UNO St. Claude Gallery is pleased to announce Molly Adams’ Thesis Exhibition Descent into the Wild. The exhibition features two series: large-scale oil paintings of evocative nocturnal landscapes that merge the genres of self-portraiture and landscape painting, and intimate ink drawings of wetlands. The works delves into the emotional complexity of the human experience, using expressive painting and surreal settings to challenge societal expectations of the female body while celebrating resilience and self-discovery. The paintings present narratives where the female body becomes a site of agency and reflection. They blur the line between physical and psychological landscapes, inviting viewers into the paintings to confront taboos, reexamine personal vulnerabilities, and connect to a vision of self-empowerment. The small, intricate drawings depict imagined landscapes that reference the artist’s time spent in the bayous and swamps of Louisiana, capturing both the fragility and endurance of these ecosystems. Rooted in ecofeminist thought, Adams’ work draws parallels between the exploitation of both women and the land, presenting landscapes—both bodily and environmental—as sites of reclamation and resistance.Â
Descent into the Wild opens March 8 and close April 6.  The opening reception is March 8 from 6 to 9 PM. Adams will discuss her work at 7 PM and refreshments will be served. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. The exhibition is open during gallery hours, Saturdays and Sundays, 12-5 PM. Â
Molly Adams is a painter living and working in New Orleans. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of Texas Austin in 2014. She graduates with a master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of New Orleans in May 2025. Her work has been shown in Future Gallery and Tila Studios Gallery in Atlanta, GA. Select works were featured in juried exhibitions such as From My Perspective at Virginia Beach Arts Center where she won first place, as well as at Baton Rouge Gallery’s Surreal Salon 17, where she received honorable mention. Adams is an active member of Soho20 Gallery in New York City. She currently has work on view at 130 Gallery in Oxford, MS.Â
If you would like more information about this exhibition, or to schedule a private tour with Molly Adams, please email meadams3@uno.edu. Further information about the artist can be found at mollyadamsartwork.com or on Instagram @mollyadamsart.Â
