"OVERLOOK" Art Exhibition at Portal Gallery

OVERLOOK | MEGAN MORGANJuly 3rd - August 22nd Opening Reception: July 3rd, 7PM OVERLOOK threads together more than twenty years of Megan Morgan’s evolving exploration of repurposed burlap. The exhibition follows a visual progression—from early hand-cut stencil paintings on salvaged coffee sacks to richly layered burlap paintings with oil pastel, experimental monoprints that celebrate the texture and imprint of woven fibers, and sculptural forms that push the material beyond the picture plane. Throughout the exhibition, burlap remains unmistakably itself. Its history is never concealed but preserved. Frayed edges, repairs, stains, faded lettering, and imperfections remain visible, emphasizing the material’s resilience while honoring its origins. Rather than acting as a passive surface, the burlap becomes an active collaborator—its woven structure, scars, and memories shaping every composition. Recent works introduce a new direction inspired by an encounter with a wild mustang in New Mexico. A green burlap horse head, Field Notes 1, explores themes of observation, innocence, endurance, and our relationship with the natural world. This sculptural maquette hints at a future large-scale installation while embodying Morgan’s desire to “stay green”—to remain curious, playful, attentive, and open to discovery. The title OVERLOOK refers both to a place of perspective and to the act of failing to see. Through repurposed materials, painterly process, and artistic transformation, Morgan invites viewers to linger a little longer, look a little closer, and rediscover the overlooked beauty, histories, and possibilities woven into the everyday.