HILLSBOROUGH: Doris Duke portrait to be unveiled

Annual art exhibit will be held in municipal building

   Township resident Kathleen Fritz’s portrait of Doris Duke will be unveiled at the opening night of the Hillsborough Cultural Arts Commission-sponsored annual art exhibit and competition on Friday evening.
   Kathleen, 16, has been an apprentice at the Art Academy of Hillsborough with Kevin Murphy, a member of the Cultural Arts Commission and owner of the art academy, since last June and will have her portrait Ms. Duke entered into the Hillsborough Township Public Art Collection.
   Ms. Duke, who died in 1993, was an heiress, horticulturist and philanthropist and only child of the Duke family associated with tobacco and energy companies. Much of the family estate in the township remains as a 2,700-acre preserve.
   The art exhibit will be held from April 1-4 at the Municipal Complex and feature Somerset County High School students and Hillsborough adults. It will showcase more than 250 pieces of work in four categories, high school art, high school photography, adult art and adult photography, and be judged by six professional artists and photographers, who will also display some of their work.
   The opening reception, awards and unveiling will take place on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. A total of $2,400 in prizes will be awarded in addition to prize ribbons and certificates.
   The students participating in the show hail from high schools, including Bridgewater-Raritan, Franklin, Hillsborough, Montgomery, Ridge, Somerville and the Home School Association, of which Kathleen is a member. Each participant will select pieces to represent their school from top art and photography students. The lion’s share of the work selected will come from students pursuing a career in the field and adults who are professional or have a knack for art.
   Hours for Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information for adult artists and photographers is posted on the township’s Web site at www.hillsborough-nj.org.
   Direct other questions to exhibit co-chairs Nancy Edwards at 908-458-1468 or [email protected], or Marie Hankins at 908-874-5848 or [email protected].