UP FOCUS: Kathleen Conover and Yvonne Lemire

September 25 – November 7, 2026

Reception: September 26, 2026, 5 – 7 pm EST

The UP Focus exhibition series features artists working in or influenced by Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

This exhibition features Marquette artists Kathleen Conover and Yvonne Lemire.

American Watercolor Society painter Kathleen Conover earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and her Master of Arts at Northern Michigan University. Conover is involved with the international watercolor scene and teaches and exhibits her work all over the world, including in Qingdao, China, the “Birthplace of Watercolor”. Global travel continues to influence her award-winning paintings and inspires her work toward her lifetime pursuit “…to be a better artist.”

Sculptor, jeweler, and welder Yvonne LeMire earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Northern Michigan University with a concentration in Sculpture and a secondary concentration in Human-Centered Design (Industrial Design). In 2014, she earned American Welding Society Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and Certified Welding Educator (CWE) certifications. In 2000, LeMire began teaching at NMU, where she currently serves as a full-time Welding Instructor. LeMire’s artwork has been featured in exhibitions and commissions around the UP and beyond.

In addition to new works, the exhibition will feature a peek into the artists’ studio practices and a glimpse into the sketches of their former studio mate and colleague, Maggie Linn.