New Exhibitions Celebrate Resident HAS Artists Chiraag Bhakta and Genevieve de Leon

Two upcoming exhibitions at the University of Hartford will celebrate resident artists at the Hartford Art School, Chiraag Bhakta and Genevieve de Leon. “It’s been a true privilege to collaborate with both of these artists and to learn about the methods and concepts that drive their art,” says Carrie Cushman, the Edith Dale Monson Gallery Director and Curator. “Significantly, much of the work on view in both shows were created right here in the studios at the Hartford Art School.” The exhibitions will run from Feb. 23 - March 25, with an opening reception on Feb. 23 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
 
In the Donald and Linda Silpe Gallery, To Order the Days / Para Ordenar Los Días presents new paintings and collaborative artwork by this year’s Georgette and Richard Koopman Distinguished Chair in the Visual Arts, Genevieve de Leon. De Leon’s work centers on Mayan astronomical knowledge and cosmology. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Hartford Art School will host “Cosmic Hearth: Sky Knowledge Across Traditions,” a talk series in Silpe Gallery on Feb. 24, Feb. 27, and Feb. 28, from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
 
In the Joseloff Gallery, Designing the Dream State features work by the inaugural Whitney Artist-in-Residence, Chiraag Bhakta. Graduating from HAS in 1999 with a degree in graphic design, Bhakta is an artist and designer whose practice is based on archival research, storytelling and collaboration in various media, Bhakta’s exhibition unveils the history, legacies, and ongoing impact of western imperialism in South Asian-American lives. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Hartford Art School will host the panel discussion, “Whose Dream Are We Living?” in Wilde Auditorium on March 24, from 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 
 
For more information about the artists, exhibitions, and additional programming, please visit: www.hartford.edu/gallery
 
The exhibitions are generously supported by the Georgette and Richard Koopman Chair in the Visual Arts fund and the International Distinguished Artist Symposium and Exhibition fund held by Hartford Art School Endowment, Inc.