Diego Rivera, The Flower Carrier, 1935
Roots and Colors
September 20th - October 25th, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 20th 6-8pm
Roots and Colors explores the rich, multifaceted nature of Hispanic heritage through visual art, focusing on the interplay between cultural roots and vibrant expressions of identity. The exhibition celebrates the diverse and dynamic ways in which color and tradition shape the vivid experiences of Hispanic communities, inviting viewers to reflect on how history, family, spirituality, and the land manifest in art.
Artist in show: Michele Rath, Zeet Peadbody, Maria Savidis-Markatos, Dorsey Lucas, Lisa Kolarcsik, Jose M. Perez, Thomas John Carlson, Richard Buntzen, Katharine Koehler, Frank Mainieri.
JUROR: FRANKIE MAINIERI (b. 1965, Long Branch, NJ; lived and works in Oakhurst, NJ)
Attended Stockton University in Galloway, NJ, receiving a BA in Fine Art in 1991.Mainieri won two awards upon graduation; the Kriegleman Award for best graduating art student and the university’s Purchase Award for his painting “Uncle Hank”, which is on permanent display at Stockton hanging in the Arts & Sciences wing. Before becoming an art teacher at Long Branch High School, he worked as a staff artist for an event planner and was a colorist for Archie Comics. After working for 25 years as a teacher in Long Branch, Mainieri retired in 2025 to pursue his painting career. Mainieri’s paintings have been shown in Philadelphia, PA, Hudson NY, Asbury Park, NJ, Red Bank, NJ and the Monmouth Museum in Lincroft, NJ. His painting “Monty Hall” recently won first place in the Monmouth Art Alliance’s 38th Annual International Juried Exhibition in Red Bank, NJ.