On August 31, 1997, a 5-year-old local girl named Olivia Kuenne died in a freak accident when a stone bench fell on her. In a 2011 article in NJ.com, her father Christopher Kuenne described how the “ultimate nightmare for any parent” left him feeling a loss of control. Seeking an outlet in his work, he went on to co-found the company Rosetta Marketing Group, becoming its chairman and CEO.
The same energy and sense of grief propelled Chris and his wife Leslie to found “Olivia’s Rainbow Gallery” at the D&R Greenway Land Trust building in Princeton. The gallery space is little more than a hallway, but it features changing collections of artwork related to Olivia’s favorite topics, animals and nature.
This January’s exhibit, titled “From a Child’s Perspective” was of macro photographs of nature by Tasha O’Neil. O’Neil’s photographs, combined with vivid descriptions, were informed by her own love of nature and connection to it based on her experiences spending summers near Acadia National Park in Maine, according to an article by Carolyn Edelmann, the gallery’s curator, in Patch.com. The photos were close-ups of things like white mushrooms growing through deep green moss.
In March the gallery featured art work from the K-3rd grade girls at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in a collection called “Animal Expo.” The students created the exhibit as part of a interdisciplinary project to build skills in researching animals, writing about them in detailed descriptions and creating artwork that lives up to both the interests of Olivia Kuenne and the mission of the D&R Greenway which states as its goal to “inspire greater public commitment to safeguarding New Jersey land.”
Even though the display space is limited, the children’s artwork in the “Animal Expo” exhibit, with its lively crayon drawings of animals and their descriptions had a larger than life feel.
Carolyn Edelmann, a poet and naturalist who lives in Princeton, is the curator of “Olivia’s Rainbow Gallery.” She serves as its communication director as well, often writing about the current exhibits on the local news service Patch.com.
In a recent article, Edelmann described the “Animal Expo” exhibit saying it offered, ““Lively and compelling interpretations of animals fill the Olivia Rainbow Gallery, creatures native to New Jersey in general and central Jersey in particular. These young artists also crafted essays on habitat, food, interactions of their species with Lenapes of long ago, and with 21st-Century humans. All addressed habitat requirements and environmental effects upon their chosen species.”
In a recent interview, Edelmann said the message is to “keep people aware of the nature around them”.
Deborah Kilmer, manager at the gallery, says, “We love the kids. It’s inspiring. It’s a great way to introduce the kids to nature. It’s really an inspiring thing we do here.”
Fabricio Manrique, a recent gallery visitor, said, “I think this artwork is so inspiring with knowing the background behind it. It’s really cool to see the artwork displayed.”
Edelmann says that she is passionate about the work of the gallery, especially because it helps to carry on Olivia’s legacy.
Leah Bercy, a recent visitor, said, “personally, I think it’s touching. For those who knew [Olivia] and knew how much she loved nature, it’s touching. It’s carrying out a type of legacy for her.”
Correction: The original version incorrectly indicated that Christopher Kuenne was a co-founder of Rosetta Stone. It has been corrected as of 4:56 pm, April 25 to note that he co-founded Rosetta Marketing Group.
