Kaleidoscope – Group Art Exhibition

Opening Reception: Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 6:00-8:00 PM

Artist Talk: Wednesday, May 25, 2022, 6:00 PM

The Hightstown Cultural Arts Commission in partnership with the Old Hights Brewing Company presents Kaleidoscope, a group art exhibition of paintings in a variety of media including oil, acrylic, mixed media, and digital art that highlights a prism of colors found in botanicals, urban areas, landscapes and abstractions. The artists include Gary Fournier, Spriha Gupta, Marisa Keris, Kathleen Hurley Liao, and Phillip McConnell, and is curated by Hightstown Cultural Arts Commissioner Chanika Svetvilas (https://chanikasvetvilas.com). The exhibition from April 6-June 26, 2022, opens with a reception on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Kaleidoscope will also feature an artist talk on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at 6:00 PM.

The Hightstown Cultural Arts Commission was established in July 2014 to identify and promote the Borough’s creative potential, set goals for public art and culture, and create educational initiatives, community partnerships, and collaborations that reflect the town’s cultural diversity.

Featured Artists

Gary Fournier’s artistic journey began in High School where he excelled in oils, watercolor and the potter’s wheel. College art was interrupted by Vietnam and 4 years of Naval service, including 2 years of duty in Vietnam. Gary graduated from Empire State College, SUNY at Plattsburgh with an A.S. and B.S. Degree in Environmental Science and Water Pollution Control Technology respectively. He also studied art history, drawing and watercolor. Gary currently serves as President of Artsbridge, Lambertville/Stockton, NJ, is a member of numerous regional art organizations and has an art studio at Art Station, Hightstown, NJ. He has exhibited in many local galleries and was “Artist of the Month” at the Arts Council of Princeton, January 2022. gfournier.faso.com

Spriha Gupta is a narrative mixed media artist based in Skillman, NJ. She spent over 7 years as a Television Program Producer and Director, managing and leading teams for NDTV, one of the leading Asian News channels. This helped her develop an eye for details, color, rhythm and harmony. She brings organic forms and textures into her body of work. She uses iconic symbolism to exemplify concepts close to her heart that are influenced by personal, societal and environmental changes. The almost three dimensional pieces of her work suggest that art has no boundaries and being limitless in nature the colors and forms flow from one space to another. Gupta has exhibited widely in NJ including the Newark Museum of Art, West Windsor Arts Center, Monmouth Museum and the Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton University. www.sprihagupta.com

Marisa Keris received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2007 where she studied Painting and attended the European Honors Program in Rome, Italy. Returning to study abroad in 2016, she spent one year at Temple University Rome and completed her MFA in Painting at Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2018. She is a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant. Teaching as an adjunct professor of painting and drawing, she also instructs Botanical Drawing workshops around New Jersey and Philadelphia in the classroom and in gardens. Marisa has exhibited work in Alabama, California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Oregon, West Virginia, Italy and France. Her studio is a Art Station in Hightstown, NJ. www.marisakerisstudio.com

Kathleen Hurley Liao is a mixed media abstract artist who incorporates automatism and expressionism in her work. A graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University with a degree in Anthropology, she reconnected to her passion for visual art in 2007. She is particularly inspired by jazz and themes of existentialist literature. Hurley Liao is the recipient of the “Outstanding West Windsor Artist” award from the West Windsor Arts Council, and two “Best in Show, Printmaking” awards from the Trenton City Museum. In January 2020, she spent four weeks in France as Artist-in-Residence at Chateau D’Orquevaux. She maintains a studio at the Art Station in Hightstown. www.katliao.com

Phillip McConnell is a 31-year-old Glitch Artist from Trenton, New Jersey. As a self-taught artist, he began as a computer programmer and then transitioned into creating art with code five years ago. McConnell has exhibited widely in New Jersey including Artworks and JKC Gallery in Trenton and the Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton University. One of the main focuses of his work is to show his unique worldview and perspective as a young black creative. He seeks to inspire and create art that resonates with the audience’s thoughts and feelings that they may not know how to express. His hope is that thinking abstractly or discussing emotions within art can be seen as usual for a black creative and that trauma does not always need to be revealed within the work. www.phillipmcconnellart.com