The Croatian Heritage Foundation – Rijeka Branch is, once again this year, participating in the organization of an event that has gathered Croatian emigrants, returnees, and islanders for almost two decades.
As part of the 19th Emigrants’ Days on Unije, to be held on July 17 and 18, the program will open tomorrow, July 17, at 9 p.m., with an art exhibition, “Watercolors Landscapes” by Croatian-American painter George Karcich, at Torać Gallery in Unije. The exhibition will be open to visitors until July 25, 2026.
The Croatian Heritage Foundation – Rijeka Branch and Torać Gallery jointly organize the exhibition, led by returnee from the United States Silvana Peroš, in cooperation with the Council of the Local Committee of Unije, the City of Mali Lošinj, and the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board.
George Karcich was born in Mali Lošinj and emigrated to the United States as a teenager with his family. He graduated from the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art, after which he pursued a successful career as a graphic artist and art director in advertising. He is a member of the distinguished New Jersey Watercolor Society, and his watercolors are housed in numerous private and corporate collections throughout the United States and Europe. He is particularly drawn to watercolor for its spontaneity and its ability to convey landscape beauty with a minimum number of brush strokes.
Every summer, the author stays in his native house in Ćunski on the island of Lošinj and regularly exhibits at Torać Gallery, where he presents the beauty of the Lošinj and Kvarner landscapes through his work.
Emigrants’ Days on Unije traditionally gather the local population, returnees and Croatian emigrants, nurturing the connection between the homeland and the diaspora through cultural, artistic and social content. After the exhibition opening, the program continues on Saturday with a children’s cross-country race, a ceremony with welcome speeches by representatives of the City of Mali Lošinj and the Croatian Heritage Foundation, and a public festival on the waterfront.
We invite all art enthusiasts and island lovers to attend George Karcich’s exhibition and celebrate the opening of this year’s Emigrants’ Days on Unije.
Text and photo: CHF
