TOM LA DUKE: slowly, the song goes
On view: September 26, 2026 – May 8, 2027
Public Reception: Saturday, September 26, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Free and open to the public
The College of the Arts Galleries at California State University, Fullerton presents slowly, the song goes, a solo exhibition by artist Tom LaDuke. Bringing together new drawings, recent paintings, and earlier sculptures, the exhibition traces recurring ideas that have shaped LaDuke’s practice for more than three decades, offering a rare opportunity to experience the evolution of one of Southern California’s most influential contemporary artists. Through processes of layering, revision, and transformation, LaDuke’s work blurs distinctions between the natural and artificial, the familiar and the unfamiliar, revealing an artistic practice rooted in continual change as forms, images, and concepts reappear in unexpected ways across multiple mediums.
Learn more about the artist: www.tomladuke.com
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Tom LaDuke received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his BFA from CSU Fullerton. He has exhibited in select venues such as Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY; Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadephia, PA, to name a few. His work may be found in collections of the Buffalo AKG Museum, Buffalo, NY; Colección Jumex, Mexico City, Mexico; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA; Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, the Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY.
Organized by CSUF College of the Arts Galleries and curated by Jennifer Frias, Director/Curator, and Riley Pettitt, Curatorial Assistant (Sculpture, ’25). Support for the program comes from the Art Alliance, the College of the Arts, the Department of Visual Arts, Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY, Peter Mendenhall Gallery, Pasadena, CA, the Pizutti Collection, Columbus, OH, and Tom Peters, Los Angeles, CA.
IMAGE: TOM LADUKE, Future Proof, 2023. Mixed media on canvas, 68 x 80 inches, courtesy of the artist and Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY.
PATRICK MERRILL: Prints from the Permanent Collection, 2004–2009
On view: September 19 – December 19, 2026
Reception: Saturday, September 26, 2026
Free and open to the public
Patrick Merrill (1948-2012) was a master printmaker and mixed-media artist known for his monumental woodcuts, etchings, and lithography. His work transformed personal experience and societal concerns into compelling explorations of war, patriarchy, faith, and human resilience. Through complex compositions, Merrill often placed sacred iconography alongside scenes from everyday life, forging unexpected connections between historical narratives and contemporary realities.
Drawn from the gallery’s holdings, the exhibition features Merrill’s “Apocalypse” series, a body of work inspired by the Book of Revelation. For Merrill, “apocalypse” was less about an ending than an act of revealing. Through layers of imagery and allegorical figures, he used the visual language of Revelation to expose the fears, determinations, and systems of power that continue to shape the world we inhabit. These works represent one of the most ambitious projects of Merrill’s career, bringing together the technical mastery, symbolic intricacy, and intellectual rigor that defined his practice.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Patrick Merrill received degrees in Printmaking from CSU Long Beach (BFA) and CSU Fullerton (MFA). He has exhibited at select art venues, including the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (Santa Ana, CA), the Palos Verdes Art Center (Palos Verdes, CA), and the Purdue University Galleries (Lafayette, IN). His work is held in the collections of the Brand Library (Glendale, CA), the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College (Pomona, CA), and the CSUF College of the Arts Galleries (Fullerton, CA). From 1997 to 2010, he served as Director and Curator of the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery at Cal Poly Pomona.
Organized by CSUF College of the Arts Galleries and curated by Jennifer Frias, Director/Curator, and Jaden Chavarria, Curatorial Assistant (Art History ’26). Exhibition Design by Adeline Wong (Graphic and Interactive Design, ’26). Support for the program comes from Debra Winters-Merrill, the Art Alliance, CSUF’s Instructional Related Activities Grant, the College of the Arts, and the Department of Visual Arts.
IMAGE: Seventh Seal or Whoopee we’re all going to die (Detail), 2008. Woodcut, lithograph stencil and etching on paper (four combined panels backed by book cloth), 12 x 12 ft. Gift of Debra Winters-Merrill, CSUF College of the Arts Permanent Collection. Accession# [2021.000480]
Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
COTA Galleries Artist Lecture Series
TOM LADUKE
Location: Visual Arts – Building H – Newbury Knauss Grand Atrium (2nd Floor)
Free and open to the public
Presented in conjunction with the program in Painting and Drawing and the exhibition, slowly, the song goes, the gallery’s artist lecture series presents a rare opportunity to hear directly from one of Southern California’s most influential contemporary artists, Tom LaDuke.
Image: TOM LA DUKE in his studio, 2022, Los Angeles, CA. Image courtesy of the artist and Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY
Saturday, November 14, 2026, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
IN CONVERSATION
Beyond the Print: The Art and Legacy of Patrick Merrill
Location: Visual Arts – Building H – Newbury Knauss Grand Atrium (2nd Floor)
Free and open to the public
IN CONVERSATION is a live series that connects image makers, scholars, and the community for bold, engaging exchanges on art, culture, and the ideas shaping our present moment.
Moderated by Joanna Roche, Professor Emerita, Art History with Ruth Capelle, Professor Emerita, Art History, and Suvan Geer, Artist, Art Writer, and CSUF alumna in Painting and Drawing
Spring semester 2027
Tom LaDuke and Joe Biel (Date/Time: TBA)
Image: PATRICK MERRILL, Whore of Babylon (Detail), 2007, Woodcut and etching on paper, 8x7 ft., Edition of 5. CSUF College of the Arts Galleries Permanent Collection, Gift of Debra R. Winters-Merrill. [2021.000410]