Hearth | April 19 - June 6, 2026
Our Mornings, Acrylic on canvas, “18 × 24” | By Fatimah Farooqi
The Riverside Arts Center is pleased to present in the Flexspace Gallery: Hearth, a group exhibition guest curated by RAC’s gallery Assistant, Madelyn Roldan. Hearth, a group exhibition of Beck Lech, Carmen Casillas, Fatimah Farooqi, Kai Boone, and Maddalena Piazza. Please join us on Sunday, April 19th from 3:00 - 6:00pm for an opening reception with the artists. On Saturday, May 16th at 2pm, join Kai Boone, Beck Lech, Maddalena Piazza and the curator for an artist talk. All events are free and open to the public.
Opening Reception: Sunday, April 19th, 2026, 3:00 – 6:00 pm
Exhibition Dates: April 19, 2026 – June 6, 2026
Gallery Hours: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, May 16, 2026, 3:00 pm
Hearth, brings together a group of contemporary artists whose works collectively explore the intimate spaces of home, memory, and belonging. Through painting, sculpture, collage, and textile-based practices, artists Beck Lech, Fatimah Farooqi, Carmen Casillas, Kai Boone, and Maddalena Piazza investigate the emotional and symbolic dimensions of domestic life. The exhibition centers on the idea of the “Hearth” not only as a physical site of warmth and shelter, but as a metaphor for connection, resilience, and personal history.
At the core of the exhibition is a deep attention to everyday moments; those often overlooked fragments of life that quietly shape identity. Beck Lech’s The sacred bond between a twenty-something year old girl and her cat captures an intimate, almost humorous closeness between human and animal, emphasizing comfort, companionship, and the quiet emotional bonds formed within domestic spaces. Three’s a Company also captures the closeness yet intimate spaces we hold for each other. In contrast, Lech’s DCIM004 fragments memory into layered images of interiors, windows, and personal artifacts, suggesting how the home is constructed not just physically, but through accumulated experiences and recollections.
Carmen Casillas sculptural works, including El Nopal de Michoacán and A Little Piece of Mexico, extend this dialogue into cultural memory and heritage. Her vibrant, intricately detailed forms present the home as a living archive. An archive that holds traditions, celebrations, and generational knowledge. The cactus, growing in multiple directions, becomes a symbol of resilience and possibility, while embedded scenes of community life reflect the richness of cultural identity. Casillas' work reminds us that the hearth is not static, but continually shaped by movement, growth, and lived experience.
Fatimah Farooqi’s series of painted vases further explores interiority by translating rooms into delicate, intimate forms. Her pieces such as Our Mornings, Living Room, Parents’ Room, and Bedroom capture fleeting moments of light, color, and stillness. Her use of soft, almost translucent surfaces evokes the fragility of memory, while the recurring presence of windows suggests a quiet dialogue between interior and exterior worlds. These compositions emphasize the home as a site of reflection, rest, and emotional grounding.
Kai Boone’s Elizabeth and Dorothy introduces a sense of companionship and shared presence. Through warm tones and gentle gestures, Boone captures a moment of togetherness that reinforces the exhibition’s emphasis on human connection. This sense of relational warmth is echoed in Maddalena Piazza’s Wall of Evil Eyes, where protective symbols form a vibrant, abstract field. Drawing on spiritual traditions, Piazza’s work highlights the need for protection and care within both personal and collective spaces.
Across Hearth, recurring motifs; windows, plants, domestic objects, and circular forms create a visual language of comfort and continuity. These elements reflect how the home functions as both a physical refuge and an emotional anchor. Simultainiously, the exhibition acknowledges the complexities of contemporary life, suggesting that the act of creating and sustaining a “Hearth” requires resilience, intention, and care.
Ultimately, Hearth is an invitation to reflect on the spaces we inhabit and the memories we carry. It affirms the importance of familiarity, culture, and connection, reminding us that even in an uncertain world, the concept of home remains a vital source of warmth, identity, and renewal.
- Madelyn Roldan, Curator
Beck Lech (b. 2004) is a multidisciplinary artist and educator working primarily in painting, drawing, and collage. Born in Wheaton, Illinois, and currently completing her BFAAE at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, her practice is situated within the suburban and urban Midwest that has shaped her lived experience. Lech’s work is a pragmatic study of her own reality, rendered through an absurdist visual language. She is drawn to the mundane–what is overlooked, unspoken and unacknowledged. Lech approaches image‐making as an act of reconstructing fragments of memory and identity into compositions that straddle the line of coherence. Across mediums, Lech’s imagery remains corporeal, uncanny and forthright. Her work is guided by a hyper‐awareness of self and surroundings that becomes both the catalyst and content. Together, her works are an organized chaos, visually acknowledging the facets of pedestrian life, providing an experience of relatable contemplation..
Instagram: @becklech__art
Carmen Casillas is an emerging artist currently studying at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is inspired by her Mexican heritage and the influence of family. She explores memories and everyday experiences through a whimsical lens. Carmen enjoys working with acrylic paint and ceramic sculptures, and she is open to commissions. She aspires to one day open her own studio and gallery space that uplifts community and creative voices.
Website:https://carmencasillas.com/
Instagram:@catmansart
Fatimah Farooqi is a Pakistani American artist and graduating senior at Elmhurst University,getting her BFA in studio arts. She was born, raised and currently lives in the Chicago suburbs.Farooqi has taught art workshops at local mosques to increase Muslim women's interest in the arts. She has amassed a following on social media (Instagram) sharing the process and thoughts behind her work and been featured on the cover of the MiddleWestern Voice magazine (2024).
Instagram: @fatimahfarooqi.art
Kai Boone, also known as Knowledge Art Studios is a creative space built on the belief that art is both expression and awareness. Rooted in intention and individuality, the studio explores visual storytelling through original works that blend emotion, symbolism, and lived experience. Each piece produced under Knowledge Art Studios reflects a deeper narrative capturing moments of introspection, transformation, and truth.Driven by a commitment to growth and authenticity, Knowledge Art Studios is not just about creating art, but about building a body of work that evolves alongside the artist. It stands as a platform where creativity meets discipline, and where vision is shaped into something tangible and lasting.
Website: www.knowledgeartstudios.us
Instagram:@Knowledgeart_studios
Maddalena Piazza is a multimedia artist based in Chicago, Illinois. Mediums of choice include paint, photography, and fibers with a focus in embroidery and fashion. Growing up in the diaspora as a SWANA (South West Asian and North African) and Sicilian queer woman, her work aims to show the unique and plentiful experiences of her communities. Currently working towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she is experimenting with cross media and large scale pieces through personal and shared narratives. Each piece draws inspiration from her heritages by blending traditional techniques, like Palestinian tatreez and Mediterranean symbology, with contemporary art making. Her work has been featured in exhibitions such as "Dimensions" and “Sewn Threads, Cut Threads’ at the SWANA Rose Culture and Community Center, “Horses Loved” at Goodbye Horses in Portland, Oregon, and “Art Bash” at SAIC. Through her practice, Maddalena explores the many nuances of living in the diaspora and aims to humanize communities pushed to the margin while celebrating the unique beauty of these cultures.
Instagram: @inmygutfeelings
To purchase art from this exhibition, please contact the Gallery Director Joanne Aono at jaono@riversideartscenter.com.