TEDDY’S CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION by TEDDY DEAN LEPLEY III opens with a reception on Friday, November 7 from 5-8PM and will be on view through December 20, 2025.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas joy, along with a tender reflection of a fathers' love. In this work I seek to find meaning in the small moments of affection between me and my emotionally distant father. Gift-giving was the way my dad was most comfortable showing his love for me and Christmas was the best time for gift-giving.

My father’s possessions have been sitting in my closet since he passed away in 2024. I have been holding on to those things trying to find the meaning in them. A few of these objects I carefully wrapped with handmade bows and decorated papers. I understand now that they are his gifts to me. My toy train, an actual gift from my father that I cannot let go of, runs around the tree. Other decorations, drawings, and prints hang on the walls alongside a large bow. It is the bow that would have rested on top of the Camaro I had always planned to buy my dad when I became rich.

Christmas is a holiday full of baggage, for so many of us it represents anxieties and familial trauma. I never felt that I was able to experience the Christmas that I saw in the movies that I watched. My family was separated, decorations were lacking, and sometimes there was not even any snow on the ground. Bringing Christmas joy felt like my responsibility. I had to play the grateful excited child to make my dad happy. As an adult I am able to think back on these experiences and appreciate the work my father did to make Christmas a special time for me. His gifts were not just things I wanted, they were a direct result of his labor, earnings, and time spent on his only child.

As I navigate adulthood, Christmas is becoming something new. You and I have the ability to create new memories, to find our own ways to practice gratitude, and to show our loved ones that they are special to us. This exhibition is for you, my community, my friends, my family, and my father.

Happy Holidays,

Teddy

Originally from a small town in Northeast Indiana, Teddy Dean Lepley III is a printmaker and book artist currently based in the big city (Milwaukee). Lepley earned their MFA in Printmaking and Bookmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2023, following a BFA in Drawing and Printmaking from Ball State University in 2019. They are now the full-time Printmaking Lab Technician at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design who also enjoys adjunct teaching when possible. Lepley also sits on the board of Anchor Press, Paper & Print, Milwaukee's own community printshop.

Lepley’s work is deeply autobiographical, exploring their relationships with people, places, and objects. Like many in the queer community, they have often felt out of place, conforming to societal norms due to external pressures. Through their art, Lepley seeks to find meaning and purpose in everyday life, distinguishing between learned behaviors and their own unique identity. By focusing on small, often overlooked moments, they not only learn about themselves but also create work that is funny, real, and relatable.

Lepley works primarily in drawing, printmaking, and book arts. These processes feel immediate and accessible, allowing for dynamic engagement with the medium. Printmaking is particularly special, as it enables artworks to be shared widely through editions, making it possible for more people to view and own them. Books serve as intimate objects that invite personal interaction. Lepley enjoys working quickly and finds joy in the surprises that arise during the printing process.

You can learn more about the artist and their work here.

EVENTS:

-Opening Reception: Friday, NOV 7: 5-8PM

-Teddy’s Secular Christmas Celebration & White Elephant Gift Exchange!: Friday, DEC 19: 5-8PM

Exhibition runs through Saturday, December 20, 2025

Open hours: Fridays 11-4PM or by appointment.