This fall, the Bristol Art Museum invites audiences to experience CONFLUENCE: Creative Connections and Contrasts, a conceptually rich exhibition that brings together five contemporary artists united by a single challenge: to explore the expressive potential of black. The exhibit will be on view from Sat., Nov. 1 to Sat. Dec. 20. An Artist's Reception is scheduled for Sun., Nov. 2, from 2 to 4 p.m
CONFLUENCE features the work of Dwo Wen Chen, Sandra Kunhardt Basile, Mimo Gordon Riley, Nancy Gaucher-Thomas, and Eileen McCarney Muldoon. This group of artists’ work spans painting, photography, mixed media, and sculpture. Each artist responded to the shared prompt with a spirit of experimentation, curiosity, and dialogue. Viewed together, these works reveal how diverse creative voices can both resonate and diverge, creating an exhibition that celebrates individuality while exploring shared undercurrents of process, perception, and emotional intent.
“This exhibition is a testament to how a simple formal prompt can open endless avenues of creative exploration,” said Mary Dondero, Bristol Art Museum curator and board member. “By focusing on black as both subject and medium, the artists invite viewers to look beyond color and into emotion, space, and light. CONFLUENCE challenges us to see how art can bridge differences and reveal shared human experience.”
Through this shared focus, the artists found both connection and contrast, a fitting reflection of the exhibition's title. The exhibit becomes, in effect, a conversation in form, texture, and tone: a confluence of distinct perspectives navigating a common thread.
“Black can be foreboding or neutral; it can suggest negative space or act as a curtain of black; it can be lustrous or smoky, a sharp silhouette or the soft edge of shadow,” says participating artist Sandra Kunhardt Basile. “Imbued with meaning and mood, black often carries an aura of mystery, stillness, and introspection.”
During the Artists’ Reception, visitors will have the opportunity to meet the featured artists and view their works up close. Later in the exhibition’s run, the Museum will host an Artist Talk titled “Cross Currents: How Artists Inspire One Another” on Sun., Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. During this special event, the exhibiting artists will reflect on their collaborative process, the creative surprises that emerged from their shared prompt, and the ways influence flows between artists.
