SOPAC Gallery of Bridgewater resident's work

In an effort to bring contemporary art to the community, the South Orange Performing Arts Center [SOPAC] continues its visual arts initiative with the unveiling of a new art exhibition in The Herb & Milly Iris Gallery.  On view from May 1 through Sept. 3 is “Transcendent Nature,” a collection of works by Bridgewater-based artist Hollie Heller. 

Heller utilizes old, discarded materials such as transparent mailing labels, stamps, letters, maps, architectural drawings, match book covers, and eyeglass lenses, and subsequently transforms them into art.

“I began frequenting flea markets and antique stores searching for fabric and paper materials that were weathered, stained, and marked by time,” Heller said. “My goal is to manipulate and transform these materials to create something that is unique.” 

Fascinated by textiles, primitive art and ethnic design, she repurposes materials and then combines them with mixed media, including photography.

Heller has been teaching textile design and collage for 25 years. Her works are exhibited everywhere from HBO Headquarters in New York City to the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut to museums and galleries throughout NJ, NY, PA, KY and more. She is a graduate of the University of Delaware and the Rochester Institute of Technology. Heller currently lives in Bridgewater.