University of North Texas 
CVAD Professor and Alumna Present "Noticing" at Goldmark Cultural Center
New works by Professor Ana M. Lopez and 2005 UNT College of Visual Arts and Design M.F.A. alumna Natalie Macellaio will be featured in "Noticing," a two-person exhibition at the John H. Milde Gallery in Dallas.
The exhibition invites viewers to look more closely at the built environment through sculpture, drawings, jewelry and enameled panels inspired by the infrastructure that surrounds us every day. From highways and bridges to rooftops and ventilation systems, the artists transform familiar but often overlooked structures into works that reveal their complexity, craftsmanship and unexpected beauty.
Exhibition
“Noticing”
By Ana M. Lopez and Natalie Macellaio
Aug. 17–Sept. 18, 2026
John H. Milde Gallery, Goldmark Cultural Center
13999 Goldmark Drive, Dallas, TX 75240
Reception: Aug. 22, 2026, 5–7 p.m.
Macellaio's work examines the construction and deconstruction of urban landscapes. Using drawing, 3D printing, casting, laser cutting and traditional metalsmithing techniques, she reimagines highways, bridges, temporary fencing and other structural frameworks at new scales. Her sculptures and drawings capture the geometric patterns and fleeting nature of construction sites while encouraging viewers to reconsider spaces they often pass without notice.
Lopez presents a series of enameled steel panels depicting rooftops, where air conditioning units, vents and utility structures become intricate compositions of intersecting lines and geometric forms. Influenced by Japanese woodblock prints and created through vitreous enameling and experimental printmaking techniques, the works explore the relationship between abstraction, architecture and the hidden systems that support everyday life.
Together, the artists encourage audiences to slow down and discover the visual richness of the ordinary. By focusing on the infrastructure that quietly shapes our daily experience, "Noticing" reveals new perspectives on the spaces we often overlook.
About the Artists
Lopez is an internationally exhibited metalsmith, educator and decorative arts scholar whose research explores the intersections of craft, history and material culture. Follow her on Instagram @anamlopezartist.
Macellaio is a professor of art at Dallas College and earned her M.F.A. in Studio Art from UNT in 2005. Follow her on Instagram @nmacellaio.
About the John H. Milde Gallery
Gallery Hours
Images
Detail of “Temporary Detail 3,” 2025
By Natalie Macellaio
Nickel, steel, brass
6 x 18 x .5 inches
Close-up of a miniature construction fence with metal weed silhouettes.A sculptural detail of a chain-link fence made from metal wire, supported by rectangular metal bases. The silhouette of a cluster of dark foliage is pressed against the fence, interrupting its regular diamond pattern. Strong overhead lighting casts intricate shadows of both the fence and the leaves onto the white surface below, emphasizing the contrast between rigid industrial infrastructure and organic plant growth.
"Okayama Bullseye Medium, "2026
By Ana M. Lopez
Vitreous enamel on steel
10 x 8 inches
A stylized painting of closely packed urban rooftops viewed from an elevated perspective. Corrugated blue metal roofs dominate the foreground, framing a cluster of pastel buildings in peach, cream, lavender, and charcoal. A small outdoor air-conditioning unit sits on a rooftop ledge at the center, emphasizing the otherwise quiet architectural scene. The pale blue sky fills the upper half of the composition, while crisp outlines and simplified geometric forms flatten the space, creating a calm, graphic interpretation of the built environment. The image has softly rounded corners and the matte, slightly textured surface of an enamel panel.