PRESS RELEASE: Rialto Spotlight Series Welcomes Acclaimed Abstract Artist Gail Winbury
Westfield painter and collage artist explores creativity, poetry, and visual storytelling in an intimate June Spotlight conversation.
WESTFIELD, NJ – MAY 2026 – The Rialto’s Spotlight Series continues this summer with Finding a Visual Language: Gail Winbury, an evening exploring abstract art, collage, poetry, and the creative process behind a lifelong artistic practice. The program takes place on Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at the Rialto Center for Creativity.
This month’s Spotlight welcomes Gail Winbury — an acclaimed abstract painter, collage artist, and longtime Westfield resident whose work examines the relationship between visual art, poetry, and human experience.
For nearly four decades, Winbury has been part of the Westfield community while building a career that has brought her work to galleries, institutions, and collections around the world. Her artwork has been exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions at Kean University and the Wilson Museum. She is represented by Carter Burden Gallery in Manhattan and maintains a studio at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City.
Known for an interdisciplinary approach that blends visual abstraction with language and emotion, Winbury’s work reflects a longstanding interest in the intersection of art, psychology, and personal experience.
Her residencies and fellowships include programs through the School of Visual Arts in New York as well as opportunities in Italy and France. Her work has appeared in academic journals and is included in both private and public collections worldwide, including Canary Wharf in London and Atlantic Health Systems in New Jersey. Winbury holds an MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and a doctorate in Psychology. Alongside her artistic practice, she has remained committed to community engagement through the arts.
During her Spotlight appearance, Winbury will discuss her creative process, artistic influences, and the evolution of a body of work shaped by experimentation, reflection, and human connection. The conversation will offer audiences a rare opportunity to hear directly from an artist whose work bridges disciplines and invites viewers into deeply personal yet universal experiences.
Event Details
• Date: Thursday, June 11, 2026
• Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
• Location: Rialto Center for Creativity, 250 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ
• Tickets: Tickets are sold out.
• Recording: A digital recording will be available after the event.
Due to high demand and limited seating, attendees are asked to limit ticket purchases to a maximum of four per order. Community members are encouraged to purchase early.
Audience questions may be submitted in advance via Instagram and Facebook for consideration during the conversation.
Spotlight Series: Showcasing the Vision for the New Rialto
The Rialto’s Spotlight Series brings the community together for intimate conversations with artists, thinkers, and storytellers connected to Westfield and the surrounding region. Each event highlights creative journeys that shape culture while building momentum for the Rialto Reimagined campaign, supporting the opening of the Rialto Center for Creativity in winter 2028.
Past Spotlight Series guests have included music photographer Jay Blakesberg, journalist Mike Emanuel, playwright Marc Acito, touring drummer Lucy Ritter, Broadway composer Matthew Sklar, electronic artist DJ_Dave, and bestselling editor and author Wendy Loggia.
About the Rialto Center for Creativity
The Rialto Center for Creativity is transforming Westfield’s historic Rialto Theater into a vibrant hub for cultural conversation, live performance, and hands-on learning. Guided by values of creativity, inclusion, and community, the Center will host performances, film screenings, exhibitions, workshops, and classes in a welcoming, flexible space designed to inspire.
The project is part of the Rialto Reimagined campaign, which will fund construction and operations through government support, private donations, and future earned revenue streams, with construction anticipated to begin in 2026 and a grand reopening anticipated in 2028.
Visit www.rialtowestfield.org for more information.