Featured Member Exhibition: Cynthia Hayes
January 16 – March 29, 2026
Featured Member Exhibition: Cynthia Hayes
Cynthia Hayes has been a Lecturer in the Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee since 1998. In addition to teaching, she serves as the Director of the Art & Design First-Year Program. She is also the Coordinator of Student Services and Scholars for the school’s partnership program with the Hubei University of Technology in Wuhan (HBUT). Each summer, she spends a month in China as a visiting scholar to HBUT. Observations from these visits inspire her recent artwork, which juxtaposes contemporary and historical imagery from her travels in colorful paintings. As an active painter, Hayes has exhibited her work locally, regionally, and internationally. Notably, she had two solo exhibitions in Kolkata, India, sponsored by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Mary L. Nohl Fund Suitcase Export Fund for Visual Art. Western and Eastern visual traditions merge in Cynthia Hayes’ new series titled “The Fantastic Mundane.” Ancient and contemporary imagery, gathered on research trips throughout Asia and, most recently, in China, are fused in this Hayes’ work. The artworks examine the prevalence of mascots used in Chinese commerce, which are frequently found at temples, palaces, landmarks, on the streets, and in shopping malls. The ubiquitous mascots blend modern “cute” aesthetics with auspicious symbolism. This fusion makes them highly effective marketing tools deeply integrated into present-day culture. Not only do they appeal to kids of all ages by offering a sense of escapism and emotional comfort that resonates with the “inner child,” but the colorful, giant, figurative statues also provide endless photo opportunities for social media posts. Often seeming incompatible with their historically significant environments, the silly fiberglass sculptures shock, amuse, and delight. The theme of living statues, common in myth and fiction, fascinates Hayes. Examples include Pygmalion’s statue and Pinocchio, both of which come to life due to the artists’ deep desires, and the frightening stone statue of the Commendatore, which leads Don Giovanni to his just demise. In her series, the mascot statues appear animated, interacting with passersby in her painted scenes.
Each year during WPCA’s Annual Members Show, an esteemed juror selects four exhibiting artists whose work stands out for its excellence and impact. For 2026, juror Amal Azzam conducted a blind review of submissions, applying her own criteria to identify artists whose work resonated deeply with contemporary themes and artistic innovation.
Among the selected artists is Cynthia Hayes, whose vivid, color‑rich figurative paintings immediately drew the juror’s attention for their dynamic, expressive energy. Azzam noted that Hayes “Through vibrant colors and a bit of abstraction, the work allows viewers to enjoy both the work visually and its context,” highlighting how her approach reimagines familiar forms and invites viewers to engage more deeply with the emotional and narrative possibilities of painting.
Cynthia will kick-off the 2026 Featured Member Exhibition Series with a solo show in the winter, followed by exhibitions from Susan Simensky Bietila (spring), Geornica Daniels (summer) Kristine Hinrichs (fall).