(SUMMIT, NJ) -- The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (VACNJ) will launch its newest rendition of its Artist-in-Residence program on March 9, 2026, with artist and Master Gardener Gabriella D'Italia. During her residency, D'Italia will use studio space at the Art Center to explore the intersection of her artistic and gardening practices.
Work created throughout the residency will be presented in the Art Center’s community gallery, while her gardening projects—centered on local pollinators and native plants—will take shape across the Art Center’s grounds. Public programs will be offered in conjunction with the residency.
“We are thrilled to welcome Gabriella as part of our Artist-in-Residence program,” said Jordan Horton, VACNJ Curator. “Her multidisciplinary practice will be instructive for our program. We look forward to seeing what artists like Gabriella can achieve here for their own practice and their work alongside the public.”
This residency program will run through June 7, 2026.
Gabriella D’Italia is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, and Master Gardener who believes that true stories lie at the horizon between spirit and body, vision and the material world. D’Italia received her B.A. in Philosophy and the History of Science and Mathematics through the Great Books program at St. John’s College. She resided in Boston and Maine where for two decades she held leadership roles in nationally recognized fine craft organizations, taught courses on creativity and worked in costume design and quilting. She holds an MFA in Intermedia from the University of Maine, Orono.
D’Italia’s relationship with the materials of everyday living is explored throughout her book, Getting Dressed in the Dark: An Artist’s Way Home (Unsolicited Press, 2025), an artist’s memoir that traces her way home after a personal crisis. Her memoir explores personal and cultural inheritance, as well as how meaning is made in an increasingly polarized climate.
D’Italia’s work has been the recipient of several grants and awards (Quilt National International Biennial, Honorable Mention; National Fiber Directions) as well as exhibited at biennials (Center for Maine Contemporary Art), salons (Writing Leap Art & Literary Salon, Los Angeles), embassies (US Embassy in Doha, Qatar), and galleries internationally. She has received fellowships for several residencies, including Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Maine; Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago; and Mildred’s Lane.
For more than 90 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 youths, families, seniors, and people with special needs annually.
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 & Saturday, 10:00am–5:00pm; and Sunday, 11:00am–4:00pm. Please call 908-273-9121 to confirm holiday hours.
Major support for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is provided by the Wilf Family Foundations; New Jersey State Council on the Arts; and the Art Center community of supporters.
