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Visual Arts Center of New Jersey Elects Two New Board Members

originally published: 07/06/2021

(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Tharanga Goonetilleke and Rachel G. Wilf were recently elected to the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey’s (VACNJ) Board of Trustees at the Art Center’s most recent board meeting, held on June 21, 2021. Both new board members will start serving immediately and their terms will run through November 2024.

"I am excited to welcome Rachel and Tharanga to the board of trustees,” said VACNJ’s Executive Director Melanie Cohn. “Their skills and passion for the arts make them both wonderful new additions and their leadership will help guide the Art Center as it continues growing and strengthening its museum and studio school programs."

Tharanga Goonetilleke is an opera singer and visual artist based in Short Hills, NJ. Goonetilleke, who was born in Badulla, Sri Lanka, but grew up in Ratmalana, is the first woman from Sri Lanka to attend The Juilliard School, one of the most prestigious performing arts schools in the world. In 2010 she joined the New York City Opera, and has since performed in numerous operas, including Il trittico, Dialogues of the Carmelites, La bohème, Die Zauberflöte, Iphigénie en Aulide, and Ariodante.

Rachel G. Wilf is an alumna the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a bachelor’s degree in art history and communications in 2008, and of NYU, where she received her Master of Arts degree in 2013. She launched her career as an account manager at Gurr Johns, Inc., a London-headquartered art advisory company, followed by appointments at Haunch of Venison gallery and the New York-based art gallery Hauser & Wirth. Wilf sits on the board of Jewish Family Service of MetroWest New Jersey, the Next Generation Committee of the Wilf Family Foundation, and the NYU Institute of Fine Arts. She is a current member of the ADAA Art Show Young Collectors Committee of the Henry Street Settlement and a former member of The Artist’s Council at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

For over 85 years, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey has been exclusively dedicated to viewing, making, and learning about contemporary art. Recognized as a leading non-profit arts organization, the Art Center’s renowned Studio School, acclaimed exhibitions, and educational outreach initiatives serve thousands of youth, families, seniors, and people with special needs every year.

 

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The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is located at 68 Elm Street in Summit, NJ. Gallery hours: Monday– Thursday, 10:00am - 8:00pm; Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm; and Saturday & Sunday, 11 :00am-4:00pm. Admission must be reserved in advance. Please call 908.273.9121 to confirm holiday hours.  Major support for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is provided in part by the Peter R. & Cynthia K. Kellogg Foundation; the Wilf Family Foundations; and Art Center members and donors.

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