During a recent artist residency in western Ireland, University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe faculty member Molly Allen found new direction in her creative work. Immersed in the green hills, stone walls and centuries-old history, her time at the Burren College of Art resulted in a new body of work that contrasts Ireland’s deep cultural layers with the wide-open landscapes of the American West that have long shaped her artistic perspective.

Allen’s residency was supported by the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies through a Global Studies Faculty Research Grant, a program offered in collaboration with the Ozmen Institute and the Office of the Provost.

Allen’s resulting work is now featured in her exhibition, "Soft Walls, Deep Water" on view at the Carson City Courthouse Gallery from June 16 through September 25, 2025. Presented by the Capital City Arts Initiative (CCAI), the exhibition includes a series of collage and sculptural pieces that explore the relationship between memory, landscape and interior space.

“The most recent collages, created during my residency in Ireland, reflect a shift in spatial rhythm and visual pairing,” Allen said. “Immersed in a landscape dense with history, my work contrasts the Irish landscape with the expansiveness and ever-changing West of the United States.”

“Immersed in a landscape dense with history, my work contrasts the Irish landscape with the expansiveness and ever-changing West of the United States.”

A public reception with the artist will be held Wednesday, June 18, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse Gallery in Carson City.

In Soft Walls, Deep Water, Allen continues her exploration of what she describes as “liminal spatial arrangements.” Her work blends imagery drawn from architecture, design and the body—furniture, stones, draperies, fish and hands—assembled into surreal scenes that balance familiarity with ambiguity.

Her ceramic sculpture Caress is a tangle of small hands, reaching and resting. Allen’s work invites viewers to engage with spaces that feel both deliberate and dreamlike.

Molly Allen’s connection to the Lake Tahoe campus is both personal and professional. Originally from the mountains of Colorado, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics and New Genres from Sierra Nevada College (now University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe), graduating as valedictorian. She later completed a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Montana and earned her MFA in Ceramics from Ohio University. After multiple residencies across North America and Europe, and with work exhibited nationally and internationally, Allen returned to Lake Tahoe, where she now serves as Co-Director of Galleries and teaches interdisciplinary art.

The Courthouse Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on "Soft Walls, Deep Water" visit ccainv.org.