Local artist Emily Monnig is working with an ancient medium dating back almost 2,000 years — paper.

Ohio University Southern’s gallery is currently filled with a showcase of Monnig’s work, a collection of handcrafted paper paying homage to tradition and the beauty of nature.

“I spent a lot of my childhood collecting rocks and leaves. And I’m still constantly finding myself picking up things off the ground,” said Monnig, who grew up on a farm.

“I am trying to take the beauty of nature and capture it in a new way. I want to give it a second chance to show its beauty,” Monnig said of her current exhibit.

Her pieces, some of which are hung from branches and suspended from the ceiling, are full of texture and speckled with inclusions of leaves, flowers and their petals.

When describing her work, Monnig, of Ironton, noted that “a majority of the leaves and flowers on the pages have a story behind them, so I am also trying to capture the emotions and memories I had during the process…It includes old barn wood from my farm and some of the pages are made from soybeans and corn, which are crops we grow.”

Monnig’s work will be on display until March 19. The gallery features a series of exhibits throughout the school year. It is open to the public at no cost Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and is located in the Dingus Technology Center in room D111 at 1804 Liberty Ave. in Ironton.