Westchester museum spotlights local artists alongside national art stars
Collaboration with the Hudson River Museum deepens regional arts engagement and experiential learning.
BRONX, NY.—
University of Mount Saint Vincent (UMSV) faculty members Rafael Domenech and Thomas Ray Willis are featured in the Hudson River Museum’s latest exhibition DRAW: Heat, on view through Jan. 11, 2026.
The exhibition reflects a deepening partnership between UMSV and the Hudson River Museum, grounded in a shared commitment to art, community, and the creative histories of the Bronx, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley.
DRAW: Heat brings together 43 contemporary artists from across the U.S., including many from Westchester and the Hudson Valley, to explore the theme of heat in both literal and metaphorical ways. The exhibition examines subjects ranging from global warming to creative intensity, presenting drawing as a dynamic, experimental, and immersive medium. Works include sketches, prints, murals, and sculptures, and projections to inspire dialogue across artistic mediums.
Curated by artist Thomas Vu with advisors Brian Novatny, Predrag Dimitrijevic, and Laura Vookles of the Hudson River Museum, the exhibition features internationally recognized artists including William Kentridge, Shirin Neshat, Kiki Smith, Sarah Sze, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Kara Walker, alongside local and emerging artists.
Through their work in DRAW: Heat, Domenech and Willis use drawing as a tool for inquiry, memory, and exchange, an approach that mirrors how they teach at UMSV.
For Professor Willis, drawing is both creation and confrontation. His featured work, Will the Circle Be Unbroken (Nearest Objects Reprised), returns to a process that has defined his practice for more than a decade: drawing with fire and smoke.
“This piece is built from the objects of my family’s life: beer cans, crucifixes, figurines, and other belongings, both cherished and disposable,” said Thomas Ray Willis, Assistant Professor of Studio Art at UMSV. “Burned into six panels of watercolor paper, they form a large mandala-like circle that repeats, spins, and fractures. Through this pattern, I ask whether cycles of poverty, addiction, and resilience that marked my upbringing can remain unbroken.”
Professor Domenech’s work similarly expands the boundaries of drawing by examining how artworks operate within a broader ecosystem across the studio, the institution, and the public sphere.
“I’m interested in how an exhibition can be an active machine for production rather than a repository space,” said Rafael Domenech, Assistant Professor of Digital Media at UMSV. “Each object collides in space, connected through physical or theoretical relationships that extend beyond the aesthetic.”
Professors Domenech and Willis brought their students to the Hudson River Museum on Nov. 20 to experience the exhibition firsthand. For many students, the visit offered a new perspective on professional artistic practice.
“Experiencing it in a professional setting helped me better understand the advice my professor has been giving us,” said Louis Vidal ’27, a visual arts and experimental media major at UMSV. “It helped me realize how much artists pay attention to every detail… not just what they put on the canvas, but how and why.”
“Seeing it in person helped me learn about how talented my professors are… and how possible it is for artists to grow throughout their lives,” said Serena Duran ’26, a studio art major at UMSV. “So much of the time the world kills artists’ dreams, but seeing my professors in the museum was the most inspiring experience.”
“When I saw my professors’ work in the museum, I was very impressed,” said Maybelline Prado Paredes ’29, a nursing major at UMSV. “I noticed things like texture, colors, and little details that I never saw in the classroom. It made their work feel more serious, and it was cool to see them as actual artists, not just professors.”
The University celebrates Professors Domenech and Willis for their contributions to the exhibition, reflecting its growing presence in the regional and national arts landscape.
DRAW: Heat is part of the ongoing DRAW Project, an artist-led initiative celebrating the process and power of drawing.
