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Art Academy of Hillsborough at Seventh Annual Hillsborough Art Exhibit - April 1st
Doris Duke Portrait To Be Latest Addition to Hillsborough Public Art Collection
Kathleen Fritz, a 16 year old resident of Hillsborough, is the current art apprentice studying with Kevin Murphy, a member of the Cultural Arts Commission and the owner of the Art Academy of Hillsborough, and is currently working on the third portrait for Hillsborough's Public Art Collection.
Having begun her apprenticeship in June of 2010, Miss Fritz has spent the past seven months learning the foundational skills necessary to allow her to paint the piece for the township's art collection. She recently began early work on the portrait of Miss Doris Duke. Miss Fritz has chronicled her apprenticeship in a blog on her website as well as posting the art work she has created while being trained by Mr. Murphy. You may visit her website at http://www.dancingdragon-studios.com to read about her experiences and view her art.
The unveiling of the Doris Duke portrait will occur at the Seventh Annual Hillsborough Art Exhibit on Friday, April 1st, 2011 at 7:30pm at the Hillsborough Municipal Building. The art exhibit is open to the public and admission is free.
Beginning in 2005, the Hillsborough Cultural Arts Commission has sponsored the Annual Art Exhibit for residents of Hillsborough Township. Three years ago, at the request of Committee member Anthony Ferrera, the commission was encouraged to significantly expand on this showcase. The commission, then chaired by Bill Bochinski, was charged with the mission to build an art show which distinguished itself from other shows, and would offer real and visible value to Hillsborough residents. It was then that the art show was expanded to encompass high school students from several local townships along with adult residents of Hillsborough, resulting in a display of approximately 120 pieces of art. In 2010, the show expanded to hold over 250 pieces of art from all corners of Somerset County. With Commission funding and a great deal of financial support from local businesses, the show has met the challenges first posed by Committee member Ferrera.
While in some ways the art exhibit fits the standard mold, Hillsborough's art show boasts many special offerings found nowhere else. One of the more significant distinctions is that the Grand Prize winner from the show is commissioned to paint a portrait of an important person from Hillsborough. When completed, each new painting is added to the Hillsborough Public Art Collection which, as it grows, will adorn public spaces within the town. Kevin Murphy personally trains the winner in his studio during a one year, all expenses paid apprenticeship. At the conclusion of the training, the
apprentice applies his/her skills to produce a professional level portrait for the Township collection.
The first portrait in the collection is of Assemblyman Peter Biondi - it was painted by Mr. Murphy and donated to the township in 2009 at the art show. The second portrait in the collection is of Anna Case Mackay, an opera singer from the early part of the 20th century. Ms. Mackay's portrait was painted by the program's first art apprentice, Gabrielle Fiorillo of Montgomery High School, and was added to the township's collection in 2010.