BOOK LAUNCH
I am pleased to announce my anticipated publication of Graceful Partners, Art and Spirituality. This book documents the twenty-year history of the Clare Gallery ministry at the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry, in Hartford, CT, by sharing essays, exhibition content, and community impact statements. The essays focus on: “How did the Gallery get started and why?” by Nancy Wynn; “Who is Saint Clare of Assisi?” by Fr. Tom Gallagher, OFM; “Why is the Gallery a Ministry?” by Patricia Curtis; “Art and Spirituality” by Dr. Ellen Longsworth; “The Gallery as Sanctuary” by Ann McCoy; and “How has a Gallery had an Impact?” (Various testimonials). The exhibitions are within the categories of spirituality, world religions and interfaith themes; social justice themes; and community partnerships. These three sections reflect Clare Gallery’s mission. This approach provides the reader with an understanding of artistic connections to these themes. It also brings awareness to the large variety of artistic practices, media, and interpretations. The book is available on Amazon.

My book launch is Thursday, May 23rd at the Clare Gallery in Hartford, CT,  from 6–7:30 pm. To attend in-person, please register here. If you cannot attend in-person, a virtual author talk on Zoom will be available at 6:30 p.m. that same evening. Please register here to receive the Zoom link if you would like to join us on Zoom. Proceeds from the sale of books sold at the Clare Gallery will fund the Gallery.

Curation
I continue to chair the Clare Gallery, in Hartford, Connecticut, and curate many exhibitions. Since 2003 the Clare Gallery has been exhibiting professional artwork focused on world religions, inter-faith themes and social justice themes. We are into our twenty-first year! See above announcement on the book launch.

I also am involved at the McCoy Gallery at Merrimack College. The Gallery exhibits two professional shows, and two student shows. We just completed our Annual Senior Capstone Exhibition.

Artistic Practice
My work was selected for the 19th Annual Small Works Show at Gallery 440 in Brooklyn, New York. The show ran from November 30, 2023 to January 5, 2024. It was curated by Grace Freedman. There was an all-time high record number of submissions with less than 6% of the submissions were chosen. A quote from Freedman sums up the unique exhibition, ““My vision for this show was to select fine artwork that highlighted the many ways that artists approach a small-size format. I was so excited to see the breadth of creativity in this year’s submissions. The artwork represented a wide range of diverse materials and styles – paintings (figurative and abstract), drawings, collage, textile work, sculpture and mixed media. While my job as juror was challenging, this makes for a very robust show of small works that are vibrant, interesting and affordable for art collectors.”

Teaching
I have been Associate Professor of Visual and Performing Arts at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts since 2015. In 2019, I became Chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. I manage the programs of Art and Art History, Music, Graphic Design, Theatre and Film Studies. Additionally, new collaborations with Engineering, Health Sciences, Computer Science, and English provide interdisciplinary opportunities for our students. Our graphic design students completed beautifully design 11 foot banners for the Austin Hall Chapel on campus and the new banners for the Rogers Center for Performing Arts, as well as some brand marks for a new campus initiative. New courses and avenues for students to learn strong design thinking, processes, and analysis is what excites me. At the end of each year, you can view their Capstone Projects on our VPA website. It is under “Discover Student Work.” Exciting!

Speaking
My most recent speaking engagement was in 2019 at Canada’s peer-reviewed RGD’s DesignThinkers Conference in Toronto where I spoke on the interdisciplinary Toy project, “Breaking Down Biases with Toys: An Interdisciplinary Design Project that Engaged Students Across Disciplines.” I also presented this project, with one of its students, Nickolas Paolino, at Design Incubation Colloquium 6.3, Fordham University, NY, Virtual Conference, in 2020.

Peace,
Nancy