On Thursday, June 4 the Currier will celebrate the second exhibition in the museum's Spotlight New England series. This exhibition showcases the work of Gary Haven Smith and Gerald Auten - two of the region's most accomplished contemporary artists working in abstract styles.

Museum visitors are invited to meet the artists during this special First Thursday event. The evening will include a discussion by the artists about their art, working methods, and their objects on view. The discussion will be from 6 – 6:30 pm in the Auditorium. A question and answer session with the artists follows in the gallery from 6:30 - 7 pm.  The event is free with museum admission.

The exhibition featuring sculpture, paintings, and drawings by Gary Haven Smith and Gerald Auten is on view from May 23 to September 13. While the artists have frequently exhibited throughout the region and nationally, and their work is represented in numerous private and public collections, this is first exhibition for both of them at the Currier Museum of Art.

The emphasis on minimal forms, sensuous surfaces, and mark making in the work of Smith and Auten will encourage viewers to explore the visual and creative relationships between these prominent New Hampshire-based artists.

This exhibition is supported by the Fleisher Family Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation, Nancy B. Tieken, and The Gloria Wilcher Exhibition Fund.

This evening is part of the Currier's First Thursday series. On the first Thursday evening of each month, the museum is open late and provides programming designed to inspire visitors to try something new.