Mark Leithauser wears many hats.

With the prestigious jobs of senior curator and the chief of design at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., he is responsible for managing the design and display of all the museum's exhibitions.

However, he's also known as a gifted artist in his own right. While Leithauser is mostly recognized for his paintings, the Palmer Museum of Art will showcase work from his earlier career, when printmaking was his main artistic focus. The exhibition is titled Etchings by Mark Leithauser and will be available from today until Feb 1.

After receiving a bachelor's degree and two master's degrees from Wayne State University in 1975, he began working on the prints, mostly created in the late 1970s and early 1980s, said Patrick McGrady, the Charles V. Hallman Curator for the Palmer.

"This is just a part of his career that we were fortunate to collect," he said.

Seventeen prints will be shown in this exhibition.

The Palmer owns most of the prints, but a couple were borrowed from Leithauser to round out the collection.

McGrady said he found some of Leithauser's work in the Palmer's storage facilities. Because prints are created with paper they are extra sensitive to light and need to be maintained in a controlled environment when they are not being displayed, McGrady said.

"I thought it would be really nice to show them. I was able to make a nice little exhibition to show to the public what Leithauser is all about," he said.

Landscapes and interiors are the two major influences for Leithauser's work. Detroit-born Leithauser was inspired by Michigan scenery for many of the prints.

McGrady described the landscapes as "reminisces of various vignettes that he has photographed or that he remembers."

The Leithauser exhibition in particular is important for students to view, McGrady said.

"Although he no longer makes prints, Leithauser was a major printmaker," he said. "These prints are a very good representation of his highly inventive aesthetic. He was a master of it. You're at the root of an important American artist."

Furthermore, McGrady described the exhibition as especially accessible for students.

"The art itself is very appealing and accessible. If you take the time to invest in looking there are rewards," McGrady.

Mallory McCloskey (junior-nutrition) said she has never visited the Palmer, noting the quiet setting as a possible reason.

"I just don't know anything about art," she said, adding she would be willing to check out the new exhibition.

Brian Hartman (senior-journalism and recreation, park, and tourism management) has visited the Palmer before and said he has had good experiences in the past.

He said he'd like to see art that's more oriented toward cartoons and sports.

The Palmer is a great asset to Penn State students, McGrady said.

"This is your art museum," he said. "You should experience as much of your university as you can. If you've left the university without entering the halls of the Palmer, you've missed something."

Gallery Talks relating to the exhibition will be given by McGrady at 12:10 p.m. on Oct. 17 and Nov. 14, according to the Palmer Web site.