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I’m honored to have a painting included in the Hill-Stead Museums’s By the People, For the People exhibition from June 18th – August 30th. My sincere thanks to juror Cynthia Cooper for including the painting in this outstanding exhibition.
Exhibition: Jun 18, – August 30, 2026
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 18th, from 6pm
Location: Hill-Stead Museum | 35 Mountain Road, Farmington, CT
In 2026, as The United States of America marks its 250 anniversary, Hill-Stead is highlighting one aspect of the Declaration of Independence: The People. This year’s Third Annual Juried Members Show entitled By the People, For the People includes artwork that celebrates that concept.
Grate Again 40×40″ oil/canvas
𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 the juror: Cynthia Cooper
Cynthia Cooper cannot remember a time when she was not obsessed with making and experiencing art. She holds a BFA in printmaking from Penn State and has had celebrated careers running a freelance graphic design studio/ad agency and founding a niche e-commerce business specializing in antiques. Her award-winning artwork has been exhibited in international, national, and regional exhibitions, and is held in private collections as well as the permanent collections of Penn State University and the New Britain Museum of American Art.
She is an active advocate for the arts, serving on boards and participating in numerous arts organizations. She lives in Farmington, Connecticut, with one other human, two sweet cats, and two cantankerous cockatoos (ages 38 and 39).
Juror’s Statement:
The exciting mixture of work in this third annual juried exhibition at Hill-Stead Museum reflects distinct facets of American life. Here you will find our enduring fascination with the landscape, the things we choose (tools, food, entertainment); the places we live and visit, and the people we know, meet, and remember. This exhibition embodies not only these subjects, but the emotions, memories, and mysteries they carry with them.
My goal is to present images that surprise, delight, and move you. Each of these 50 artists represents excellence in concept, presentation, and mastery of their chosen medium. These works lingered longer and revealled something deeper.
What captivated me most was The artists’ transform their subjects in sympathetic and virtuosic ways: through gorgeous surfaces, deft brushwork, compelling characters, unexpected compositions, and deeply personal viewpoints. The result is moments of invention that are recognizable and wondrous.
There is magic here.