(From the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum)

A new exhibit, “A Storm of Horses: The Art of Ruth Sanderson,” will be unveiled at the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum on Thursday, October 9.

Author/illustrator Sanderson will present her equine-themed work at an opening ceremony from 6 to 7 p.m. Following her presentation, there will be book sales and autographing in the Mazza Gift Shop.

The public is invited to learn more about her subject matter – French artist Rosa Bonheur, a unique 19th century painter of horses – and enjoy a campus visit of real-life horses, courtesy of UF’s equestrian program.

Dan Chudzinski, director of the Mazza Museum, said the exhibition features Sanderson’s original art – from storyboards and preliminaries to her final, published oil paintings.

“Ruth created an inspiring picture book telling the story of Rosa Bonheur, who wanted to be a famous painter in the 1800s, at a time when female artists typically painted scenes from family life,” he noted. “But Rosa was committed to capturing the unbridled wild beauty of horses.”

Sanderson’s book explains how Bonheur’s masterpiece, The Horse Fair, which is eight feet tall and 16 feet wide, propelled her to become a celebrated artist with paintings in museums and galleries worldwide. It is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Sanderson has more than 90 published children’s books, including many fairy tales. She illustrated the first Black Stallion paperback covers and has illustrated many chapter book horse stories, including the Horse Diaries series.

A graduate of Paier School of Art in Connecticut, she has always loved horses, and her first oil painting at age 14 was a horse portrait, Chudzinski noted.

After visiting Mazza for the first time in 2022, Sanderson felt that her equine-themed illustrations should become part of the museum’s permanent collection, he explained.

“Ruth loves to share her artistic techniques to inspire other horse-loving young artists,” said Chudzinski, adding that Sanderson will be presenting to students from Arlington and Ridgedale schools earlier in the week.

She recently created a book Drawing Horses that is a guide to drawing realistic horses and suggested for aspiring artists ages 8 and older.

The “Storm of Horses” exhibition and event are part of UF’s Homecoming celebration that takes place from October 9 to 12.

The event is also a collaboration with and a prelude to the University equestrian studies program’s 50th anniversary that will be celebrated in 2026.