Telling Tales
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Ms Renna’s artwork is illustrative of stories that are true and real to her life. It is her passion and joy to be able to share it with others.
The Adelphi University Exhibitions Program is excited to present the work of alumna Karen Renna in her upcoming exhibit, Telling Tales. Ms. Renna will show an array of delicate and contemplative pieces, all reflecting important events in her life.
- On View: August 10th – September 12th, 2026
- Reception: September 12th, 2026, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Learn more about Adelphi Art Exhibitions. The Performing Arts Center Gallery is open daily from 8:00am to 8:00pm. Follow us on Instagram @AUExhibitions. Take a look at our Art Gallery Hours page for visiting hours.
For more information, please contact Eliz Alahverdian at alahverdian@adelphi.edu.
About the Artist
With all her chosen mediums, Karen Renna’s work calls for close inspection. Ms. Renna’s artwork captures the profound impact of both nature and memories that linger in the psyche. Through meticulous detailing, Ms. Renna transports the viewer to a world that treads the line between reality and impossibility. In her own words:
“My artwork reflects events in my life I consider to be of importance. My Faith as a Bahá’í influences my responses to those events. Whether it is teachings from the Bahá’í writings, interactions with family or friends, historic events that have impacted me or nature that thrills me.”
Karen Renna received her BA in Fine Arts from Oswego State in 1979. After graduating, she worked in Regional Theaters upstate as a set designer and set painter until she later worked for Mottahedeh and Co. as a porcelain reproduction designer for museums and private collections. Mildred Mottahedeh’s profound impact upon her purpose as an artist remains to this day. She introduced Ms. Renna to the concept of expressing spiritual aspirations in one’s work. Her next chapter led her to Long Island from Brooklyn, where she raised her two children. This move led her to becoming an art teacher in her children’s home base of Waldorf School of Garden City and later the Herricks School District, teaching in all grade levels. During the early 2000’s. She received her Masters in Art Education at Adelphi. She was later offered the opportunity by the then Chair of the Art Department Harry C. Davies where he recruited her to teach the Handmade Bookmaking Course for four summers. Since retiring in 2021, she has been engaged in furthering her work in both ceramics and printmaking, both of which were passions of hers since her undergrad years.
Recent exhibitions include the Dan Welden Gallery of Sag Harbor in February 2026, the Greenacre Bahá’í School in Eliot Maine, April through September of 2026.