Visiting Artist Lecture - Kristy Hughes, Interdisciplinary Artist

Visual & Performing Arts Center
room 144, WCSU, Westside Campus
Free & Open to the Public. Limited Seating Available

Kristy Hughes was born in Waxahachie, TX, and lives and works in New Haven, CT. She earned an MFA in Printmaking from Indiana University and an MA and BA in Studio Art from Eastern Illinois University. Her work is influenced by her childhood experiences within evangelical institutions and her ancestral lineage from the Genízaro Nation. In her own words, her paintings and sculptures are “about empowerment, the potential for change, and unabashedly occupying space. The playful forms, bold colors, and piecemealed compositions are an embodiment of sureness and being unapologetic.” They are “an honoring of small moments, a ritual of creating space for their humor and delight, while also acknowledging their seriousness.”

Hughes has been awarded artist fellowships at NXTHVN, New Haven; The Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown; and the Vermont Studio Center. She has been an artist-in-residence at The Golden Foundation; The Studios at MASS MoCA; Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences; Residency Unlimited, Brooklyn; and the Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency. In 2025, she received the Rema Hort Mann Fund Emerging Artist Grant.

Kristy’s work has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions since 2016. Recent shows include: James Cohen Gallery, NYC; Brandeis University; University of Vermont; and The Sculpture Center, Cleveland. Currently her work is at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me. Her work has been reviewed in The New York Times, ARTNews, Hyperallergic, Artsy, and New American Paintings.