b. 1995
After receiving a theater and fine arts degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Athena Parella was accepted into a three-year scenic painting apprenticeship program in New York. In 2020, she completed approximately four-thousand hours of training in Broadway shops and television production studios. Now a New England scenic artist, Athena continues creating artwork in her Rhode Island studio.
Athena's paintings address a longing to recreate and preserve her memories from childhood. Sentimental objects are taken out of their playful context and manipulated to evoke a more disquieting narrative.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 - Summer Camp, Shockboxx Gallery, Hermosa Beach, California
2023 - Nostalgia, District Arts Gallery, Frederick, Maryland
2022 - Memento, Arden Gallery, South Shore Art Center, Cohasset, Massachusetts
2022 - Liminal II, Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Portland, Oregon
2022 - Artist's Choice, Rhode Island Water Color Society, Pawtucket, RI
2022 - Providence Art Club National Open Juried Exhibition, Maxwell Mays Gallery, Providence Art Club, Providence, RI
2020 - SMALL WORKS 7th Annual National Juried Exhibition, Main Street Arts Gallery, Clifton Springs, NY
2019 - Crossroads, Gallery 372, Worcester, Massachusetts
Awards and Recognition
2022- 2nd Place Memento, Arden Gallery, South Shore Art Center, Cohasset, Massachusetts
2022 - Award of Merit Providence Art Club National Open Juried Exhibition, Maxwell Mays Gallery, Providence Art Club, Providence, RI