"Toolbox/Toybox" Exhibition • CT State Community College Tunxis

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“Candy Tower Blast-Off”

The public is invited to “Toolbox/Toybox,” an exhibition of abstract paintings by Joanna Schiff Garren, August 31-September 29 in the Wallace Barnes and Barbara Hackman Franklin Art Gallery at Tunxis. An opening reception with refreshments will be held Friday, September 9, 4-7 p.m.

“I love shapes that have movement and flow; to make the art as eye-catching as possible I create shapes that are a natural extension of the movement of my arm,” said Garren. “The combination of organic and geometric shapes gives each piece an inner energy and creates a surreal narrative.”

Garren grew up in White Plains, New York. As a child, her drawings were often of abstract designs in bright colors; a style that she has since incorporated into her current works. She spent a year at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York before transferring to the University of Hartford. In college, her focus was printmaking, where she took courses in lithography, etching, relief cut, and monotype. After college, Garren spent a year in the Americorps NCCC program assisting in the Gulf Coast recovery after Hurricane Katrina. In 2013, Garren graduated from Albertus Magnus College with a master’s degree in art therapy. Currently, she lives in the Boston area with her husband and works as a dental technician.

The Barnes-Franklin Gallery is located in the 600 Building. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, call 860.773.1974 or email Arthur Simoes at [email protected].