THE GALLERY

The Gallery is a public-private partnership of the Summit Free Public Library and Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. Funding for the gallery was provided by a grant from the Summit Area Foundation. For more information on the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, please visit www.artcenternj.org.

Currently on display:

Mary Kennington Watson

A Quiet Place

September 3 – October 31, 2025

“The cemetery is an open space among the ruins,
covered in winter with violets and daisies. It might make
one in love with death, to think that one should be buried
in so sweet a place.” — Percy Bysshe Shelley

Mary Kennington Watson started her artistic journey at the School of Visual Arts in 1972, studying painting and graphic design. After graduating, Watson worked as a paste-up artist and freelance illustrator. She became the graphic designer at Howell Living History Farm in 1982 after meeting her husband Pete, a living history farmer. Watson completed her first children’s book, The Market Lady and the Mango Tree after taking an influential class with illustrator Bruce Degen. This led to her starting Shenanigan Books, which published over 25 children’s books and showcased work by new authors and illustrators. After making the difficult decision to close her company, she returned to the easel. Now, she spends her days painting the quiet and timeless atmosphere of places lost to time.