The Arts Council of Princeton is thrilled to announce the campaign to name our second-floor Painting Studio the Rex Goreleigh Painting Studio after the preeminent painter, Rex Goreleigh. A former member of the Arts Council’s Board of Trustees (1969-1972), Goreleigh spent much of his life dedicated to teaching and promoting art and artists. Born September 2, 1902, this year marks his 120th Birthday. In celebration of this milestone, you have the chance to continue to fulfill his life goal of bringing the opportunity of art to everyone! 

Russell “Rex” Gordon Goreleigh was born in Pennsylvania and later lived in Princeton. Goreleigh was the first director of Princeton Group Arts, an organization dedicated to promoting racial and religious integration through teaching theater, music, dance, painting, sculpture, writing, and crafts. 

Goreleigh established the Studio-on-the-Canal, holding workshops in painting, printmaking, and ceramics. During his years in Princeton, he earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Rutgers University. From 1955-1956, Goreleigh directed the arts and crafts program for the Roosevelt Public School and later taught at Princeton Adult School, the Neuropsychiatric Institute in Skillman, and in the Trenton school district. Goreleigh’s life ended tragically in 1986 when a fire broke out in his residence at a senior living center at Spruce Circle. 

The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) is a non-profit arts organization supporting artists, promoting art within our gallery and through public art, and Building Community through the Arts since September 28, 1967. The ACP plays a vital role in community building, partnerships, and providing access to the arts — offering a chance to learn from art and to foster connections between artists, material, and community. We offer a diverse program of classes for adults and children, solo, group, and juried exhibitions, a residency, workshops, community and cultural events, outreach programs benefiting the community’s most vulnerable populations, and public art, serving newcomers, amateurs, and professional artists alike. 

Donations to the Rex Goreleigh Painting Studio will provide the funding needed to sustain our rich and diverse programming. All donors will receive a tax donation letter and have their name included on the Donor Plaque installed in the Studio. The Arts Council of Princeton is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all contributions are fully tax deductible. 

To see Goreleigh’s work firsthand, we invite you to our upcoming exhibition, Retrieving the Life and Art of James Wilson Edwards and a Circle of Black Artists, on view October 14 through December 3 in our Taplin Gallery.