Beadwork, Dawn Cooley Artistic jewelry and pottery are featured at a special exhibit at the Opera House Gallery of Contemporary Art, Delphi, along with new work by resident artists Rena Brouwer, Terry Lacy, and Alan McConnell.

Entitled “Matters of the Heart,” the exhibit extends though March 3.

Guest artists are Dawn Cooley and Joanne Kuhn Titolo, jewelry, and Mary Thomas Firestone, Angie Peterson, and Diana May, ceramics.

A gallery open house will be held Friday, Feb. 5, from 5 to 9 p.m.

Dawn Cooley’s work is a study of the master jewelry artists of 1800-1900. She will give a talk about her art of bead working on Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. at the gallery. She will also show antique bead pieces. Guests may bring in jewelry, and Cooley will answer questions about history or repair. She has expertise in repairing antique beaded purses and accessories.

Cooley, a self-taught artist, has been beading for more than 24 years. She is also experienced with precious metal clay, wire-wrapping, and metalwork. Her jewelry has been exhibited at the Duncan Hall Art Show and the Frankfort Library Art Show. She does business as Bead Beautiful, and works at home, near Fowler, in her upstairs studio.

Pottery, Mary Firestone Joanne Titolo works from her Terra Luna Studio in Battle Ground in a variety of materials. Her BA from Purdue University focused on oil painting, but a love of natural and found objects developed

into sculptural forms. After continuing her education in mixed media metalwork, she is now forming smaller sterling silver adornments and jewelry pieces. She still creates larger pieces, both in sculpture and painting. Her work can be seen in private and regional corporate collections and at Artists’ Own Gallery, Lafayette.

Mary Firestone was born and raised in North Carolina, where at a young age, she discovered her medium while playing with the indigenous red clay in her own backyard. She set her art on the back burner, however, while she pursued a botany degree at the University of North Carolina and found her soul mate, Steve, who brought her back to his native Indiana. Along with their son, Jack, and daughter, Rachel, they have created Eden, a 4.5-acre garden in northeast Tippecanoe County, where they live and Mary works.

Apple treedancer, Joanne Titolo She is an Advanced Master Gardener. Her love of plants and nature is evidenced in her choice of motifs and glaze

colors in her pottery. As her children became more independent,

Dirty Hands Pottery evolved from a hobby to a business.

Firestone participates in several art shows each year and is a member of Artists’ Own Gallery and Wabash Valley Potters. Her work consists of functional and decorative items for the home and garden, created in high-fired stoneware, and often embellished with leaf motifs.

The exhibit will be a return appearance for artists Angie Peterson and Diana May. Their work also was featured in an earlier exhibit at the gallery, entitled “Spotlight on Ceramics.”

The gallery is located at 109 South Washington Street. It is owned and operated by Delphi Preservation Society.