Julia LaBay: Space & Construct(ion)
January 23 – March 21, 2026
A multimedia exhibition reframing the common tool in uncommon ways
20 North Gallery presents a solo exhibition of metal and wood sculpture, bronze casting, prints and mixed media by Julia LaBay. LaBay’s multimedia series—ranging from traditional monoprints to sculpture installations—explore the symbolism and power of common hand tools. The Julia LaBay: Space & Construct(ion) exhibit features works from the artist’s Constructed Space, Printed Space, Tool Impressions series and more, comprising a curated collection of traditional and abstracted artworks.
The exhibit will open with a free, Public Reception on Friday, January 23, 2026 from 6 – 8 p.m.
The exhibit continues through March 21, 2026.
The Julia LaBay: Space & Construct(ion) exhibition catalogue, containing all art images, prices, artist information and commentary will be posted here soon.
Julia LaBay: Space & Construct(ion) is a multimedia exhibition that reframes the common tool as we know it. LaBay depicts construction tools and household implements outside of their normal presentation, through multiple series and mediums, including printmaking, 3D sculptures and bronze casting. LaBay’s artworks share the stories that tools hold—working to shape our perspective of their potential use and aesthetics.
In LaBay’s Tools Series of monoprints, the artist creates vibrant and captivating compositions that utilize imagery from her 3D artworks. LaBay’s sculptural works, created using wood, bronze, cast silicone and found objects, present the viewer with a unique perspective on the role and usefulness of hand tools. Her wood sculpture, Constructed Space, evokes traditional structures built with the use of hand and power tools; her Retired Tools Series subverts the expected presentation of these tools by manipulating bronze castings of the tools into more organic forms.
Julia LaBay (Toledo, Ohio) received her B.F.A. in sculpture at The University of Toledo in 2012 and her M.F.A. from Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio) in 2015. LaBay is an instructor and the 3D Technical Assistant at The University of Toledo Department of Art (Ohio) in addition to managing her own design company. She works with youth through Young Women of Toledo, teaching girls and young women how to use power tools. LaBay is also a past Curator for the Blair Museum of Lithophanes (Elmore, Ohio).
Her work has been shown regionally as well as nationally at galleries and museums including the Toledo Museum of Art (Ohio), Northern Kentucky University (Highland Heights, Kentucky), Marygrove College (Detroit, Michigan) and Manifest Gallery (Cincinnati, Ohio). LaBay has won several awards and grants for her arts practice, including a recent Accelerator Grant awarded through The Arts Commission (Toledo, Ohio). Additionally, LaBay recently was a visiting artist at Imagination Station in Downtown Toledo.
The Julia LaBay: Space & Construct(ion) exhibition catalogue, containing all art images, prices, artist information and commentary will be posted here soon.