(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- The Ruth Bauer Neustadter Gallery at HACPAC presents "Hope & Freedom", a solo exhibition of paintings by Mira Mitrova from September 5-29, 2025. Mira is a prize-winning artist who has exhibited her work throughout the art world including Paris, Berlin, and New York. She is an Macedonian-American painter who lives and works in New Jersey.
Mira Mitrova was born in the North Macedonia where she studied graphics and graphic design at the Faculty of Fine Arts / Sts. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. In 2004, she was awarded the Macedonian National Award for Poster for the 60th Anniversary of the Republic of Macedonia.
Infused with the spiritual and an unbreakable connection with the natural world, her canvases capture the wonders of nature, flora and fauna. She is mostly inspired by the richness of the natural world and the complexities of modern day life, in Elemental Realms give the fullest possible expression to the human delight in exploring the universe and ourselves.
Continually pushing the boundaries, she is at the forefront of what it means to be creative in our time. Mira Mitrova's vision conceptualizes a communion of surrender and realization. Infused with dreamlike visions of the spiritual and an unbreakable connection with the natural world, Mira Mitrova’s creations recall subconscious mysteries buried deep in legend and folklore. Through the use of several different media including graphics, oil painting, acrylic painting and mix media paint, she considers life as a combination of challenge and possibility. In exploring themes such as isolation, imprisonment and commoditization, she provides a visual treatise on the human capacity to be proactive in asserting spiritual freedom in the face of situational desolation.
There will be an Opening Reception on Thursday, September 11 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Admission is free. The gallery is located at 102 State Street in Hackensack, New Jersey.
The Ruth Bauer Neustadter Gallery at HACPAC is curated by Kim Schmitt Thomas. Her mission for the Gallery at HACPAC is twofold. By bringing compelling and lively exhibitions to the community, Kim hopes to encourage a deeper appreciation for art, as it holds the power to greatly enrich our lives, especially in today’s fast paced, high-tech world. Additionally, while exhibiting the works of more established artists, Kim also seeks out new motivated artists who have built cohesive and intriguing bodies of work.
As a full-time working artist herself, Kim is aware of how challenging it can be for emerging artists to be granted gallery exhibitions and believes in offering opportunities for new creatives to show their work. In addition to her work as Gallery Director and Curator for the Gallery at HACPAC, Kim works as the in-house artist at hOMe Store, an interior design and furnishing store in Hawthorne, NJ. There, she paints original pieces in her studio and also creates commissioned works specifically for clients’ spaces. Kim is also represented by Barsky Gallery of Hoboken, NJ, CINQ Gallery in Dallas, TX, The Art Collective Gallery in Rogers, AR, and also exhibits at Glen Hansen Studios in Southold, NY, as well as the Gallery at HACPAC. Kim’s work hangs in both private and corporate collections across the country, and has been featured in (201) Magazine, The Bergen Record, The New York Times, Furniture Today, Dallas Style & Design Magazine.
