Bold Beginning: 68 Prince Street Gallery Launches With Abstract Artist Francine Tint

On Saturday, April 26, 68 Prince Street Gallery will onto the Hudson Valley art scene in Kingston, NY. This inaugural exhibition proudly features the work of abstract-expressionist Francine Tint, showcasing her “Symbolic of the Whole” exhibit, along with exceptional pieces by collage artist Andrea Burgay and book art curator Maureen Cummins.

INAUGURAL OPENING EXHIBIT RECEPTION
68 Prince Street Gallery
Saturday, April 26, 4-8 pm

Francine Tint | Abstract Expressionist

For their inaugural exhibit, 68 Prince Street Gallery presents world-renowned artist Francine Tint and her exhibit, “Symbolic of the Whole.” Tint has remained committed to discovery and reinvention through painting for over five decades. Her large-scale paintings balance energetic movement with moments of stillness, creating a “Zen” of clarity and resolution within the complex visual structure. A working artist since the early Seventies, Francine’s artistic career began as a successful costume designer and fashion stylist — working for the likes of David Bowie, Ridley Scott and ESPN. After enduring a series of losses, her life took on a different meaning with a sole dedication to her painting.  Working as a stylist by day and a painter by night, Tint developed her own large-scale, color-based painting method. (Impediments may impede, but they can also inspire.)

Tint’s work is shown both nationally and internationally. Her tireless trajectory of artistic experimentation has made her work sought after by private collectors and institutions, with works featured in the permanent collection of over 28 museums, including The Neuberger Museum of Art, The Heckscher Museum of Art, The Portland Museum of Art (among the Clement Greenberg Collection) and The Krannert Art Museum, to name a few.

“As a commitment to contemporary, unique innovation – we’re excited to highlight the art form of ‘books’ to the gallery” – 68 Prince Street Gallery

Andrea Burgay | Collage Artist

Andrea Burgay is an artist/curator from Syracuse, NY, who now lives and works in Brooklyn. In her work, transformative processes revive and reconstruct castoff objects and materials through the lens of memory, emotion and imagination. By repeatedly adding and removing layers of materials — destroying and reassembling — her process mirrors the natural cycles of creation, decay and rebirth. Her resulting works bear the markings of these visceral transformations, visually manifesting the passage of time, encompassing the inevitable pain of loss and the potential for growth and renewal.

Maureen Cummins | Book Artist & Curator

Maureen Cummins, who expertly curates the works of other book artists, has been cranking presses from California to the Eastern Arctic for the past 35 years, and has published over 40 limited-edition artist books. A graduate of Cooper Union, Cummins is known for her investigations into hidden histories. She has received over a dozen grants and funded residencies, including an NYSCA grant, a Pollock Krasner Award, and a Karmiole fellowship (to research the history of radical presses at UCLA.) She’s also been a community art activist, collaborating with various groups from war refugees to suicide survivors, to tell their stories. Cummins recently founded ABS (Artist/Book/Studio), a series of monthly studio visits in the Hudson Valley. Maureen currently lives and works in Woodstock, NY.

Stop by 68 Prince Street Gallery on the opening night to experience this new space and welcome and congratulate owners David + Paula Kucera, and curator Alan Goolman. INSIDE+OUT met with David and Paula to talk about the excitement of launching the gallery.

INSIDE+OUT: Congratulations on the launch of your gallery! What makes 68 Prince Street unique?

David + Paula Kucera: 68 Prince Street Gallery is a unique space. The ‘front’ gallery is a storefront setting, perfectly suited to small scale work, encouraging intimate interaction. In this space we are dedicating an area to feature books made by artists. This area will be curated by esteemed book artist Maureen Cummins. We hope people will feel free to take their time with the objects.

From the front, we move to the expansive ‘back’ or ‘main’ gallery, a former auto repair garage.This space is large with high ceilings, perfectly suited for showing large scale paintings and sculpture together. We also envision site specific installation possibilties. There are benches inviting the viewer to sit and take their time engaging with the work. Beyond this space is a small courtyard which we will use for receptions or to further a show.

As a gallery, we are interested in the discourse of how art informs, or challenges our views on contemporary life or history. We hope this ‘art sanctuary’ will encourage this.

Tell us about your collaboration with curator Alan Goolman?

David + Paula Kucera: Our primary curator is Alan Goolman. He is a singularity. His verve for art and artists is contagious. He has many years of curatorial experience with The Lockwood Gallery, and brings that expertise to 68 Prince Street Gallery. We especially appreciate his deep relationship to color. It is a pleasure to work with him.

“Being part of the “68” creative team brings with it an awesome, elevated sense of excitement, responsibility, and creativity, all magnified by launching this impressive gallery space with the irrepressible, undeniable, impossibly fabulous…Francine Tint” – Alan Goolman, Curator

What do you want people to walk away with after a visit to the Gallery

David + Paula Kucera: As artists ourselves, we bring decades of passion for art and a belief in its importance to the human experience. Picasso said ‘Art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls’. It is needed, and we are so happy to provide a new space for art lovers to ‘dust off’. Our ultimate goal is to enhance the local art scene!

+ + +

About 68 Prince Street Gallery

68 Prince Street Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Kingston, NY, within the burgeoning Midtown Arts District. The gallery features 1,800 square feet of space dedicated to showcasing large sculptures, paintings, as well as intimate books and prints. With a mission to support and nurture a diverse selection of artists, whether they are emerging or established, this gallery offers a vibrant experience for art enthusiasts. Conveniently located just an hour and a half from New York City, the gallery is eager to contribute to and engage with the thriving arts community in the Hudson Valley.

+ + +

Follow/Connect with 68 Prince Street Gallery via Website | Facebook | Instagram |

68 PRINCE STREET GALLERY
68 Prince Street, Kingston  NY
845-750-7599