When you took the tour of UD's campus, your tour guide inevitably told you that the Marian Library on the seventh floor of Roesch Library hosts the largest collection of books on the Virgin Mary in the world.

Maybe this fact went in one ear and out the other, but the Marian Library is worth checking out not only because of its impressive collection of books, but because of the art on display in its gallery.

The current exhibit, titled 'Mary' A Feminine Touch,' is by the late artist Beverly Stoller. Stoller died in April 2004 of cancer when she was in her 60s, but left behind an extensive collection of artwork that people will be able to appreciate forever.

She was a Lay Marianist Affiliate from Fairfield, Conn. Before Connecticut, she actually lived in Dayton for a few years. While here, she made connections with the Marianist Community and attended retreats with them. She created a lot of her paintings and sketches here. When she moved to Connecticut she began to study iconography.

'One sketch she made of the Virgin Mary can be found in all of the Marianist buildings on campus, on cards and so forth,' said Sister Jean Frisk, who works in the Marian Library.

There are more than 50 total pieces on display, out of about 200 in Stoller's total collection. She liked to experiment with different kinds of art. There are icons, paintings, water colors, sketches, and acrylics.

'She particularly liked family,' said Frisk. 'One icon would appear to be the Holy Family but really it is St. Ann, St. Joachim, and Mary as a baby.'

One particular piece that stands out is titled 'The Way of the Cross.' It is 15 separate acrylic paintings representing the Stations of the Cross. They are abstract and full of color.

Several water color paintings of flowers and landscapes are on display. Stoller liked to link the real-world with spirituality. One painting shows a beautiful arrangement of flowers, and if you look closely you will see a cross as well. She titled this painting 'Resurrection.' Other paintings of flowers show a window, representing a way in and out of the real-world.

'She sketched bridges a lot,' said Frisk. 'She saw a bridge as a link to the past and to where she had been.'

Even if you are not a religious person, you will be able to appreciate the beauty and the passion that went into the creation of the artwork. Stoller's main goal when producing her work, though, was to show the beauty of God's creations to everyone and to make people aware of the presence of Christ.

She called her art studio 'The Studio of Theotokos.' Theotokos is a title for the Virgin Mary as a mother of the human Son of God. Her work has been on the cover of two books about Mary, including one book written by Mother Teresa.

The exhibit is on display now through Nov. 17. It is open to the public and is free. If you would like to look up more information about the artist or view some of her artwork online, check out the gallery's Web site http://www.udayton.edu/mary/gallery.