BIOGRAPHY

Carrie Wissler-Thomas, a resident of Harrisburg since 1972, was born and raised in Ephrata, PA, the daughter of Dr. Robert U. Wissler and Grace Nicholas Wissler. After graduating with a BA in fine art from Hood College in 1968, Wissler-Thomas married Scott K. Thomas and moved to Harrisburg, where she immediately became deeply involved in the art scene there. She was elected President of the Art Association of Harrisburg Board in 1980, a post she held until 1984. In 1986 Wissler-Thomas was hired as President/Executive Director of The Art Association,  a position in which she remains currently. She holds her Master’s Degree from Temple University.

Remaining a painter as well as an arts administrator, Wissler-Thomas has held over 35 solo exhibitions during her career, and her work has been included in innumerable group shows, as well as being included in collections throughout the Eastern US and Britain. Originally solely a painter of the human figure and portraits, since moving to Uptown Harrisburg in 1991, the artist has become enamoured of painting the Susquehanna River, and since her  first trip to Scotland in 1996, she has been capturing the Scottish landscape in oils. Her landscapes are reminiscent of her figurative work in that both genres are characterized by undulating lines and folds, lush colours and painterly brushwork., reflecting her abiding love of “Lyricism in Minoan Art,” her Honours Paper thesis at Hood.

As President of the Art Association of Harrisburg, Wissler-Thomas manages the daily operations of the nonprofit art gallery and school, organizes four semesters of classes for adults and youth, manages fundraisers and special events, handles publicity and communications, coordinates the annual city-wide Gallery Walk, and does grant-writing and development. She also organizes 60 additional exhibitions yearly in 17 community locations. She has a staff of five part-time employees, and a faculty of twenty independent contractors. The Art Association has 600 members and serves 500 students annually.

Carrie Wissler-Thomas believes passionately in the Art Association’s mission of promoting the visual arts through education and exhibitions, and has dedicated her life to both serving her fellow artists, and bringing the joy and beauty of art to the wider community.