book and the mysterious, fluid worlds we can create on its surface. It was a pleasure to discuss that evolution with Karen and the ‘Friday Live’ audience.”
Schumaker’s expressionistic brush work and stenciled text creates a “disorienting…discourse” as hymns, quotes and dreamy narrations are first legible then obscured with paste, pigment and scribbled graphite onto pages.
The exhibition will remain on display at Constellation Studios, at 2055 ‘O’ Street in Lincoln, through February 28, 2026. Those who missed the live broadcast can listen to the podcast episode on the Nebraska Public Media website.
Listen to the episode titled “Gabriela Montero, Constellation Studios, Brad Bigelow and more” at: nebraskapublicmedia.org/fridaylive, starting at 13:44.
Learn More About the Exhibition: constellation-studios.net.
About McGehee
Turner McGehee was born in Alabama. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington and Lee University and an MFA in printmaking from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. He joined the Hastings College art faculty in 1983, where he currently teaches printmaking and drawing.
His work has been exhibited in shows at the Joslyn Art Museum, Sioux City Art Center (South Dakota), Colorado College, the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, and the Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago, Illinois). He has exhibited solo at the Haydon Gallery (Lincoln, Nebraska), the Museum of Nebraska Art, Louisiana State University and other college and university galleries.
He has presented lectures on the art of the ancient Maya, the relationship between jazz and visual imagery, the psychology of creativity and the evolution of Christian iconography.
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Founded in 1882, the College is dedicated to student success and service to the community. Discover more at hastings.edu.