WASHINGTON, DC – Greek-American mixed media fine artist Nia Tavlarides Stratos is the first United States artist to exhibit her work at the prestigious Art Museum of the Americas of the Organization of American States (AMA) and the first of Greek descent. She told The National Herald that her exhibition titled, “Revelation, Illumination, Transformation… explores the relationship between art, empathy and tolerance.”

The exhibition, on view at the AMA’s Marcus Garvey Hall of Culture, opened on July 15 and runs through August 2.

The opening night on July 18 featured a visit from a very special guest, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.

The artist told TNH, “I was honored to share my exhibition with our newly enthroned Archbishop Elpidophoros.”

According to her biography, the native Washingtonian’s natural artistic ability was evident in her youth. Stratos was awarded a scholarship to The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, where her work was exhibited. Burlington Industries purchased her paintings to be used in textile design. She completed her undergraduate work at The University of Maryland where she participated in juried shows for painting and jewelry design. Nia designed her own line of jewelry, Evyenia Designs, with collections sold to boutiques and department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales. She later became a partner in a Washington-based advertising agency where her work garnered both regional and national awards.

Nia has participated in juried shows as well as successful solo shows in galleries and venues, such as The Ritz Carlton. She is a published fine artist, whose work is held in both private and corporate collections, including VISA Card Corporation.

Having mastered the use of color with palettes that range from harmonious, muted, conceptualizations to bold, iconoclastic expressions, she explores a rich synthesis of pattern and spatial composition through various media and assemblage. Nia feels each composition is a mosaic of elements demanding amalgamation. Every work of art provides a thoughtful vehicle to interpret texture and dimension and is an examination of color and style through the use of various media.

Passionate about life, the artist notes in her biography that spending time in her ancestral home of Greece has given her the opportunity to explore her Byzantine heritage.

More information is available online: museum.oas.org and niastratosfineart.com.