The Hockaday Museum of Art announces Gentlemen Wear Black, a contemporary exhibition where Arkansas artist Melissa Wilkinson's explores her interest in representing dichotomies. Her paintings are initially conceived of using digital processes and then finished by employing traditional techniques borrowed from the old masters. Gentlemen Wear Black will be on display May 7 through June 13, 2015.

Wilkinson's romantic process of painting allows her to meditate on issues of gender, identity construction and beauty. For the viewers' contemplation, she presents the obscuring and revealing, attraction and repulsion, good and evil, the past and the present.

She says that "I appropriate imagery from a variety of sources in order to develop a pastiche that fractures the conventional male gaze and positions art historical models as both subject and spectacle. I choose to dismantle epic narratives from the past to create a schizophrenic perspective. The images break from their original sources into fragments, creating a complex visual experience that both irritates and seduces."

The opening reception for Gentlemen Wear Black will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2015, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, and the public is invited to enjoy free admission to the event. Throughout the exhibit, visitors may learn more about the exhibition by taking one of the docent-guided tours held Thursdays at 10:30 AM and Saturdays at 1:00 PM (included with guest admission). The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

The Hockaday Museum of Art is located in the cultural district of downtown Kalispell at 302 Second Ave East. It is housed in a 1904 Carnegie Library building that appears on the National Register of Historic Places. The Museum is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, open year-round, Tues-Sat from 10am-5pm. A wheelchair accessible entry and elevator are provided. For more information, please visit www.HockadayMuseum.org or call 406-755-5268.