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HOUGHTON - From Hairsmiths to the Library Restaurant, her artwork can be seen all over town and now it will be on display at Central Michigan University in her very own art gallery.

An art gallery at CMU in the new Education and Health Services building has been named the Mary Ann Beckwith Gallery, which Beckwith, an art professor at Michigan Technological University, said is "a huge honor."

Thanks to Arlee Tampas, a CMU alumna, and her husband Pete, a gallery has been named after Beckwith and features several original paintings by Beckwith, a watercolorist.

"When they decided to name the gallery at Central Michigan University, I wasn't in on the beginning steps at all," she said.

All of a sudden, she got a call telling her about the gallery being named for her.

"I was so surprised that they would choose to do that," she said. "It is such an honor."

Beckwith hasn't been to the gallery yet, but is excited to see it. The new gallery is located along a 110-foot hallway cast with natural light from windows.

"I've been told they did it for what I've done for arts in this community," Beckwith said. "I believe the arts are an important part in any community."

Beckwith, who has been teaching at Tech for 36 years, said the arts even play a very significant role in a technological community, like Michigan Tech.

"I think every engineer needs to understand aesthetics and the beauty of things," she said. "I think every computer scientist needs to think about what things look like on his or her screen."

Beckwith incorporates art and science in the classroom, creating a conceptual eye for students to understand how art and science are related and how they can be used together.

"Being able to help engineers produce good design is important to me - really important to me," Beckwith said.

Beckwith said she is thankful for what the Tampas' have done for her and the arts.

"(Arlee) has been an amazing supporter of the arts in this community," Beckwith said.

For more than 30 years, Tampas has been collecting art from artists in the community, Beckwith said.

"In doing so, she supported artists and helped artists survive," she said. "She carefully and quietly collected artwork."

For years, Tampas wanted to leave her mark with her alma mater. The opportunity arose when CMU opted to build a new building, allowing for plenty of space.

"I asked if they were still interested and they were," Tampas said.

Tampas and officials from the university picked the different art to be included in the new gallery. When she was visiting the new building at CMU, she was awestruck by a beautiful hallway with a patio dotted with windows, she said.

"It was a beautiful spot," she said. "There's a lot of natural light and a lab nearby."

Tampas and her husband, frequent donors to the college, suggested the university put up hanging strips and convert the hallway into a gallery. Beckwith was an obvious choice for Tampas to name the gallery after.

"Around here, she has supported the other artists, she has taught them, she shares any of her information and she explains paper, mounting and colors," Tampas said.

Beckwith also brings in artists from all over the country and the world to hold guest lectures and raises money that goes directly to the visual and performing arts department at Michigan Tech.

"She's always there with the public to explain things and she encourages art," Tampas said. "The college has really taken this whole thing with enthusiasm because they have a permanent collection that is up for years."

The Beckwith Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Stacey Kukkonen can be reached at skukkonen@mininggazette.com.