The Creative Genes exhibition presents 4 groups of genetically related artists from diverse backgrounds and narratives who all shared the experiences and exposures to positive environments which fostered creative growth. In addition, writers participating in the recent Volta Center’s “Mapping the Headwaters” workshop, will reveal their thoughts of creative lineage in words. Visitors will have a rare opportunity to see these pieces, which have been drawn from artist studios, archives and collections specifically for this exhibition, some of which have not been widely exhibited before.
Clifford Eberly, curator of the exhibition and HACG Exhibitions Associate, said "The Creative Genes represents my ongoing interest in the necessity to establish safe, creative environments for people to develop positive mental and physical practices through art. The works in the exhibition provide a deeper understanding of relationships between the concepts of nature and nurture in artmaking from a variety of viewpoints. I believe it is vitally important to provide people with tools for creative agency, to improve our collective well-being. The absolute key to developing creativity is access to supportive, positive environments. You may have parents and grandparents on both sides who were or are creative but without constructive environments, creativity is less likely to develop”.
Exhibition Highlights
The exhibition will feature an array of works that explore creativity between siblings and family members. Hicks Art Center Gallery is honored to collaborate with the Moravian Archives, PFFCAA and Volta Center for Writing Arts and all the artists in the exhibition to bring this important cultural and historical exhibition to the public. Participating visual artists include Friedrich Renatus Frueauff, Agnes Clara Frueauff, Bernadette McBride, Constance McBride, Alison Saar, Betye Saar, Lezley Saar, Carl Wagner and Kenoka Wagner.
About Hicks Art Center Gallery
Hicks Art Center Gallery provides curated art exhibitions and related programming in support of the School of Arts and Communication and as an important educational and cultural resource for students and the community. The gallery’s mission is to inspire critical thinking and an understanding of art’s role in culture and society through firsthand interaction with original works of art.
About Moravian Archives
Moravian Archives collects and preserves records and historical materials of Moravians in North America and make them available to the public. (from the website, moravianchurcharchives.org)
About Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African-American Art
The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African-American Art Brings Focus to the Full Range of African-American Art, Aiming to Reconcile the Divide Separating Black Art from the American Canon. (from the website, petruccifamilyfoundation.org)
About Volta Writing Center
We wish to cultivate an inviting space for writers to discover and deepen their individual voices while honoring tradition and encouraging experimentation through interdisciplinary and hybrid creativity. We believe poetry, writing, and the arts are at the heart of realizing and strengthening connections within communities and celebrating imagination. We welcome writers at all stages of artistic development to bring individual works and collaborations to life. (from the website, voltawritingcenter.org)
Event Details
What: The Creative Genes
When: December 3, 2025 – February 28, 2026
Where: Hicks Art Center Gallery, BCCC, 275 Swamp Road, Newtown, PA 18940
Opening Reception: December 3, 2025, 4 – 7 pm
Poetry Reading: December 3, 2025, 5:30 pm with
exhibition artist Bernadette McBride and others.
Admission: Free
Website: hicksgallery.bucks.edu
image: Kenoka Wagner, Abundance, acrylic and collage on canvas