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As part of the 30th anniversary celebration of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Heather Lynn Harris, MFA, will present a special exhibition in The Front Gallery.

Harris, an acclaimed children’s book illustrator, is an associate professor and director of the master’s program in Communication at 51����’s Jandoli School of Communication.

The Quick Center’s 30th anniversary celebration and the official launch of its 2025–2026 Exhibition and Performing Arts Season is at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21. The event is free and open to the public, with a light reception during the celebration.

All five of the Quick Center’s galleries — Front, Kenney, Dresser, Beltz, and Laine — will reopen with new exhibitions that reflect the Quick Center’s commitment to artistic excellence, education, and cultural connection.

Titled “Once Upon a Sketch,” the Harris exhibit offers a behind-the-scenes look at the art of children’s book illustration through her original sketches, paintings, and narrative development work.

An award-winning author and illustrator, Harris has illustrated at least 12 children’s books and has received national recognition, including the Moonbeam Award for Excellence in Children’s Picture Books, the Purple Dragonfly Award, and the NYC Big Book Award.

Before entering academia, Harris worked as a senior marketing manager at Fisher-Price in East Aurora. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Syracuse University, an MBA from the University of Rochester, and a Master of Fine Arts in Illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

In addition to her industry background, Harris is the recipient of several prestigious honors, including 2025 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention (Children’s Picture Book 6+ years old) for her latest book titled “Something To Sing About,” 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention (Children’s Picture Book), 2019 NYC Big Book Award (Children’s Picture Book – Inspirational) and 2018 Moonbeam Award (Excellence in Children’s Picture Books).

Harris creates books for children with the goal of empowering young minds to understand and navigate the world around them. Drawing on her scholarly research, she uses imagery, language, color, and shape to craft stories that promote social-emotional learning, inclusivity, and a sense of wonder. Her purposeful use of animal characters and child-centered language makes her work engaging and accessible to young audiences.

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