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Atrium Gallery

As of January 2008, at the request of the County Administrator’s Office and the Board of Chosen Freeholders, Morris Arts assumed oversight for planning exhibitions at the Atrium Art Gallery, housed in the Morris County Administration & Records Building on Court Street in Morristown. Located on Floors 2-5 of the County’s Administration and Records Building, the Atrium Gallery offers 4-5 exhibits per year which showcase works in varied media by a wide variety of artists including African-American artists, high school students throughout the county (in a professionally juried show), emerging and established individual professional artists, artists with disabilities, Latin American artists, and member artists of various art associations within the county. The Gallery also includes a unique, multi-story open Atrium stairwell area which has allowed the inclusion of unusual art installations such as large mobiles, banners, quilts, and the like.

Most of the artwork is available for sale. Free catalogues, in both standard and LARGE PRINT versions (with information on the artists and the works on display) are available to the public in the elevator lobby of each floor and on tables in the seating area on the fifth floor. The Atrium Gallery is located in the Morris County Administration and Records Building on 12 Court Street, Morristown. The exhibit is free and open to the public during business hours, Mondays-Fridays from 8:30am-4:30pm. For more information, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert at Lsiebert@morrisarts.org or by phone at (973) 285-5115, ext. 10. 

 

 

Atrium Gallery’s new Exhibit and Sale, MYSTERY, MEMORY & MAGIC. opens Sept. 28, 2023

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The public is invited to the free Opening Reception on September 28, 2023 from 6-8pm, for Morris Arts’ new art exhibit and sale, MYSTERY, MEMORY & MAGIC, curated by Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, at the Atrium Gallery, located on floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown.

L-R: Lyanne Malamed’s oil, acrylic, 23k gold leaf on linen,  Bird Catchers III ; Xiomáro’s Washington’s Headquarters; Diane English’s alcohol ink, Up Stream;

Enter a world of mystery, fantasy, memory and magic captured in the 175 artworks by six outstanding artists: the late Lyanne Malamed (Philadelphia area), Xiomáro (Ramsey), Diane English (Jersey City and Washington DC), Hank Yaghooti (West Orange), Lisa Bryn Cerny (Morristown) and Amy Whitman (Madison), provide a gateway into worlds that touch on the mystical, the fantastic, the fanciful and memories from our very human past.

On the fifth floor, the walls literally glow with the radiant, mystical and utterly unique works by the late Lyanne Malamed. With lavishly gilded, luminous backgrounds  and flattened perspectives, many of her works evoke the splendors of medieval and early Renaissance European religious paintings. Her rich language of symbols and historical techniques convey the mystery, wisdom and dignity of women, utilizing generalized facial feature and masks to lend these works a timeless universality. Some Malamed paintings portray domestic scenes – using earth tone palettes that mirror the warmth and humanity of family connections while other works experiment with the dramatic use of black gesso, isolating the focal subjects within stark, featureless settings.  Her monograph, Lyanne Malamed: Eternal Woman/ Drawings & Paintings (Bridgewater, NJ: Flying Bird Press, 2012), includes photos and commentary on nearly all of her work and is available for viewing and purchase at the Atrium Gallery.

On the fourth floor, renowned photographer Xiomáro expertly captures memories of past and present, bringing history to life while enhancing our understanding of nature and contemporary urban life. Photographing scenes from National Park Service historic and natural sites throughout the country, he imbues his photos with emotional depth. One feels the bleakness and cold surrounding the soldier’s huts in Jockey Hollow, the poignancy of an unadorned slave cemetery and the whimsy and joy in portraits of urban street musicians. In all, his perspectives  enhance our understanding and appreciation of history, memory, natural surroundings, and our common, unvarnished humanity.

Mystery and magic abound in the third floor Atrium area with the intensely vibrant colors of Diane English’s large scale alcohol inks. As abstract works, they invite the viewers’ interpretation and intrigue the eye with their variety, sheer energy and dramatic composition. Matching titles perfectly with her imagery, English demonstrates her dynamic imagination and her remarkable ability to use color as a tangible form of magic.

L-R: Hank Yaghooti’s acrylic, watercolor, spray paint and marker on paper, Door to Mystery;  Lisa B. Cerny’s multi media collage, Listening for Fairies;  Amy Whitman’s pen and ink work, Wood Nymph in Spring

Adding to that sense of mystery and magic, Hank Yaghooti’s works fill the third floor Hallway and Elevator Lobby area, drawing on surrealism and conjuring fantastical, sometimes whimsical creatures from other dimensions.  Whether depicting a giant squid or a drummer from an alternate universe, he teases the viewer, hinting at “normal” figuration. But, his is a parallel reality, fragmented and multilayered, evoking a mindscape filled with symbolism and imagery that  provokes thought, stimulates emotion, and encourages a sense of mysterious, alternate realities.

Fantasy and magic also abound in the second floor Atrium which showcases the densely worked collages and fanciful sculptures by Lisa Bryn Cerny. Utilizing handmade papers, fabrics, trims, flowers, metals, stones, magazines, acrylics, found objects, and gels to create three-dimensional collage art, Cerny’s art has a soulful, whimsical, and magical quality, and is inspired by chance encounters with others, her flower garden, the night sky, bodies of water, natural materials,  butterflies, magic and fairies. A trained nurse, she views all art as a form of healing and uses her distinctive sensibilities to share her uplifting and “magical” visions with the viewer.

The second floor Hallway dances to the vivid energies of Amy Whitman’s highly imaginative and magical pen and ink drawings.  Who would couple a Dior fashion image with a pumpkin or a bee with Bea Arthur? Juxtaposing wildly disparate features and often depicting elaborate hairstyles that would shame Marie Antoinette in their complexity – along with intricate patterns of flowers, geometry, and fashion design, Whitman’s utterly distinctive pieces rivet the eye of the viewer with their delightful, whimsical, slyly humorous and meticulously executed imagery.

Each of these artists envisions the theme, Mystery, Memory & Magic, in his/her own highly distinctive manner and the result is a visual feast of enticing imagery, color, and design, evoking worlds beyond the mundane.  

Some Photos from the  Opening Reception:

Virtually all of the artworks are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free hard copies of catalogues available in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5. The electronic version of the exhibit catalogue is also posted online at www.morrisarts.org, The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm, and until 7:30pm on Thursday evenings. Additionally, the exhibit will be open until midnight on New Year’s Eve as part of First Night Morris County. The exhibit remains in place until March 18, 2024.

 

 

Art in the Atrium’s 31st Black Art Exhibit/Sale, “Black Art in the Sun,” Launches Juneteenth Celebrations

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Morris Arts is thrilled to see Art in the Atrium return to all four floors of the Atrium Gallery with its 31st annual exhibit and sale, Black Art in the Sun. Featuring Artist Ron E. A. Powell (aka REAP), the exhibit will include also works of 55 established and emerging Black artists drawn from throughout the entire country. Launching a weekend of Juneteenth celebrations throughout Morris County,  the free, Public Reception will take place on June 15, 2023 from 6:30-9pm at the Gallery, floors 2-5 in the Morris County Administration Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown, NJ  07960. There will also be a VIP (patrons, press) reception at the same location from 5:30-6:30pm.

REAP’s Wings of Osiris

Featured Artist Ron E. A. Powell, aka REAP, with his works

 

 

Art in the Atrium’s annual exhibit is the largest of its kind in the state.  In a testament to its prominence, it drew unsolicited artist submissions from as far away as Seattle and Atlanta. The result is a veritable visual feast, showcasing 222 works filled with color, energy, and intriguing, unique forms, demonstrating the depth and compass of contemporary Black fine art.

In addition to the Featured Artist, Ron E. A. Powell (aka REAP), the exhibit includes works by 54 other outstanding artists: Gwendolyn Barrington-Jackson, Sid Blaize, Anthony Boone, Joseph Boss, Tasha Branham, Leroy Campbell, Patricia Coleman-Cobb, Brian Collier, Harold Davis, Eddie Debos, Brandie Dickens, Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Stephen B. Ellis, Maria Estrela, Jay Golding,B. Curtis Grayson III, Serron Green, David A. Hollowell, Tenjon Ikeda, Bailey Li, Cathleen McCoy Bristol, Courtney Minor, Mansa K. Mussa, Jamarr Neyland, Rosalind Nzinga Nichol, Sage Ofray, Samad Onque, Suliman Onque, Yvonne Onque, Anu Oro, Cynthia Northington Purdie, Cheryl Riley, Gina Rivas-Velasquez, Red Red, Alicia Robinson, Philip Robinson, Amira Rogers, Akil Roper, Theda Sandiford, Fausto Savila, Serron, Fin’es Scott, Jonte Silver, Timothy Simmons, Glendora Simonson, Veronica Spruill, Bleriot Thompson, Dawn Tighe, William Tolliver, Denise Toney, Cynthia Vaughn, Bisa Washington, Lydia Watson, and Heather Williams.

L-R: Sid Blaize’s The Boss; Anu Ono’s Radius; Glendora Simonson’s Brotherly Love; Mansa K. Mussa’s Ancestors & Icons; Fin’es Scott’s Motion

Clerestory Fine Art (https://www.clerestoryfineart.com/artists/ron-powell) provides a glimpse into the fascinating background of this year’s Featured Artist, Ron E. A. Powell, also known as REAP:

Artist Ron E.A. Powell’s parents gave him his four-letter initials as a reminder “to reap what you sow.” As farmers in Jamaica, his parents were deeply in touch with the cycles of life, and today, he strives to explore in his art a similar holistic balance. Powell is an exceptional Hand Engraving craftsman at Tiffany & Co. Having completed his apprenticeship under many of the current master engravers, Powell dedicates his time developing his talents toward the craft. He has designed and created many portraits, landscapes and various artworks for the clientele. Through his discipline and expertise, he was selected to be an ambassador of Hand Engraving events across the country and abroad. These demonstrations allow for educating and providing a special personal touch to Tiffany merchandise. Ron has studied Fine Arts and Illustration at New Jersey City University and The Arts Students League of NY. He displays his artistry in various galleries across the country, Canada, and China, amassing awards and publications from numerous institutions.

L-R: Cynthia Vaughn’s The Storyteller; Anthony Boone’s Vertical Freedom; Veronica Spruill’s Grow Where Planted and Bloom With Grace; Philip Robinson’s The Awakening; Sid Blaize’s Soul Violin.

Traditionally observed on June 19, Juneteenth commemorates Black liberation from slavery at the end of the Civil War when President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation became the law in all states. As the Morris Museum’s Juneteenth publicity states: “The day also highlights the resilience, solidarity, and culture of the Black Community. June 19, 1865 was the day word reached the enslaved in Galveston, Texas, though this emancipation actually ended slavery on paper two years earlier on January 1, 1863. ” This Atrium exhibit launches a weekend of Juneteenth events and activities – from art openings to an outdoor festival on the Green –  presented by a partnership of local nonprofit organizations.

Art in the Atrium, Inc. (ATA) is a non-profit, Black-led cultural institution founded in Morristown, New Jersey in 1991. As a culture keeper, it is committed to celebrating and advancing Black culture through visual arts. It supports and invests in Black fine art and artists by giving them visibility and a creative space to breathe. For more information, visit www.artintheatrium.org.

This exhibition is made possible in part by funds from Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm, Monday through Friday and until 7:30pm on Thursdays. The exhibit remains in place until August 18, 2023.

 

 

Blackwell Street Juried Student Exhibit Returns on March 30, 2023

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After a five-year hiatus, Morris Arts is thrilled to announce the return of the Blackwell Street Juried Student Exhibit – its 31st – to the Atrium Gallery!! Over 500 people attended the Opening Reception which  took place on  Thursday, March 30, 2023, from 6-8pm,  at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown. Kudos to the Blackwell Street original artists/organizers, David Gruol and Peggy Dressel, for undertaking the massive effort to revive this exceptional (and much beloved) show, after the death of founding artist, Elaine Provost, and the ensuing pandemic.

L-R: Vedant Patel’s Tranquility (Randolph HS); Marco Maselli’s Cruisin’ (Delbarton); Matias Martin’s Robot Man (Morris Hills); Selina Huang’s Crazed  (Chatham).

Despite the many obstacles, 550 artworks from 17 high schools throughout Morris County were submitted for consideration, demonstrating the resilience of this special community.  Embracing a wide variety of media (sculpture, oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, etching, charcoal, pen and ink, graphite, digital, photography, etc.), these artworks are a stunning tribute to the creativity, skill, and passion of these young talents.

 

L-R: Best in Show winner, Sam Gibbon’s Aloof (Delbarton); Caroline Mazurek’s Self Portrait (Montville Township); Rob Alexy’s Cacophony of Verticals (Delbarton); Charlie Henne’s Repeated Downfall (Chatham).

A panel of professional artists from the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts selected approximately 225 wall-hung works and 50 sculptures/ceramic works from among the 550 submissions, evaluating and installing the works on all four floors of the gallery. There are multiple ribbon categories, with Best in Show and the 1st Place winners receiving monetary prizes. The opening reception featured a student violin trio  from Randolph High School, an awards presentation (in the 5th floor County Commissioners Meeting Room) and the opportunity to meet these talented young artists in person.

Evolving from a 1988 exhibit that featured approximately 40 pieces of art, the present-day Blackwell Street Juried Student Exhibit is unique in its democratic approach: there are no restrictions on the number of pieces a school can submit and submissions are open to public, private, parochial and home-schooled high school student artists from throughout Morris County.  In past years, hundreds of students, parents, teachers, and friends attend in support of these exceptional young artists.

Here are some scenes from the opening reception:

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday-Friday and on Thursday evenings until 7:30pm. The exhibit will run from March 30, 2023 through April 27, 2023. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Director of Galleries for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org 

Exhibit and sale, A SENSE  OF PLACE, at the Atrium Gallery, now has extended hours

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Opened on February 2, 2023, our current exhibit and sale at the Atrium Gallery, A SENSE OF PLACE, is open through March 14 during business hours and on Thursday evenings until 7:30pm. The Gallery is free to the public and is located on floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown.

At a time when climate catastrophes, war and other dangers have displaced so many people throughout the world, this exhibit explores the elemental human need for “a sense of place” through the unique artistic imagery of  186 artworks by eight talented New Jersey artists: Laurie Harden (Boonton), Todd Doney (Gillette), David Clair (Bernardsville), Kevin Burkitt (Neptune City), Mark de Mos (Morristown), Allan Gorman (West Orange), Lisa Lackey (Maplewood) and Marge Miccio (Trenton).

      

L-R: Laurie Harden’s oil, Tending the Cattle;  Todd Doney’s oil on linen, Trees, March 2, 5:25pm;  David Clair’s mixed media, A Dying Breed;  Kevin Burkitt’s photo, #1 from 91 Days, Countless Nights series

 Is “place” a real location, the evocation of a mood, a familiar landmark, a sight to see in a foreign country, the familiarity of one’s own backyard,  the shifting light in wooded wetlands or the gritty realism of urban streetscapes? Each artist offers a unique definition of his/her “sense of place” and invites the viewers to contemplate their own interpretations.

 

 In the fifth floor Atrium, Laurie Harden’s oils offer a veritable travelogue – from western plains to  Guatemala – capturing local flavors and moods with careful attention to animating details: the falling snow, a quiet task, a journey home or the splash of colors and patterns in marketplaces or at the rising dawn.

 In the fifth floor Elevator Lobby, Todd Doney’s luminous, impressionistic oils transport viewers to mysterious places of woods and water. The play of light, the fleeting moment, the stillness of snow, the filtering of shadows on water or trees – all create unique “places” amidst the timelessness and beauty of Nature.

On the fourth floor Atrium area, David Clair’s acrylics and mixed media works take the viewer to real and fictional locations, from castles and iconic houses to imagined spaces. Inventively combining paper and paint, Clair creates dramatic, scenic vistas and, in some works, depicts critical themes: disappearing beaches and forests, melting icecaps, extreme storms – all seen through intricate geometric prisms.

In the adjacent fourth floor hallway, Marge Miccio shares her sense of place with imaginative renderings of scenes from New Jersey to Maine. Each painting focuses on a very specific place – a building, a section of coastline, a pier, a streetscape – to the exclusion of other distracting sights. Whether in bright daylight or utilizing distinctive night settings (lit by streetlamps), Miccio’s scenes draw in the viewer and encourage contemplation of the mood and flavor of each scene. 

L-R: Mark de Mos’ oil, Crossing South Street; Marge Miccio’s oil, Anthony’s;  Allan Gorman’s oil,  The Shops at Hudson Yards; Lisa Lackey’s cording, thread and fabric on canvas, It’s Complicated

 By contrast, in the third floor’s Atrium area, Mark de Mos conveys a gentler “sense of place” using watercolors, oils and pastels to depict cozy interiors, lovely gardens, peaceful winter farmscapes, active cityscapes, serene parks and landmarks of our own Morristown area.  His subtle use of color, line and nuanced composition invite the viewer into these places, conveyed with warmth, sensitivity and clear affection.

Filling the adjacent third floor Hallway, Kevin Burkitt’s stark black and white photography revisits, in graphic detail, the devastating impact of Superstorm Sandy on its 10th anniversary. Photographed at night, these dramatic images reveal a destroyed “sense of place”: broken buildings filled with storm debris, skeletal structures with missing windows, collapsed walls and absent roofs. Powerfully evocative, these photos remind us that any sense of place is vulnerable to the destructive forces of Nature.    Marge Miccio shares her sense of place with imaginative renderings of scenes from New Jersey to Maine. Each painting focuses on a very specific place – a building, a section of coastline, a pier, a streetscape – to the exclusion of other distracting sights. Whether in bright daylight or utilizing distinctive night settings (lit by streetlamps), Miccio’s scenes draw in the viewer and encourage contemplation of the mood and flavor of each scene. 

In the second floor Atrium, the viewer experiences the extraordinary, tangible textures of Allan Gorman’s  urban scenes. With exacting precision, his oils convey the gritty feel of rusting steel girders, the glossy distortions of layered glass reflections, and the geometrically exacting play of planes/angles/shadows among steel, brick and glass structures of his streetscapes.  Gorman defines his spaces with brutal directness, graphic precision and startling accuracy. A master of line, draftsmanship, light and shadow, he captures the fascinating interplay of patterns, differentiating the many textures of urban spaces through his uncanny and superb photorealistic oils.

And, in the adjacent, second floor Hallway, Lisa Lackey offers her unique fabric and paper collages that memorialize glimpses of time and the hidden delights of ordinary places.  Approaching her subjects from unusual angles, her works reveal the beauties found in daily life: the shadows cast by a white picket fence, the webbing on a patio chair, the colors and shapes forming patterns on a grocery aisle, the lines on a highway at night. In a sense, she is teaching the viewer to see anew – and to appreciate the unique places that surround us all.

Most of the artworks are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues available in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5. The exhibit catalogue – with pricing and details –  is also available online (see the button above). The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm and on Thursday evenings until 7:30pm. The exhibit remains in place until March 14, 2023.

Morris Arts’ THROUGH WOMEN’S EYES Exhibit opens at the Atrium Gallery, October 6, 2022

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The public is invited to the free Opening Reception on October 6, from 7-9pm, for Morris Arts’ new exhibit, THROUGH WOMEN’S EYES, at the Atrium Gallery, located on floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown.  

This exhibit, featuring women artists, highlights the importance and richness of women’s artistic voices at a time when they are too often minimized, disregarded or ignored.  The 151 artworks by 5 talented artists offer the viewer powerful and thought-provoking images, brilliant colors, intriguing forms, varied perspectives and a wide range of artistic styles, from the figurative to abstract expressionism. 

 

On the fifth floor, Bulgarian-born artist Medy Bozkurtian offers 38 richly varied works that range from expressive realism and impressionism to abstract expressionism. Reflecting her worldwide travels and her training in music, Bozkurtian’s artworks capture the intangible quality of light and mood, and the “flavor” of each setting she depicts.

On the fourth floor, 40 works by Italian-born artist Isabella Pizzano include acrylics, watercolors and mixed media. These abstract expressionist works veritably burst with color, imagination and energy. As a Signature member of the International Society of Experimental Artists, Isabella adds, “I am always in search of innovative techniques as well as a unique way to use color and design.”   She clearly succeeds.

On the third floor, nearly 50 works by Lisa Marseglia Moran range from vividly and imaginatively colored landscapes in oil to the subtle delicacy of floral designs made of woven paper. Influenced by Abstract-Expressionists like Kandinsky and DeKooning, Moran works in oils but has also created an award-winning style of mixed media works where multiple drawings, paintings or block prints are woven together to create a single, abstracted image.

Two contrasting artists share their visions on the second floor:

Award winning African American artist/ photographer Kay Reese’s “Witness to Captivity” series includes 14 photo-based digitally collaged prints on canvas which she describes as follows: “…in the context of Dadaist and surrealist format, my assemblages and photo-based collages become de-constructive strategies to explore the dichotomies between collective truth, reality, desire and freedom.” Her powerful abstract imagery becomes a universal language to convey the horror, brutality and suffering of all captivity.

Providing dramatic contrast, Marilyn Greenberg’s 10 abstract acrylics on Yupo paper are bright, whimsical, imaginative and meticulously executed abstracts that also explore important themes. Influenced by Italian circus parades, shadow puppetry in Indonesia, nature, and biology, Greenberg – who had served on the Brooklyn Museum’s Advisory Board and on the Elizabeth Sackler Center for Feminist Art – combines images in unlikely yet artistically intriguing, captivating ways.

Most of the artworks are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues available in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5. The catalogue will be posted online at www.morrisarts.org, as well. The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm and until midnight on December 31 (New Year’s Eve), as part of First Night Morris County’s offerings.   The exhibit remains in place until January 8, 2023.

 

Morris Arts’ REEMERGENCE AND RENEWAL Exhibit opens at the Atrium Gallery

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As of May 13, 2022, Morris Arts’ new exhibit, REEMERGENCE AND RENEWAL, is open for viewing at the Atrium Gallery, located on floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown.  The public is invited to the free Opening Reception on June 16, from 7-9pm,  which will also mark the dedication of a plaque honoring the late Viki Craig, co-founder of Art in the Atrium, the African American art organization celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. 

L-R: Anthony Zaccaria’s Disney World with Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh; Onnie Strother’s mono print, Pretty Bill;   Shoshana Kertesz’s oil on canvas, Puzzled; Maria Estrela’s mixed media, African prints on canvas, Unenslave Yourself.

Marking our collective reemergence from the years of pandemic disruption, the 138 artworks by 46 talented artists in this exhibit offer a sense of renewal through their vibrant imagery, vivid colors, compelling designs and their underlying sense of humanity. 

The fourth and fifth floors present 70 works by 24 African American artists selected by Art in the Atrium (and entitled Black Revival!), encompassing a wide range of styles and media – utilizing acrylic, multimedia assemblages, textiles, and photos  in abstract and figurative compositions.  The art showcases the richness and diversity of African American artistic languages, provoking careful thought and deep emotional connections with viewers.

With a solo show on the third floor, Hungarian-born Shoshana Kertesz offers 40 artworks ranging from intense, dramatic oil portraits – often of famous cultural figures – to poetic, evocative fine art photography and pencil drawings on subjects from the grandeur/ serenity of nature to intriguing urban streetscapes.

On the second floor, 28 works by artists with disabilities from the Matheny Arts Access program virtually explode with energy and color in distinctive geometrics, fluid abstract designs and sheer energy. In a sense, they are imagination made visible.

L-R:; Chet Cheesman’s acrylic on canvas board, Home; Shoshana Kertesz’ photograph, Roots; Mikel Elam’s mixed media on wood panel, Misperception; Armisey Smith’s alcohol ink, acrylic on paper, Busted Bouquet.

By offering viewers the richness of expression from artistic voices less commonly heard, this unique exhibit offers new perspectives and inspires a sense of reemergence and renewal in those fortunate enough to see it.

Most of the artworks are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues available in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5 (after February 10). The catalogue will be posted online at www.morrisarts.org, as well. The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm. Masks and social distancing are required for all entering the building.  The exhibit remains in place until September 2, 2022.

 

Morris Arts’ REIMAGINING RESILIENCE exhibit opens at the Atrium Gallery, February 10, 2022

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Four diverse, gifted New Jersey artists share their unique visions of “resilience” in Morris Arts’ new exhibit, REIMAGINING RESILIENCE, which opens at the Atrium Gallery on February 10, 2022. Masks and social distancing are required for all entering the building. Located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building at 10 Court Street in Morristown, the exhibit features works in oils, acrylics, carved/stained wood, mixed media and paintings on glass, and spans styles from traditional African/Senegalese imagery, realistic streetscapes, to neo-expressionism and abstract impressionism. 

L-R: Ibou Ndoye’s painting on glass, Happy Kids;  Bradley Haymes’ acrylic on canvas, Teratorn; Guillermo Bublik’s watercolor on paper, Touched; Sean Carney’s Minwax woodstain and dremel on wood, The Queen’s Garden

Each floor comprises a solo show, providing viewers with a comprehensive display of each artist’s style, range of expression and skills.

Check out Morris County’s publicity– and its short video – of the exhibit
and check out video profiles of each of the four artists in this exhibit: 

Meet artist Guillermo Bublik

Meet artist Sean Carney

Meet artist Bradley Haymes

Meet artist Ibou Ndoye

Morris Arts thanks Brian T. Murray, Communications Director and Bob Carr,  of Morris Couonty’s Communications office, for making these videos and sharing them with us.

Click  HERE   to access the catalogue for this exhibit.

The fifth floor showcases artist Sean Carney’s intricately carved and stained wood “paintings.” Carney depicts his favorite places – iconic landmarks, streetscapes, harbors, homes, gardens and communities –solely through the use of dremel and water based stains on wood. What initially appears to be a painting is, on closer inspection, a painstakingly carved and tinted image on wood.  On the fourth floor, Argentina-born artist (and former physicist) Guillermo Bublik  displays a fascinating  mastery of composition and color – in a kaleidoscope of vivid, abstract impressionism. Some works resemble intricate jigsaw puzzles while others capture unearthly figures emerging from mists, delicate floating fronds within transparent veils or images resembling distant universes or cells under a microscope. His multiple, themed series of paintings intrigue both the mind and the emotions – with titles such as Mindscape, Nomads, A Sudden Leap, Through the Looking Glass, Do I Dare Disturb the Universe, Departures, Nose to Glass, etc. . They fascinate the viewer and demonstrate virtuosity in both concept and execution.

On the third floor, inspired by the “primal, direct nature of wildlife,” artist Bradley Haymes “presents wildlife in a neo-expressionist style to let the audience experience nature in a new light.”  Electric colors heighten the impact of his portraits of feral, wild, or extinct animals. Some even reveal portions of their skeletal structure, another means to rivet the viewer’s attention. An attorney with the County, Haymes mused, “Perhaps portraying wild beasts has also always been a way to acknowledge a range of instincts we largely subdue.” The second floor provides yet another perspective, expressed in the works of Senegalese artist Ibou Ndoye.  Informed by the distinctive designs, fabrics and colors of African art and by the oral traditions of his native Senegal, Ibou tell stories of life through his art. His works are inspired from the “unseen, neglected or discarded things from our social and daily life.”  Combining modernism and traditionalism, his striking and stylized imagery embraces universal understanding and does so through his dramatic paintings on paper, canvas and, in Senegalese tradition, on glass.

In this exhibit, each of the four artists reimagines “resilience” – focusing on what we need to truly “see” in the world around us, what is elemental to our lives, what gives us strength and what allows us to persist during difficult times. Their creativity is a gift to all who see their art.

 Most of the artworks are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues available in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5 (after February 10). The catalogue will be posted online at www.morrisarts.org, as well. The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm. Masks and social distancing are required for all entering the building.  The exhibit remains in place until April 11, 2022.

ATA celebrates 30th anniversary with exhibit at MPAC’s galleries

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Art in the Atrium, Inc. (ATA), a non-profit volunteer arts organization founded in Morris County, will celebrate 30 years as a champion of Black art excellence with an exhibit at Mayo Performing Arts Center’s Art Upstairs and Starlight Galleries.

In its continued partnership with MPAC, ATA presents “Exhibition of African-American Fine Art.” The exhibit runs from January 11- March 6, 2022. The opening reception took place  Sunday, January 30 from 3 pm – 5 pm and there will be a closing reception on February 27, 2022 from 6-8pm.

The show will highlight the work of 15 renowned African American artists including Alonzo Adams, Leroy Campbell, Nzinga Nichol, Nettie Thomas, Onnie C. Strother, Onnie L. Strother, Curtis Grayson III, Anthony Gartmond, Mikel Elam, Ron E. A. Powell, Gary Grant, George Johnson, Patricia Coleman-Cobb, George Johnson, and  Carol Black-Lemon.

Since its inception in 1991, ATA has proudly exhibited fine art from the African diaspora in venues throughout northern New Jersey.  Its annual exhibit at the Atrium Gallery in the Morris County Courthouse has become the largest of its kind in New Jersey by successfully showcasing art by emerging and established artists.

Check out the Youtube video about the show at https://youtu.be/Sn9wm3Ixm3Q .

MorristownGreen.com also hastwo excellent writeups HERE and HERE.

Artwork is available for purchase. The galleries are open prior to MPAC events and

by appointment.

Click here for additional information about Art in the Atrium.

The Art Upstairs Gallery is a gift of the John and Margaret Post Foundation and The Starlight Gallery is a gift of Jay and Wendy Birnbaum.

Gallery Hours:

Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm by appointment only
Prior to performances and during intermissions for ticketed patrons only

For appointments, please contact:
Lee Kaloidis at 973-539-0345 x6587

Morris Arts’ THE COLOR OF LIFE Exhibit opens at the ATRIUM GALLERY, 9/30/21

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Yearning for color, vibrancy and a sense of life in these difficulty times? Morris Arts invites the public to the free opening reception on September 30, from 7-9pm, for THE COLOR OF LIFE, its exciting Fall/Winter 2021-22 Invitational, at the Atrium Art Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building at 10 Court Street in Morristown. Meet the six gifted artists whose works utilize oils, alcohol ink, digital media, soft sculpture, acrylics, printmaking and photographic techniques – providing imagery ranging from the abstract to the naturalistic – to embody the theme, THE COLOR OF LIFE.

Masks and social distancing are required for all entering the building.

To see the Catalogue for the full show, click HERE.

L-R: Gregory Egan’s digital painting, Blue Circle; Bryant Small’s alcohol ink painting The Sound of Water; Danielle Master’s acrylic and various media, Passages.

The fifth floor will feature the intriguing figurative works by artist Gregory Egan (Mendham, NJ) whose images utilize pencil ink, watercolor and digital media to capture subjects from vintage cars to beachscapes employing intensive and distinctive colors and a delicacy of line that creates a unique emotional connection to each work. The fourth floor is ablaze with the intense colors of monumental abstracts by artist Bryant Small (Jersey City). Through the medium of alcohol ink, Small’s works capture a unique shimmering quality, dynamism and vibrancy. Emerging artist, Danielle Masters (South Orange), inspires with her distinctive and definitively colored, geometrically inspired – and often whimsical – abstracts which combine painting and soft sculptures in the Atrium area of the third floor.  Viewing abstraction through a different, softer lens, photographer Daniel Sroka (Morristown) creates astonishing botanical abstracts which challenge the viewer to see the ordinary objects of nature in extraordinary ways – on view in the third floor Hallway area. And, complementing the botanical theme but approaching it from a naturalistic vantage point, photographer and printmaker Yvette Lucas (Montclair) showcases deeply moving and inspiring portraits of remarkable trees, capturing their poetry and wisdom – in works seen in the Elevator Lobby area of the third floor.  Finally, the second floor is awash in the color, movement and imagination of the prolific and award-winning surrealist, Santiago Cohen (Jersey City) whose rich imagery invokes multiple metaphors and symbology combined with sense of wonder and sheer fun. 

 

     

L-R: Dan Sroka’s photo, Glass Slipper;  Yvette Lucas’ photo intaglio, Mother II; Santiago Cohen’s oil, Crossroads.

The concept behind THE COLOR OF LIFE   is to not only provide gifted artists with the opportunity to showcase the range of their talents but also to help restore a sense of life and excitement for viewers during these difficult times. Seeing the variety and vibrancy of these artworks brings a sense of renewal, resilience and beauty into our beleaguered lives.

Most works are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues found in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5.  The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm. The exhibit remains in place until January 10, 2022.

Some scenes from the exhibit:

Photos from the Opening Reception:

 

Art in the Atrium’s 29th African-American Exhibit, Into the Light  will open virtually on Juneteenth (June 19th) and run through October 22, 2021

Art in The Atrium’s 29th annual exhibition and sale of African American art, entitled Into the Light, will spotlight mixed-media artist Rosalind Nzinga Nichol and the works of 30 other established and emerging African American artists. Normally exhibited at the Atrium Gallery, this show will be strictly virtual this season.

The exhibit is available online HERE and at https://artintheatrium.org/.

Happily, there will also be an in-person Opening Event in celebration of the exhibit – on Saturday, June 19, 2021  at The Artist Baker’s back patio, 16 Cattano Ave., Morristown, NJ.  There will be a meet and greet from 3-7pm with  a talk by featured artist, Rosalind Nzinga Nichol,  at 4pm. Attend in-person or watch the program via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89061439323. Additional information about the exhibit and event are available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/into-the-light-opening-juneteenth-event-tickets-157365150401.

A non-profit volunteer arts organization, Art in the Atrium (ATA) has championed Black art excellence since its inception nearly three decades ago and has proudly exhibited fine art from the African diaspora at the Atrium Gallery (working with Morris Arts) and at other venues throughout northern New Jersey.

Don’t miss the exhibit video HERE, (with comments by ATA Executive Director Lauren LeBeaux Craig, Morris County Commissioners and the featured artist, Rosalind Nzinga Nichol) and catch Morris County’s coverage HERE  and coverage in MorristownGreen.com HERE.

Its annual exhibition, the largest of its kind in the state of New Jersey, has been a successful showcase of art by emerging and established artists.  In 2001 and again in 2016, the organization was named “Arts Organization of the Year” by Morris Arts.  ATA annually awards a scholarship to a promising visual arts student. In 2020, ATA pivoted to an online art gallery to support ATA’s mission and raise funds to support the scholarship program.  In the first week of the virtual art show, ATA made an astounding $20,000 in art sales.  The virtual art gallery is viewable at artintheatrium.org. 

Andm an adjacent exhibit from Art in the Atrium, entitled The Social Fabric: Black Artistry in Fiber Arts, An Exhibition in Homage to Viki Craig, will open at the Morris Museum on June 4, 2021  and run through October 24, 2021

 

Click HERE to check out the video of this exhibit and the concurrent ATA virtual exhibit, Into The Light. 

This second ATA exhibit – devoted exclusively to Black fabric arts – heralds the exciting, new partnership between Art in the Atrium (ATA) and the Morris Museum, dedicated to showcasing the diversity of Black art. Deeply rooted in quilt-making tradition, today’s Black fiber arts incorporate conventional textile skills with contemporary art and design practices. Beyond their visual and tactile allure, these works communicate societal and cultural messages at the intersection of identity and inspiration. This year’s theme honors the lifelong work of ATA co-founder and quilter Viki Craig (1947-2018) in elevating Black artistry.

The exhibit features 50 works by 27 outstanding fabric artists including Aminah Robinson, Beverly McCutcheon, Bisa Washington, Carole Robinson, Clara Nartey, Denise Toney, Ellaree Pray, Faith Ringgold, Gladys Barker Grauer, Glendora Simonson, Janet O. Green, Jeanine Bowen, Kathia St. Hilaire, Katie Commodore, Kianga Jinaki, Michael Cummings, Minnie Melvin, Sharela May Bonfield, Sherry Shine, Shervone Neckles, Stephen Towns, Theda Sandiford, Tina Williams Brewer, Toni Thomas, Viki Craig, Wannetta Phillips, and Maureen Kelleher and The Social Justice Collaboration Quilts Project.

Aside from Viki Craig, Faith Ringgold, Bisa Washington and Michael Cummings are among the showcased artists. Additionally, works by “lifers” at Louisiana’s Angola Prison, from the Social Justice Collaboration Quilts Project are included in this striking show. Further background on the exhibit is available in the MorristownGreen.com article at https://tinyurl.com/3ueaprrj.

Curated by ATA’s Gwendolyn Barrington Jackson, Nette Forné, Onnie Strother, Wannetta Phillips, and the Morris Museum’s Managing Curator, Ronald T. Labaco, the show will be on display in four gallery spaces at the Morris Museum, Wednesdays – Sundays, 11am-5pm, 6 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown, NJ, from June 4-October 24, 2021. Visit www.morrismuseum.org and www.artintheatrium.org for additional details.

 

Atrium Gallery’s African-American Exhibit, “Dream With Your Eyes Open”, is available virtually and, on a strict, limited basis, will open to the public in late June into July 2020

NEWSFLASH: The Atrium Gallery will now allow limited, in-person public viewing of Dream With Your Eyes Open on the following dates and times: 

*         Saturday, June 27th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
*         Thursday, July 9th from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm
*         Saturday, July 25th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

The invites with info are below. We are requesting the public sign up for a 2 hour time slot, masks are required and temperatures are taken at the door.

Event Invites
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/110325941862
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/110332465374

We are also delighted to share this link which allows people to to see (and purchase) the vibrant artworks in Art in the Atrium’s Dream With Your Eyes Open exhibit: https://artintheatrium.org/shop

Victoria “Viki” Craig

 

From Lauren Craig, daughter of Co-Founder Viki Craig: “With regard to the in-person exhibition, the Morris County Administration & Records Bldg remains closed the public but the skeleton staff that works there is so grateful for the warmth, color and vibrancy of the exhibit during this time. It is truly a wonderful show and we are very sad that our Opening Reception most likely will not be able to happen as we envisioned. 
 
That being said, the building would like the exhibit to stay up past our original closing date (May 20th), to try to wait out shelter-in-place orders. As of now, we are considering a closing date of July 1, 2020.”

 

 

Many of you know that this exhibit marks the reopening of the Atrium Gallery, showcasing the 28th annual exhibition and sale of African American Art presented by Art in the Atrium. Highlighting the works of the renowned Newark artist / poet / educator, the late Jerry Gant, , this annual show represents the largest African American fine art exhibit in New Jersey and includes works by more than 60  emerging and established artists, including the following:

Alonzo Adams; Kojo Aidoo; Carol Black-Lemon; Cathleen McCoy Bristol; Jamil Burton; Bisa Butler; Leroy Campbell; Patricia Coleman-Cobb; Bryan Collier; Jacqueline Collier; Will “Kasso” Condry; K. Scott Cosme; Viki Craig; Jose Manuel Cruz; Queintard DeGeneste; Ife East; Stephen B. Ellis; Antoinette Ellis-Williams; Aaron Fisher; Les Floyd; Jerry Gant; Anthony Gartmond; Garry Grant; Evelyn Graves; B.Curtis Grayson; Gaille Hunter; Chrisopher Hutchinson; N. Carlos Jefferson; Lester Johnson; Monifa Kincaid; Jo-El Lopez; Yvette Lucas; Beverly McCutcheon; Kiley McKissic; Julio Mejia; Russell Aldo Murray; Rosalind Nzinga Nichol; Wannetta Phillips; Janet Taylor Pickett; Ron EA Powell; Ellaree Pray; Red; Kay Reese; Martryce Roach; Alicia Robinson; Akil Roper; Tiffany Salas; Theda Sandiford; Glendora Simonson; Yoldand Skeete; Charles W. Smith; Phyllis Stephens; Oni Strother; Onnie Strother; Ceaphas Stubbs; Nette Forné Thomas; Denise Toney; Diana Tyson; and Bisa Washington.   

 

 

This year’s show,  Dream With Your Eyes Open,  also honors the memory of Art in the Atrium’s co-founder and artist / educator Victoria “Viki” La Beaux Clark Craig. She passed away December 27, 2018 and was honored by the Morris County Freeholders on Dr. Martin Luther King Day for her “three decades of service in creating and fostering the annual Art in the Atrium exhibit of African-American art in Morris County.” The restoration of this exhibit at the Atrium will be an especially fitting tribute to Viki whose efforts in the arts enriched us all.

Be sure to check out the wonderful articles about the exhibit in nj.com and in MorristownGreen.com.

Atrium Gallery opens exciting Fall/Winter Invitational Exhibit on September 27, 2018

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On Thursday, September 27, 2018, nearly 100 intrepid souls braved the Court Street construction zone and joined Morris Arts at the free opening reception of the exciting Fall/Winter 2018-19 Invitational  Exhibit at the Atrium Art Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building at 10 Court Street in Morristown.

Utilizing the vast spaces of the four floors of gallery space, this invitational exhibit essentially comprises multiple solo exhibits by eight outstanding, award-winning artists whose works have exhibited in galleries from NYC to Paris and are included in major museum collections.  Featured artists include Bascove (New York), Fred Fertik (Clifton), Chris Kappmeier (Lyndhurst), Sue Ellen Leys (Maplewood), Betsy Meyer-Donadio (West Orange), Ruth Bauer Neustadter (Hackensack), John Tetz (Succasunna) and Dennis Joseph Yanoski (Morristown). Working in such media as oils, collages, acrylics, mixed media, cement, glass, paper, photography, and encaustics, their art encompasses styles from abstract to Art Deco, modernism, as well as post Impressionism, and ultra-realism.

Click HERE  to see the Catalogue for the exhibit and click HERE to see the article about the exhibit by noted art critic Ralph Bellantoni.

On the fifth floor, award winning artist Bascove showcases two facets of her remarkable talents: her iconic, monumental oils of the bridges of New York City and her dynamic, swirling collages of fragmented, echoing imagery. On the fourth floor, plein air artist Chris Kappmeier captures the disorder of city life and dynamic, vibrant landscapes – evoking Van Gogh with his use of thickly applied oils, semi abstract imagery and vibrant colors. Located in the fourth floor hall and elevator lobby areas, the abstract mixed media collages and paintings on paper, canvas and wood by Betsy Meyer-Donadio incorporate vintage paper, fabric remnants, plaster and paint and convey an inspired sense of architecture and geometry. In the third floor hallway and elevator lobby, Fred Fertik’s exceptional eye for color, composition and design capture fascinating images from his travels to over 100 countries. Sue Ellen Leys fills the third floor atrium with her encaustic (beeswax) representational paintings of people enjoying life. Enhancing the stairwell area, the two paper mobiles by John Tetz reflect his fascination with the letter “O,” floating across 40 feet of space or suspending between floors. In the second floor Hallway and Elevator Lobby, the viewer can practically feel the spray of the ocean waves and sense the pull of the tides in Dennis Joseph Yanoski’s vivid and ultra-realistic oil seascapes. And, in the second floor Atrium area, artist-dancer-poet-choreographer and performer,  Ruth Bauer Neustadter brilliantly combines found materials, acrylic, oil, cement and other materials to create frequently “sculptural” paintings of great power and dynamic movement.

Here are some PHOTOS from the Opening Reception:

Most works are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues found in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5. The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm on Monday-Friday and will be open from 7pm-midnight at First Night Morris County on New Year’s Eve. The exhibit remains in place until January  7, 2019.

Atrium Gallery’s Spring-Summer Exhibit opens May 24, 2018

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Around 120 enthusiastic people joined  Morris Arts on Thursday, May 24, 2018, at the free Opening Reception for the new Spring/Summer 2018 Exhibit at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown. Featuring over 225 works by member artists from the HUB Camera Club, ARTsee, the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, the Myhelan Artists Network, the Drew Art Association, the New Art Group and Arts Unbound, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the artistic achievements of individuals living with physical, developmental or mental disabilities, and seniors. 

Click  HERE to see the full catalogue of the Spring/Summer 2018 Exhibit.

 

The exhibit showcases the creative talents of 84 member artists working in wide variety of media (oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, pencil, paper, encaustic, watercolor, photography, etc.) and an abundance of aesthetic styles (representational, abstract, fauvist, impressionist, etc. ).

Here are some photos from the opening reception:

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday-Friday. The exhibit will run from May 24 through August 30, 2018. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org

Blackwell Street Juried Student Show marks its 30th Anniversary, opening April 6th

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On Friday, April 6, 2018 nearly 500 attended the Opening Reception for the 30th Anniversary of the annual Blackwell Street Juried Student Show at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown. The selected artists, their teachers, families and friends as well as the general public were excited and impressed by the impressive amount of talent on display in the Atrium exhibit. Embracing a wide variety of media (sculpture, oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, etching, charcoal, pen and ink, graphite, photography, etc.), the artworks are a stunning tribute to the creativity, skill and passion of these young artists from throughout Morris County.

There is additional coverage online in www.MorristownGreen.com – which includes more photos by Jeff Sovelove.

 

A panel of five professional artists from the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts comprised the jury selecting approximately 300 wall-hung works and 100 sculptures from nearly 800 submissions by talented high school students from throughout the County. The show was then organized, hung and administered by the all-volunteer members of the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, their friends, family and students – with additional help this year from Joanne Del Rio and her assistants from Novartis. There are multiple ribbon categories, with Best In Show and the 1st Place ribbons receiving monetary prizes. The opening reception includes an awards presentation (in the 5th floor Freeholder meeting room) and the opportunity to meet these talented young artists in person.

Evolving from the 1988 exhibit that featured approximately 90 pieces of art, to this current, massive undertaking, the Juried Student Exhibit is unique in its democratic approach: there are no restrictions on the number of pieces a school can submit and submissions are open to public, private, parochial and home-schooled high school student artists from throughout Morris County.  Each year, hundreds of students, parents, teachers and friends attend in support of these exceptional young artists.

L-R: Chelsea Knoll’s oil, Still Life (Mendham); Ben Bariso’s pen, ink and watercolor, Rocket Pop (Butler); Richard Warren’s floss sticks, wood and marble piece, White Lotus (Chatham); Kerianne McClay’s ceramic set, Cerulean Cluster (Madison); and Jennifer Redvanly’s mixed media, Color Cross Track (Hanover Park).

Here are some PHOTOS from the Opening Reception:

 

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday-Friday. The exhibit will run from April 6, 2018 through May 4, 2018. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org

 

26th Annual African American Art Exhibit, Lift Every Voice, opens Jan. 26, 2018

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A record crowd of over 500 people joined Morris Arts and Art in the Atrium at the free public opening of New Jersey’s largest exhibition of African-American art, curated and assembled by Art in the Atrium. The reception was held on Friday,  January 26 from 6:30-9:00pm at the Atrium Gallery (floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration & Records Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown), and included music, food and an opportunity to meet the artists. 

To see photos, a video and an excellent writeup of the event by Kevin Coughlin, Editor of MorristownGreen.com, click HERE.

Here are more PHOTOS from the opening reception:

 

Running through March 21, 2018, the exhibit is entitled Lift Every Voice and highlights the work of Charleston, SC native artist Leroy Campbell, as well as works by Plainfield artist Alonzo Adams, and works by 27 outstanding locally and internationally known African American artists including

Bisa Butler, Janet Taylor Pickett, Rosalind Nzinga Nichol, Lavett Ballard, Larry Poncho Brown, Carol Bailey, Anthony Gartmond, Ellaree Pray, Les Floyd, Wannetta Phillips, Onnie Strother, Terells Thomas, Andrew Nichols, B. Curtis Grayson, Jackie Collier, Elaine McCrary, Erik J. Montgomery, Bryan Collier, Deb Willis, Jo-El Lopez, Stephen Ellis, Jennifer Mack, Kara Rice, Ron EA Powell and Zaya Grauer.

    

Leroy Campbell’s art speaks of the contributions to humanity through the African American perspective. More than just art, each piece serves as Campbell’s tithe, as he uses his gifts and talents to teach others about the richness of the Gullah/ Geechee heritage and the beauty of his people.

Leroy Campbell describes humanity like a garden. In the 1300s, Native Americans invented a system of gardening called “Three Sisters,” which involved strategically planting corn, beans, and squash together. The corn provides support and structure for the beans to grow. While the beans pull nitrogen from the air, returning it to the soil and enriching all the plants. The squash, planted at the base, spreads its large leaves, which offer shade and protection, keeping the soil moist and cool. When each of the plants is whole, thriving and healthy, it is able to reach its full potential and contribute to the garden. If one of the plants becomes sick, it affects the balance of the garden.

Master gardener, painter, storyteller, and lover of souls, Leroy Campbell paints a beautiful hope for humanity through his art and through his words. In telling the stories he knows best, he is offering the wisdom and lessons of the elders as a gift to us all. As part of the human experience, we are all searching for our place in the garden, our purpose, our connection, our significance in this world. Those stories are the most powerful gifts in the universe as they provide a sense of self and a foundation of wisdom based on patience, love, and discernment. Campbell’s vision is of a healthy garden, where each is whole, liberated and validated, where people are free to love who they are and in turn nurture others around them.

Leroy Campbell’s paintings, infused with history, tie the past to the present in the practice of sankofa, the understanding that you can’t more forward until you receive the lessons of the past. The vulnerability of his art, his soul, his ability to tell a story through the use of acrylic, paper, tapestries, and organic materials, creates an opportunity for conversation, for something real, for the human connection that we are all desperately seeking. 

Art in the Atrium’s annual exhibition is the largest of its kind in the state. “It really helps to expand people’s idea of what African-American art can be,’’ says Craig. “We have works in all mediums and genres. It’s not just figurative paintings with a mask in them.’’ The non-profit organization, Art in the Atrium, began in 1992 after Victoria Craig’s husband, attorney Charles Craig, noticed that no art works exhibited in the Morristown administration building were by African-American artists. Dedicated to exhibiting works by emerging and established black artists, Art in the Atrium is a nonprofit volunteer organization whose annual exhibit at the Atrium Gallery is now the largest of its kind in New Jersey, growing from a single floor to currently occupying four full floors of the County Administration & Records Building. Art in the Atrium has also expanded to include seminars, jazz brunches, collectors’ workshops and cosponsored artist residencies in the Morris School District, benefitting 200 to 500 students each year. It also awards an annual scholarship to a student artist, whose work is often exhibited in the show. For more information, visit www.artintheatrium.org.

The exhibition is made possible in part by funds from Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

Atrium Gallery opens Fall/Winter Invitational Exhibit on September 22, 2017

On Friday, September 22, 2017  from 7-9 pm, nearly 200 people joined Morris Arts at the free opening reception of the exciting Fall/Winter 2017-18 Invitational  Exhibit at the Atrium Art Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building at 10 Court Street in Morristown. They had a chance to meet  the six gifted artists whose 170 works demonstrated great variety of media, utilizing oils, acrylics, mixed media, ink, etc. and a wide range of  styles, from the abstract to hyper-realism and  pop surrealism.

Featured image: Allan Gorman’s oil, What Iron Hath Wrought 

Click HERE for the Catalogue of the Exhibit. 

The fifth floor Atrium will feature the hyper-realistic oils by prizewinning artist Allan Gorman (West Orange, NJ) whose works evoke artists as Edward Hopper, George Bellows (and others) and reveal Gorman’s fascination with the hidden patterns, aesthetic tensions, mystery and power of machines and industry. In the fifth floor Lobby, Mark Oberndorf  (Wyckoff, NJ), Another realist painter influenced by Hopper (and by Vermeer), portrays communal landmarks before their gentrification and/or demolition, combining vivid colors and a keen appreciation of natural light, creative composition and perspective. The fourth floor showcases the extensive and highly varied portfolio of Joe LaMattina (Hackensack, NJ), a longtime artist and art educator whose vast, mixed media output ranges from representational to “abstract/organic” – and includes his “human essence” works that eloquently capture states of mind and abstract feelings. A riot of brilliant colors from  Valerie Verona’s (Chester, NJ) vibrant acrylics energizes the third floor Atrium, blending representational and abstract imagery, while David Nicolato’s (Verona, NJ) pop surrealism explores themes such as darker dreams, child development and the treatment of animals – with vividly imagined animal forms, fantastical beasts and whimsical yet unsettling imagery. Featured on the second floor, prizewinning artist Lisa DeLoria Weinblatt (Bayside, NY) shares her insightful and thought provoking School Lunch series of oils, a fascinating, expressive pictorial essay of contemporary student life which touches on cross cultural issues and emotional attitudes explored in the shared experience of school lunch.

Among the distinguished visitors at the opening were Kevin O’Brien, Second Vice Chair of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, Deputy Director/Chief Curator of the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA. 

Here are some photos from the reception:

 

Most works are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues found in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5. The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm on Monday-Friday and will be open from 7pm-midnight at First Night Morris County on New Year’s Eve. The exhibit remains in place until January 5, 2018.

Atrium Gallery’s Spring-Summer Exhibit opens May 18th

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Over 125 people joined Morris Arts on Thursday, May 18, 2017, from 7-9pm at the free Opening Reception for the new Spring/Summer 2017 Exhibit at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown. Featuring 237 works by member artists from the HUB Camera Club, ARTsee, the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, the Myhelan Artists Network, and the Drew Art Association, the exhibit showcases the creative talents of 79 artists working in wide variety of media (oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, pencil, paper, encaustic, watercolor, photography, etc.).

 Click HERE to see the catalogue for the show.

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday-Friday. The exhibit will run from May 18 through August 31, 2017. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org.

 

29th annual Blackwell St. Juried Student Exhibit opened March 31st

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Torrential rains and high winds didn’t prevent between 400-500 dedicated folks from attending the Opening Reception for the 29th annual Blackwell Street Juried Student Show at the Atrium Gallery  on the evening of Friday, March 31, 2017. There was palpable excitement as these young, talented artists came with their families, teachers and friends to see their works on display and to participate in the awards ceremony.

Here are some photos from the evening:

 

L-R:  Top- 2017 BEST IN SHOW, Zoe Paxos’ graphite on paper, Head of Hares (Roxbury); Valentina Giordano’s charcoal, Lost Boy (Madison); Jessica Murr’s white charcoal on black paper, Metal Flow (Mt. Olive);

L-R: Middle: Anthony McInnis, pastel, Really Really Bad (Butler);  Lukas Scheidl’s ballpoint pen, Dali meets Bronzino (Mendham); Alexandra Leet’s acrylic on wood, Untitled (Butler);

L-R: Bottom: Dylan Pullara’s digital illustration, Dark & Light (Mt. Olive); Emily Grzesiowski’s stoneware, Slightly A Jar (Randolph); Haley Florio’s acrylic, Rachel (Butler).

 

A panel of five professional artists from the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts comprised the jury selecting approximately 300 wall-hung works and 100 sculptures from nearly 800 submissions by talented high school students from throughout the County. The show was then organized, hung and administered by the all-volunteer members of the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, their friends and family and students. There are multiple ribbon categories, with Best In Show and the 1st Place ribbons receiving monetary prizes. The opening reception includes an awards presentation (on the 5th floor, in the Freeholder meeting room) and the opportunity to meet these talented young artists in person.

Clockwise from upper left: Alicia Oh’s acrylic, Free Spirit (Montville Twp); Max Scheidl’s lost wax bronze, Cuffed (Mendham); Bella Pisano’s tissue paper and board, The Joker (Jefferson Twp); Shayna Canning’s acrylic, Enigma (Boonton); Alia Macarios’ soapstone Polar Bear (Mendham); and Coral Coad’s mixed media, Byzantine Coal (Mendham). 

Evolving from the 1988 exhibit that featured approximately 90 pieces of art, to this current, massive undertaking, the Juried Student Exhibit is unique in its democratic approach: there are no restrictions on the number of pieces a school can submit and submissions are open to public, private, parochial and home-schooled high school student artists from throughout Morris County.  Each year, hundreds of students, parents, teachers and friends attend in support of these exceptional young artists.

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday-Friday. The exhibit will run from March 31, 2017 through April 28, 2017. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org

Winter 2017 Invitational Exhibit opened January 26, 2017

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On January 26, 2017 , more than 285 highly enthusiastic individuals joined Morris Arts at the free opening reception of the special Winter Invitational Exhibit at the Atrium Art Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building on 10 Court Street in Morristown. There, they met the 34 gifted artists and viewed 143 artworks that span styles from the contemporary abstract to plein air realism, created in a variety of media including oils, cut paper, 3-D works, photography, mixed media and acrylic. 

To see the Exhibition Catalogue, click HERE.

Here are some photos from the reception:

The fifth floor captures the languid beauty of Venice in the rich, luminous oils by prize-winning and widely exhibited artist, Todd L.W. Doney (Gillette). In the fourth floor Atrium area, contemporary abstract artist Andrea Epstein (Berkeley Heights) excites the imagination with her bold colors, textures and intricate lines very much in the abstract expressionist tradition.  In the fourth floor Hallway and Elevator Lobby, Adel Gorgy’s (Baldwin, NY) series of abstract photographic works, “Meditation in Five Dimensions,” presents meditative “mandalas for the 21st century.”  His conceptual, visual, spatial construct allows the viewer to see his images as either two-dimensional or three-dimensional abstractions and challenges our perception of visual reality. Also in the fourth floor Hallway and Elevator Lobby, Marsha Solomon (Baldwin, NY) follows the tradition of classic New York Abstract Expressionism, but through her unique artistic voice.  Her works, likened to those of Robert Motherwell and Helene Frankenthaler, combine the creative force of strong gestural painting surrounding soothing contemplative passages of soft paint.  In the third floor Atrium area, acrylics, oils, and collages by award-winning Pat Brentano  (Westfield) transform the space into a paradise of greenery, heightening awareness of nature’s layers of light and the infinite gradations of color in forested landscapes.  In the 3rd floor Hallway area, New York artist Elizabeth Gregory Gruen’s “Cut Work” series is an evolving exploration of emotion initiated though free hand scalpel cut multilayered organic imagery – and yielding three dimensional geometric forms of great intricacy and spatial depth. Experiential, contemporary realist artist Charles Newman (Haddon Towne) paints en plein air (outdoors), harnessing light to evoke moods and emotions. Whether a forest scene, an industrial landscape or a domestic interior, Newman’s works are suffused with atmosphere, warmth and a sense of the moment. The second floor features an exhibit within an exhibit, curated by New Jersey photographer and Coalition trustee Dwight Hiscano, and juried by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Eliott Ruga (Senior Policy Analyst and Campaign Coordinator for the Highlands Coalition), Kristy Brucale Jach (director of Speakeasy Art Gallery in Boonton), and Anita Fickenburger (Senior Art Consultant for ArtPlus, corporate art consultants in Livingston, NJ), and judged by Alexandra Willis (Curator for the Morris Museum). The exhibit offers multiple artists an opportunity to reach a wide audience while showcasing the natural and cultural resources of the spectacular Highlands region.Most works are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues found in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5. The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm on Monday-Friday. The exhibit remains in place until March 16, 2017.

 

Atrium Gallery opened its Fall/Winter Invitational Exhibit on September 29, 2016

Don’t miss the chance to see the exciting and special Fall/Winter 2016-17 Invitational Exhibit at the Atrium Art Gallery, before it closes on January 5, 2016. The Gallery is located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building on 10 Court Street in Morristown  and open to the public Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30 and will be open on New Year’s Eve, from 7pm until midnight as part of the 25th anniversary First Night Morris County.

Visitors can enjoy seeing  the  273 artworks by 7 outstanding New Jersey/New York artists (Sean Carney, Doug DePice, Nicholas Gamarello, Cheryl Safren, Raymond Sicignano,  Gail Winbury and Etty Yaniv) and which span styles from the contemporary abstract to precise realism, created in a variety of media including oils, acrylic, pen and ink, charcoal, carved wood and mixed media on copper.

 

Click  HERE  to see the catalogue of this special exhibit.

L-R top row: Gail Winbury’s oil, Rites of  Spring; Doug DePice’s oil, Portrait of Rembrandt; Nicholas Gamarello’s acrylic on canvas, American Wolfpack; L-R middle row: Sean Carney’s wood stain and dremel on wood, Old City Hall; Raymond Sicignano’s oil, Denny’s Ice Cream; Etty Yaniv’s mixed media on paper, What Makes a Good Twit;Bottom row: Cheryl Safren’s oil on copper, Habitation 5: Rainforest.

A good friend of artist Nicholas Gamarello, Executive Chef David Martone,  added some special delicacies to the evening’s refreshments, including filet mignon with balsamic glaze and shrimp cocktail. A variety of delicious items – including fudge with homegrown lavender and German Springerle cookies, vegetables, chocolates and other delights – also graced the refreshment table.

Here are some photos from the evening’s festivities:

 

 

The fifth floor features the dramatic, brilliantly colored abstract oils by prize-winning and widely exhibited artist, Gail Winbury (Westfield). In the fourth floor Atrium area, prolific artist (and veteran teacher) Doug DePice (Secaucus), astonishes with a sampling from his vast output – with its extraordinary variety, energy, and skill. And, in the fourth floor Hallway and Elevator Lobby, internationally acclaimed Israeli born-artist Etty Yaniv (Brooklyn) shares her fluid, intriguing, almost surreal yet precise drawings and watercolors of contemporary life. With clients like Steven Spielberg, Mel Blanc, comedian David Brenner and as the subject of a feature article in the NY Times, artist Nicholas Gamarello paints on canvas and, distinctively, on leather bomber jackets, guitar cases and other unconventional media to capture the spirit of WWII fighter pilots, of heroism in and out of war, Native American themes, military history, vintage 1940s-style  pinups, classic rock stars, equestrian competitions, and other, contemporary themes. Gamarello’s works grace the third floor Atrium while the intricate depictions of landmarks, NJ streetscapes and iconic scenes, all strikingly crafted in wood (using only dremel and water based stains) by artist Sean Carney (Robbinsville), fascinate and delight the eye in the 3rd floor Hallway and Elevator Lobby. The second floor Atrium area features the stunning multimedia works by Cheryl Safren (Valley Stream, NY) which explore the intersection of science and art, utilizing paint and multimedia on copper and on canvas.  And, in the 2nd floor Hallway area, military engineer and fine artist Raymond Sicignano (Englewood) combines his talents and training in his vibrantly colored, highly detailed and precise canvases which convey his fascination with unique and rapidly vanishing streetscapes of modern urban life.

 

 

Most works are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues found in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5. The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm on Monday-Friday and will be open from 7pm-midnight at First Night Morris County on New Year’s Eve. The exhibit remains in place until January 5, 2017.

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org

 

Blackwell Street Juried Student Exhibit Marks 28th year with April 1, 2016 opening

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BEST IN SHOW, Tyler Harker's oil, Triptych

BEST IN SHOW, Tyler Harker’s oil, Triptych

 

Blackwell Street Juried Student Exhibit Marks 28th year with April 1 opening

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Sheets of rain and blustery winds did not deter the more than 400 enthusiastic people who attended the April 1, 2016 Opening Reception for the 28th annual Blackwell Street Juried Student Show at the Atrium Gallery (Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown). The young artists, their teachers, families, fans and friends as well as the general public were inspired by the extensive exhibit and the sheer talent evident at every turn. Embracing a very wide variety of media (sculpture, oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, etching, charcoal, pen and ink, graphite, photography, etc.), the artworks are a stunning tribute to the creativity, skill and passion of these young artists from throughout Morris County.

A panel of five professional artists from the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts comprises the jury selecting approximately 300 wall-hung works and 100 sculptures from nearly 800 submissions by talented high school students from throughout the County. The show is then organized, hung and administered by the all-volunteer members of the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, their friends and family and students. There will be multiple ribbon categories, with Best In Show and the 1st Place ribbons receiving monetary prizes. The opening reception includes an awards presentation (on the 5th floor, in the Freeholder meeting room) and the opportunity to meet these talented young artists in person.

Evolving from an exhibit that, in 1988, featured approximately 90 pieces of art, to this current, massive undertaking, the Juried Student Exhibit is unique in its democratic approach:  there are no restrictions on the number of pieces a school can submit and submissions are open to public, private, parochial and home-schooled high school student artists from throughout Morris County.  Each year, hundreds of students, parents, teachers and friends attend in support of these exceptional young artists.

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8:30am – 4:30pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit will run from April 1, 2016 through April 29, 2016. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org

Visual Griot, African American Exhibit by Art in the Atrium

January 29-March 16, 2016

Featured artist, Alonzo Adams

Featured artist, Alonzo Adams

Over 300 people joined Morris Arts and Art in the Atrium at January 29th’s  free public opening on January 29th – for New Jersey’s largest exhibition of African-American art, curated and assembled by Art in the Atrium. The exhibit, entitled VISUAL GRIOT, incorporated 150 artworks by 30 outstanding African American artists. At the reception, crowds flocked to hear the talk by featured artist Alonzo Adams and they enjoyed the food, music and the opportunity to purchase artworks by many of the artists in the exhibit.

Here are some photos from the opening reception:

 

 

 

And here are some photos of artwork in the exhibit:

 

Running through March 16, the exhibit is entitled Visual Griot and highlights the work of Plainfield artist Alonzo Adams, as well as works by nearly 30 outstanding local and internationally known African American artists including Lavette Ballard, Bisa Butler, Leroy Campbell, Howard Cash, Stephen B. Ellis, Leslie Floyd, April Harrison, Janice Jamison, Julio Mejia, Maceo Mitchell, Janet Taylor Pickett, Ellaree Pray; Deborah Shedrick, Sandra P. Smith, and Ceaphus Stubbs, among others.

L-R: Rosalind Nzinga Nichol’s Bouquet; Sandra P. Smith’s No Do Overs; Bisa Butler’s quilt, Benin Beautiful; Leroy Campbell’s Courtship; Deborah Shedrick’sReigning Queen #2; Janet Taylor Pickett’s And She Watches.

 

Born in 1961 in Harlem, NY and raised in Plainfield, NJ, Alonzo Adams’ passion for art was nurtured from the streets of Plainfield to the country roads of North Carolina and enriched by trips to France and Spain. He was inspired by such greats as Charles White, Henry O. Tanner, L’Hermitte, John Singer Sargent and Rembrandt.  Adams credits artist David Driskell with mentorship early in his career which helped define his ultimate direction and goals as an artist. With over 25 years as a professional award-winning artist, Adams hold a BFA from Rutgers, an MFA from University of Pennsylvania and had additional training at the Ducret School of the Arts and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. One of the first African American artists to become an Absolut Artist, Adams was featured in theBlack Romance exhibit at the Studio Museum of Harlem and three of his original oils were auctioned at Sotheby’s, with phenomenal response. He was also one of the first inductees into the Rutgers African American Alumnae Association Hall of Fame. His work is in various museum and private collections including that of Maya Angelou. Additionally, numerous publications have featured articles on Adams, including Art Business News, Black Enterprise, Images Magazine, Upscale Magazine and ESPN Magazine.

Previously, he served on the board of Plainfield NJ’s Ducret School of Art. He resides in Plainfield with his wife and two sons.

 

 

L-R: April Harrison’s Belle; Kara Rice’s Dust; detail from Janice Jamison’s quilt, Afro Princesses; Leslie Floyd’s Stanley; Charly Palmer’s Voting Booth; Ellaree Pray’s Square Biz.

Art in the Atrium’s annual exhibition is the largest of its kind in the state. “It really helps to expand people’s idea of what African-American art can be,’’ says Craig. “We have works in all mediums and genres. It’s not just figurative paintings with a mask in them.’’ The non-profit organization, Art in the Atrium, began in 1992 after Victoria Craig’s husband, attorney Charles Craig, noticed that no art works exhibited in the Morristown administration building were by African-American artists. Dedicated to exhibiting works by emerging and established black artists, Art in the Atrium is a nonprofit volunteer organization whose annual exhibit at the Atrium Gallery is now the largest of its kind in New Jersey, growing from a single floor to currently occupying 4 full floors of the County Administration & Records Building. Art in the Atrium has also expanded to include seminars, jazz brunches, collectors’ workshops and cosponsored artist residencies in the Morris School District, benefitting 200 to 500 students each year. It also awards an annual scholarship to a student artist, whose work is often exhibited in the show. For more information, visit www.artintheatrium.org.

The exhibition is made possible in part by funds from Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Fall/Winter Exhibit
October 2, 2015-January 7, 2016

 

Despite the threat of Hurricane Joaquin along with cold, rainy and windy weather, more than 75 people braved the elements to attend the October 2nd opening reception of the  Fall/Winter 2015-16 Exhibit at the Atrium Art Gallery (located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building on 10 Court Street in Morristown). In place until January 7th, 2016, the exhibit includes 141 artworks by seven highly talented professional artists. On the fifth floor, viewers can marvel at contemporary realist artist Elaine Kurie’s ability to capture texture, light and line with astounding precision and elegance in her oils while prizewinning contemporary impressionist Fran Wood’s oils and watercolors shimmer with energy and emotional connection to their subject matter. By contrast, the forceful, dramatic and vibrant oil/acrylic and mixed media paintings by Mitchell Rosenzweig splash the 4th floor with vivid color, abstract forms and highlight his three dimensional, multi-layered approach to painting. The Atrium area of the 3rd floor features Sharon Pitts’ elegantly refined, subtle hued and distinctively large-scale watercolors while, the 3rd floor Hallway area features works by photographer Peter Tilgner who creates thought-provoking photo art by merging  “the unplanned” and combining “images of everyday people, places and things into content driven images.” The 3rd floor Elevator Lobby features works by Christine Wagner, whose works feature bright basic colors, both linear geometric and fluid organic forms, and evoke both Mondrian and Miro. On the 2nd floor, Janet Boltax’s moving and penetrating series, Aging in America, features intriguing oil portraits and accompanying interviews with each painting’s subject –  capturing, in both words and images, the richness of long lives.

Here are some additional photos of the artwork and gallery spaces:

Click HERE for the catalogue of the exhibit and HERE for the flier.

Here are some photos from the opening reception

Most works are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues found in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5. The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8am-5pm on Mondays-Fridays and will be open from 7pm-midnight at First Night Morris County on New Year’s Eve. The exhibit remains in place until January 7, 2016.

2015 Spring/Summer Exhibit at Atrium Gallery
May 14 – September 11, 2015

Nina Palumbo's acrylic on canvas, Young PicassoNearly 120 people attended the opening reception for the new Spring/Summer 2015 Exhibit at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown. Featuring 245 works by  76 member artists from the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, the Contemporary Art Group, the Myhelan Artists Network, Arts Unbound and ARTsee, the exhibit showcases the creative talents of these artists working in wide variety of media (oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, pen and ink, origami, beadwork, photography, etc.). The exhibit runs through September 11, 2105.

Click HERE to view the catalogue of the exhibit.

Click HERE to read the article about the opening reception by Kevin Coughlin, Editor of MorristownGreen.com.

Here are some photos of works in the exhibit:

 

 

 

Here are some photos from the opening reception:

checking out works on the 4th and 5th floors

checking out works on the 4th and 5th floors

Artists Kim Griswold, Jean Leigh and Hema Bharadwaj

Artists Kim Griswold, Jean Leigh and Hema Bharadwaj

enjoying the art, people talking with artist John Tetz

enjoying the art, people talking with artist John Tetz

Looking at works on the 4th floor (Contemporary Art Group)

Looking at works on the 4th floor (Contemporary Art Group)

Enjoying works by Blackwell St. Center for the Arts (5th floor)

Enjoying works by Blackwell St. Center for the Arts (5th floor)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8:30am – 4:30pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit will run from May 14 through September 11, 2015. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org

Top Student Artworks at
27th Blackwell Juried Student Exhibit
March 27-April 24, 2015

small, detail of Best in Show, Rachel D'Agnilli's charcoal, Untitled (Butler)On Friday, March 27, 2015, over 450 young artists, their teachers, family and friends, along with the general public and artists attended the Opening Reception of the 27th annual Blackwell Street Juried Student Exhibit at the Atrium Gallery.  Located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown, the exhibit includes over 350 works of art by top students from approximately 20 high schools throughout Morris County and beyond. Embracing a very wide variety of media (sculpture, oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, etching, charcoal, pen and ink, graphite, photography,  etc.), the artworks are a stunning tribute to the creativity, skill and passion of these young artists.

Mary Ann St. Jacques, a Photography and 3D Design teacher at Madison High School, commented: “My students, their parents, and I all had a wonderful evening. I saw so many students from opposing schools complementing each other’s work and talking about their projects and inspiration. It was a great forum for young artists to see the importance of collaboration and exposure to different techniques and approaches to similar projects…My kids are already brainstorming for next year!”

A panel of five professional artists from the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts comprises the jury selecting approximately 350 works from nearly 800 submissions by talented high school students from throughout the County. The show was then organized, hung and administered by the all-volunteer members of the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, their friends and family. There were multiple ribbon categories, with Best In Show and the 1st Place ribbons receiving monetary prizes. The opening reception included an awards presentation (on the 5th floor, in the Freeholder meeting room), music, food,  and the opportunity to meet these talented young artists in person.

Above: Best in Show: Butler HS student Rachel D’Agnilli’s charcoal, Untitled. 

Evolving from an exhibit that, in 1988, featured approximately 90 pieces of art, to this current, massive undertaking, the Juried Student Show is unique in its democratic approach:  there are no restrictions on the number of pieces a school can submit and submissions are open to public, private, parochial and home-schooled high school student artists from throughout Morris County.  Each year, hundreds of students, parents, teachers and friends attend in support of these exceptional young artists.

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8:30am – 4:30pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit will run from March 27 through April 24, 2015. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org

 

Kendra Nola's oil, Hot & ColdSmall, NIcole Ramirez's scratchboard, Reflection (Madison)small, Sara Cecere's mixed media Shark Week (Mendham)

 

L-R: Nicole Ramirez’s scratchboard work, Reflections (Madison); Sarah Cecere’s mixed media, Shark Week (Mendham); Garrett Temple’s ceramic work, Soft and Hard (Roxbury).

small, Maureen Shelley oil, Na Pali Coast (Mendham)

small, Olivia Kuchta's charcoal and chalk pastel work, Cold Feet (Morris Knolls)small, Carlo Zarro's stoneware and high fire glaze, Carl's Rhino (small, Maggie Walter's acrylic, Super Moon in Dublin (Mendham)small, Elizabeth Davalos' collage, Antiquities (Mt. Olive)

 

 

 

 

L-R: Maureen Shelley’s oil, Na Pali Coast (Mendham); Oliva Kuchta’s charcoal and chalk pastel work, Cold Feet (Morris Knolls); Carlo Zarro’s stoneware & high fire glaze, Carl’s Rhino (Randolph); Maggie Walter’s acrylic, Super Moon in Dublin (Mendham); Elizabeth Davalos’ collage, Antiquities (Mt. Olive).

small, Kendra Nolan's oil, Hot and Cold (Jefferson Twp).small, Lauren Bromley's oil, En Grisaille (Mendham)small, Jordan Seagrave's watercolor & Graphite, After Duchampssmall,Rosa Chang's acrylic, The Need for Restraint (Mt. Olive)small, Danielle Winkler's pencil work, Untitled (Butler)

 

 

 

 

L-R: Kendra Nola’s oil, Hot & Cold (Butler); Lauren Bromley’s oil,En Grisaille (Mendham);Jordan Seagrave’s watercolor & graphite,After Duchamps (Roxbury); Rosa Chang’s acrylic,The Need for Restraint(Mt. Olive); Danielle Winkler’s pencil work Untitled (Butler).

Below, L-R: Miu Sakamoto’s scratchboard work, Life (Mountain Lakes); Maxwell Creager’s ballpoint, Picasso meets Vermeer (Mendham); Jennifer Cappuccio’s paper mache sculpture, Drops of Hope (Montville Township); Brooke Downe’s oil, Courtney (Mountain Lakes); Julia Penny’s pastel, Rotten Fruit (Academy of St. Elizabeth).

small, Miu Sakamoto's scratchboard, Life (Mt. Lakes)

small, Maxwell Creager's ballpoint, Picasso meets Vermeer (Mendham)

small, Jennifer Cappuccio's paper mache, Drops of Hope (Montville Twp)

small, Brooke Downes' oil, Courtney (Mt. Lakes)

small, Julia Penny's pastel, Rotten Fruit (Academy of St. Elizabeth)

 

 

 

 

 

Photos from the Opening Reception:

IMG_9261

IMG_9264

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best in show artist Rachel D’Agnilli (middle) with the winning artwork and her parents; The Blackwell Street Center for the Arts artists who do the “heavy lifting” for this show – L-R: Dave Gruol, Peggy Dressel, Annette Hannah, Elaine Provost and Roy Provost.

Below: Some of the crowds at the Opening Reception; Standing room only at the award ceremony:

 

 

African American Art Exhibit, Ancient Rhythms Remixed, opened January 23rd

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squared Bisa Butler quilt, The Radiant OneOn January 23rd, over 200 people attended the free public opening of New Jersey’s largest exhibition of African-American art, curated and assembled by Art in the Atrium held at the Atrium Gallery, floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration & Records Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown, NJ.

Running through March 15, the exhibit is entitled “Ancient Rhythms Remixed” and features the work of West Orange fine art quilter Bisa Butler, as well as works by more than 20 additional prominent black artists including Alonzo Adams, James Denmark, Janet Taylor Pickett, Maceo Mitchell, Leroy Campbell, Deborah Willis, Dwight Carter, Barbara Bullock and Norman Lewis, among others.

Above: Bisa Butler’s quilt, The Radiant One

Influenced by her mother’s and grandmother’s love of fabric art, featured artist Butler switched from painting to fabric and developed new techniques and approaches to fine art quilt making. A formally trained artist, cum laude graduate of Howard University (BFA) with an MA in teaching from Montclair State, Butler studied the works of Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold and Henry O. Tanner and tapped into quilting traditions such as evoking memories by using fabrics belonging to loved ones, utilizing patterns to transmit news or messages (used during slavery) and creating innovative designs to produce painterly, modernist portraits of figures like Josephine Baker, Nelson Mandela, Marvin Gaye and Jean-Michael Basquiat.  In Butler’s hands, fabric communicates emotion, heritage, and beauty. Her art has been exhibited at both the Smithsonian and Epcott Center in Disney World.

“Bisa’s pieces appeal to many different audiences and because they are created from fabric, it gives the show added texture,’’ says Victoria Craig, director of administration for Art in the Atrium.

Art in the Atrium’s school arts program, which is tied to the show, will also take on an added dimension when Butler, a teacher in the Newark public school system, visits classrooms in advance of the show to help children appreciate the experience of seeing an art exhibition. In the past, artists spoke with children after their trip.

Art in the Atrium’s annual exhibition is the largest of its kind in the state. “It really helps to expand people’s idea of what African-American art can be,’’ says Craig. “We have works in all mediums and genres. It’s not just figurative paintings with a mask in them.’’

Here are some photos from the exhibit and from the opening reception:

The non-profit organization Art in the Atrium began in 1992 after Victoria Craig’s husband, attorney Charles Craig, noticed that none of the art works exhibited in the Morristown administration building were by African-American artists. Dedicated to exhibiting works by emerging and established black artists, Art in the Atrium is a nonprofit volunteer organization whose annual exhibit at the Atrium Gallery is now the largest of its kind in New Jersey, growing from a single floor to currently occupying 4 full floors of the County Administration & Records Building. Art in the Atrium has also expanded to include seminars, jazz brunches, collectors’ workshops and also cosponsors artist residencies in the Morris School District, benefitting 200 to 500 students each year. It also awards an annual scholarship to a student artist, whose work is often exhibited in the show. For more information, visit www.artintheatrium.org.

The exhibition is made possible in part by funds from Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

 FALL/WINTER Exhibit 2014-15

September 19, 2014 – January 7, 2015

cfrias_honeycomb

Approximately 200 people joined Morris Arts on Friday, September 19, 2014,  at the free Opening Reception for the show at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown.

Embracing a wide variety of subject matter (contemporary, cyperpunk, veteran experiences, African motifs, etc.) and media (oil, acrylic, cement, glass, crystals, electronic components, paper made from military uniforms, etc.), the  artworks highlight the creative energies of 36 artists whose 191 works are displayed on the four floors of the Gallery. Organically inspired, vividly colored paintings by Carlos Frias grace the fifth floor along with the powerfully dynamic impasto oils by Chris Kappmeier.  Highly varied and intricate contemporary works in multiple media by Seven X Seven (from the Power of ElevenArts Collective, including artists Pauline Chernichaw, Penny Dell, Sandra Frech, Alice Harrison, Valerie Mankoff, Nancy Egol Nikkal, andRuth Bauer Neustadter) occupy the fourth floor. The PO7/11 artists will also hold a participatory Q&A program at 7pm on the night of the opening, on the 4th floor.

Above: Carlos Frias’ work, Honeycomb.

L-R:Chris Kappmeier’s oil, C.P.Yangs, NYC; Alice Harrison’s collage, Your Story 1; Ruth Bauer Neustadter’s multimedia work, Primus.

The third floor atrium and elevator lobby areas features prints by Combat Paper, showcasing powerful artworks by 25 veterans ( from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan) who express their combat experiences through various printmaking processes (lino-cuts, silkscreens, etc.) which print images onto “combat paper” (paper handmade from soldier/artists’ military uniforms). John Tetz’ inspired, O-themed “feather piece” mobile floats in the stairwell between third and fourth floors. The third floor hallway features the intensely colorful and vibrant, African-inspired works by partner artists Béatrice
Lebreton (French) and Ibou Ndoye(Senegalese), including works from their Elementiks series (pictorially representing Air, Earth, Water and Fire) as well as Ndoye’s intricate, traditional /contemporary Senegalese reverse paintings on glass. The dramatic contemporary, cyberpunk oils on steel (with electronic components and crystals) paintings, drawings and paintings on canvas by Michael Hannafill the second floor.

 

 

 

 

L-R: Jim Fallon’s silkscreen on combat paper, Orphan’s Opus ’68; Chris Arendt’s silkscreen on combat paper,  How to Make Combat Paper; Béatrice Lebreton’s painting, Earth I; Michael Hanna’s oil on steel, electronic components and crystals, Hydra Crane.

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8:30am –4:30pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit will run through January 7, 2015.

Click HERE to see the catalogue for this show.

Click HERE  to see Ralph Bellantoni’s article on the exhibit from the Daily Record’s TGIF and HERE  for post-opening writeup from MorristownGreen.com. 

For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org.

Most works are available for sale, with details and pricing provided in the free catalogues found in the elevator lobby areas on floors 2-5. The Atrium Art Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, 8:30am-4:30pm on Mondays-Fridays and will be open from 7pm-midnight at First Night Morris County on New Year’s Eve. The exhibit remains in place until January 7, 2015.

L-R: Beatrice Lebreton’s work Air 10 fromthe series, Elementiks; Ibou Ndoye’s work Fire- IN from the series Elementiks; Combat Paper, print; Michael Hanna’s oil on steel, Unrestrained Essence.

 

 Spring/Summer 2014 Exhibit

May 16-September 2, 2014

On Friday, May 16, 2014, crowds flocked to the opening of the Spring/Summer 2014 Exhibit  at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown.

Embracing a wide variety of subject matter (landscapes, abstracts, portraits, etc.) and media (oil, acrylic, photography, textiles, wood, etc.), the artworks highlight the creative energies of 93 artists whose 242 works are displayed on the four floors of the Gallery. Works by members of the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts grace the 5th floor atrium area while works by members of the Art Association in Roxbury occupy the seating area and elevator lobby of the 5th floor and the entire 4th floor.  Viewers can enjoy artworks by members of the Myhelan Artists Network on the 3rd floor and art by members of the Contemporary Art Group displayed on the 2nd floor.

Left: Linda Lam’s oil, Orchid.

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8am – 5pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit will run from May 16, 2014 through September 2, 2014.

L-R:  Liza Smith-Simpson’s acrylic, Flight Paths II; Bob Sharen’s digital photomanipulation, Crone; Mef Gannon’s  art quilt/bead embroidery, Third Eye Dance; Kristina Lloyd’s photo, Make a Wish; Linda Aldrich’s egg tempera, Summer Kitchen.

L-R: Diane Gallo’s pastel, The Dancer; Gail Mardfin’s acrylic, Midnight Tulips; Maxine King’s Sumi Ink & Wash, Remembrance;  Dolores Bruzzi’s acrylic, Roman Villa; Dorothy Siclare’s oil, Let’s Tango .

Click HERE for the catalogue of the show.

For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org.

 

26th Blackwell Street Juried Student Exhibit

March 28-April 29, 2014

On Friday, Marche 28, 2014, from 8:30-9pm, over 400 people attended the Opening Reception for the 26th Annual Blackwell Street Juried Student Exhibit at the Atrium Gallery,  located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown. Embracing a very wide variety of media (sculpture, oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, drypoint etching, charcoal, pen and ink, graphite, photography, etc.), the artworks are a stunning tribute to the creativity, skill and passion of these young artists from throughout Morris County.

A panel of five professional artists (Elaine Provost, David Gruol, Annette Hanna, Linda Aldrich, John Power – with help from Roy Provost)  from the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts comprises the jury selecting approximately 300 works from nearly 650 submissions by talented high school students from throughout the County. The show is then organized, hung and administered by the all-volunteer members of the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, their friends and family.  There were multiple ribbon categories, with Best In Show and the 1st Place ribbons receiving monetary prizes. The opening reception included an awards presentation (on the 5th floor, in the Freeholder meeting room) and the opportunity to meet these talented young artists in person.

Above:  Best in Show, Joy Liu’s acrylic, April Rain (Mountain Lakes)

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L-R: Aliston Duerwald’s pastel wash on board, Delicious ( Mendham); Katherine Lathrop’s oil, Sargent McQueen (Mendham); Tori Fessenden’s egg tempera, Tori; Michelle Mueller’s oil, David (Roxbury).

L-R: Joy Liu’s acrylic, The Starving Artist (Mountain Lakes); Ella Cusano’s paper and wood, Ballando Con Le Colori (Mendham); Sam Baker’s mixed media, Junkbot (Parsippany Hills); Taylor Hempstead’s acrylic, Step into my Shoes (Academy of St. Elizabeth).

 

L-R: Gabby Petrocelli’s ballpoint pen work, Rejected (Raphael meets Tim Burton) (Mendham); Peter Testa’s clay and glaze, Aldun (Roxbury); Danielle Winkler’s colored pencil, Untitled (Butler); Meghan Cooper’s bronze, Cephalopod (Mendham).

Evolving from an exhibit that, in 1988, featured approximately 90 pieces of art,  to this current, massive undertaking, the Juried Student Show is unique in its democratic approach:  there are no restrictions on the number of pieces a school can submit and submissions are open to public, private, parochial and home-schooled high school student artists from throughout Morris County.  Each year, hundreds of students, parents, teachers and friends attend in support of these exceptional young artists.

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8am – 5pm on Mondays-Fridays. Free parking is provided during the reception in the garage underneath the building (accessed via Schuyler Place). The exhibit will run from March 28 through April29, 2014. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org

 

Hot off the press: Photos from the Opening Reception:

 

L-R: Best in Show artist Joy Liu with her mom in front of April Rain; SRO crowds at award ceremony; Blackwell St. artists Annette Hanna and David Gruol, two of the organizers of the exhibit; more crowds viewing artwork; Blackwell Street Center for the Arts organizers of the exhibit, Linda Aldrich, Dave Gruol, John Power, Roy Provost, Annette Hanna, and head of it all, Elaine Provost.

L-R: Crowds viewing the exhibit, on stairs and hallways; Mendham HS student Meghan Cooper with some of her prizewinning bronze sculptures; more crowds.

Art in the Atrium’s 22nd African American Exhibit

“Your Crown is Bought and Paid For”


January 24-March 14, 2014 

Over 200 people attended the Opening Reception for the 22nd annual African American Art Show and Sale presented by Morris Arts’ grantee, Art in the Atrium, Inc. on January 24th, 2014 from 5-9pm. Located on floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration & Records Building, this year’s exhibit features renowned artist, James Denmark, whose collages, watercolors and woodcuts are in high demand throughout the art world and are found  in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A delightful and inspiring evening, the opening reception offered a chance to meet artists, view the art, hear James Denmark’s inspiring remarks (captured in Kevin Coughlin’s  MorristownGreen.com article), enjoy the DJ’s music, and sample a delicious buffet (catered by Martin Little Catering and graciously served by Delta Sigma Theta alumnae)!

Celebrating the civil rights struggle and commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, this exhibit runs from January 24th through March 14th. The title of the exhibition, is “Your Crown has Been Bought and Paid For…..,’’ a quote from African-American author James Baldwin. The second line is “… All you have to do it wear it.’’

 “The theme celebrates the struggles we’ve been through and the efforts of civil rights workers,” says Victoria Craig, director of administration for Art in the Atrium.

Watercolors and collages by the exhibition’s featured artist, James Denmark of South Carolina, fill the entire 5th floor. Works by nearly 30 other top African-American artists, including Leroy Campbell, Maceo Mitchell, Bisa Butler, Janet Taylor Pickett, Sandra Smith, Dwight Carter and Alonzo Adams,  fill floors 2-4. Additionally, this year’s show features the works of Andre Woolery, a Morristown High School graduate, who was named one of 40 African-American Artists to Watch in 2014 by the MSNBC website,theGrio.com, which features news for African-Americans. Works by Newark artist Jerry Gant, who is also on theGrio.com‘s list, are included in the exhibit as well.

Art in the Atrium’s annual exhibition, which showcases the work of African-American artists, is the largest of its kind in New Jersey. “It really helps to expand people’s idea of what African-American art can be,” says Craig. “We have works in all mediums and genres. It’s not just figurative paintings with a mask in them.” The non-profit organization began in 1992 after Craig’s husband, attorney Charles Craig, noticed that none of the art work exhibited in the Morris County Administration building was by African-American artists. Art in the Atrium was formed to mount an exhibition of black artists and has expanded to include other events such as seminars, jazz brunches and collectors’ workshops. The first exhibition was held on the second floor, but now, art work is displayed throughout the building.

In addition to its other programs, Art in the Atrium co-sponsors artist residencies in the Morris School District that benefit between 200 to 500 students each year. It also awards an annual scholarship to a student artist, whose work is often exhibited in the show.

Above: James Denmark’s Sheer Elegance.

James Denmark
James Denmark was born in Winter Haven, Florida on March 23, 1936 into a family of Artists. He was exposed to color and form at an early age by his grandmother, a wire sculptor and quilt artist, by his grandfather, a bricklayer noted for his unique custom design molds and his mother who was gifted with an intuitive feeling for design and a fastidiousness for detail which she expressed in all aspects of her daily life. This rich beginning is the root of James Denmark’s creative expression.

He attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida on a sports scholarship. While pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Art at FAMU, Denmark came under the tutelage of the artist and acclaimed African-American art historian, Dr. Samella Lewis, who exposed him to great traditions and accomplishments of the African-American art movement. After graduating from FAMU, Denmark moved to Brooklyn and began a career as an art teacher in the public school system.

From 1973 to 1976, Denmark earned his Master of Fine Art Degree at the prestigious Pratt Institute of Fine Art in New York. While at Pratt, Denmark met and was nurtured by an immensely talented community of artists. During this period he was heavily influenced by such abstract expressionists as Jackson Pollack, Clifford Still, Willem de Kooning. The African-American Masters Norman Lewis, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and Ernest Crichlow instilled in him an appreciation of his African-American artistic heritage. He began experimenting with collage. Prior to this period, he worked primarily in watercolors and charcoal.

Denmark has a natural affinity for the difficult and largely improvisational medium of collage and quickly developed his own unique and easily identifiable style. With brightly hand colored papers, found papers, fabric and objects, Denmark creates compositions that go beyond the superficial and transitory and focuses, instead, on what is eternal and universal.

Denmark’s collages, watercolors, woodcuts and reproductions are consistently and eagerly sought after by galleries and collectors worldwide. His level of acclaim is reflected in the number of prestigious collections in which is works are represented most notable that of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

James and his wife, Ethel now enjoy living in rural Yemassee, South Carolina.

Denmark’s website ~ http://lowcountryartshop.com/

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8am – 5pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit will run from January 24 – March 14, 2014.   For additional information about the show, visit www.artintheatrium.org or contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org.

Reception photos: 

L-R: Artists and their works: James Denmark with Midnight Session; Bisa Butler with her art quilt, inawordfab; Jerry Gant  with his work, Metal with Red Hat (photo by Kevin Coughlin, MorristownGreen.com).

L-R: Stephen Ellis with his painting of Serena Williams (photo by Kevin Coughlin, MorristownGreen.com); Ceaphus Stubbs with his work, Sincerely Deceitful (photo by Kevin Coughlin, MorristownGreen.com); Andre Woolery’s painting, Ali (Trust the Code).

L-R: Amira Feldman with her mom, Morristown Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman; Fascinated crowd at James Denmark’s presentation; Art in the Atrium Organizer Viki Craig with her granddaughter Victoria Charleigh and daugher Simone.

L-R: Kimmy Cantrell’s sculpture, What If? Bisa Butler’s art quilt, Paris is Burning, for Josephine Baker; Leroy Campbell’s Wisdom; James Denmark’s Royal Heritage.

Media Coverage:

http://morristowngreen.com/2014/01/27/feed-your-eyes-sage-advice-from-morristowns-art-in-the-atrium-show/ 

http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014301240023

http://newjerseyhills.com/entertainment/new-exhibit-in-morristown-celebrates-civil-rights-struggle/article_32d52e88-8527-11e3-a98e-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=jqm

http://newjerseyhills.com/morris_news_bee/news/african-american-art-show-in-morristown-reception-jan/article_ca1b94dc-7a3f-11e3-bfee-001a4bcf887a.html

http://morristowngreen.com/2014/01/22/art-in-the-atrium-celebrates-civil-rights-struggle-with-exhibition-jan-24//

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/nyregion/events-in-new-jersey-for-jan-19-25-2014.html?_r=0

http://morristown.patch.com/groups/events/p/art-in-the-atrium-opening-reception

http://livemorristown.wordpress.com/

http://www.topix.com/wire/city/morristown-nj

http://njmonthly.com/events/29307.html

http://macdst.org/calendar/

Atrium Gallery Reopens

FALL/WINTER 2013-14 EXHIBIT: 10/25/13-1/7/14

Opening Reception, October 25th

After closing for renovations all spring and summer, the Atrium Gallery is back with a dramatic Fall/Winter 2013-14 Exhibit, located on Floors 3-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown.

Left: Marsha Solomon’s acrylic, Tunnels in the Wood.

Embracing a wide variety of subject matter (landscapes, abstracts, portraits, etc.) and media (oil, acrylic, photography, “found object” installations, etc.), the artworks highlight the creative energies of 4 select artists 118 of whose works now appear on the  top three  floors of the Gallery. Dramatically vibrant oils by Karen Lundquist grace the 5th floor while a host of brilliantly colored abstracts and realist/figurative acrylic works by prizewinning artist Marsha Solomon occupy the 4th floor. On the 3rd floor, viewers will find Rebecca Zagoory’s powerful and striking architectural and fine art photographs.  The creative and whimsical “found object” figurative sculptures and installations by award-winning artist Suprina were recently removed from the 2nd floor  for courthouse security reasons but they are available in a “virtual exhibit” – via YouTube videos HERE. (Additionally, a portion of the sculptures are on exhibit at Gallery Aferro in Newark for the first portion of November.)

L-R:Karen Lundquist oil, July Afternoon in the Garden; Rebecca Zagoory’s  photograph, Inside the Harp; Suprina’s sculpture, Toupée; Marsha Solomon’s acrylic, Still Life in Venetian Red.

Here are some additional photos:

 

L-R:  View of the 4th and 5th floor exhibits (Solomon and Lundquist art respectively);  view of oils by Karen Lundquist – on 5th floor; 2 views of sculptures by Suprina on the 2nd floor, before removal; visitors examining photographs by Rebecca Zagoory.

 

L-R: The artists: Photographer  Rebecca Zagoory answers questions about her work;  Karen Lundquist in front of her oil, Redeemer; sculptor Suprina with videotaped “virtual exhibit” showing her sculpture, Seduction; Photographer Rebecca Zagoory with her photograph of Grand Central Station, entitled The Grand Hall; Michela  Musolino, Adel  and Mary Gorgy, the artist Marsha Solomon and Dr. Virginia Butera.

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8am – 5pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit will run from October 25, 2013 through January 7, 2014.  It will be open on the evening of December 31, 2012, from 7pm-midnight, for First Night Morris County.

Click HERE to see the catalogue for the exhibit.

For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for the Arts Council of the Morris Area, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org.

 

 

Blackwell St. Juried Student Exhibit celebrates 25th year with March 22nd opening

On Friday, March 22, 2013 nearly 400 people attended  the Opening Reception for the 25th annual Blackwell Street Juried Student Show at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown. Embracing a very wide variety of media (sculpture, oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, drypoint etching, charcoal, pen and ink, graphite, photography, etc.), the hunreds of artworks are a stunning tribute to the creativity, skill and passion of these young artists from throughout Morris County.

 Left: Cara Peslak’s ceramic piece, Luna Sol.

A panel of five professional artists from the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts (led by Elaine Provost, Dave Gruol and Annette Hanna) comprises the jury. This year, they had the daunting task of  selecting 415 works from 759  submissions by talented students drawn from 20 high schools  from throughout the County. The show was then organized, hung and administered by the all-volunteer members of the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, their friends and family. There were 16 ribbon categories, with Best In Show and the 1st Place ribbons receiving monetary prizes. The opening reception included an awards presentation (on the 5th floor, in the Freeholder meeting room) and the opportunity to meet these talented young artists in person.

L-R: Kramer Campisano’s oil, A Deeper Look On Life (Mountain Lakes HS); Leandra DeVito’s earthenware clay, glaze work, Octopus (Jefferson Township HS); Sarah Berek’s  acrylic-watercolor-marker,Tree Pangolin (Mount Olive HS); ;Kyuri Park’s pencil work, Inside the Cathedral (Montville Township);Sydney Prusso’s mixed media Manhattan Matrix (Morristown).

Evolving from an exhibit that, in 1988, featured approximately 90 pieces of art, to this current, massive undertaking, the Juried Student Show is unique in its democratic approach:  there are no restrictions on the number of pieces a school can submit and submissions are open to public, private, parochial and home-schooled high school student artists from throughout Morris County.  Each year, hundreds of students, parents, teachers and friends attend in support of these exceptional young artists.

L-R: Best in Show, Meghan Cooper’s bronze, Cirque Acrobat (Mendham HS); Emily Niehoff’s oil, Untitled (Mendham HS); Mary Bond’s oil, Marie Calloway (Mendham HS); Michael Aromondo’s acrylic Self Portrait (Mendham HS).

 

L-R: Ashley Weber’s stoneware Fairy Tale Fish (Randolph HS); Juliana Balluffi-Fry’s scratch board piece, Peacock (Mountain Lakes HS); Caitlin Cavanaugh’s oil, Still Life (Mendham HS); Tom Geannakakes’ mixed media painting, Unicorn Self Portrait (Randolph HS).

Scenes from the opening reception, March 22nd…

L-R: Student artists, parents, teachers and families showed up in force for the opening of this exhibit; Elaine Provost presents awards; closeup of Elaine Provost, one of professional artists of the Blackwell St. Center for the Arts who heads the yearly efforts for this outstanding exhibit.

L-R:  Best in Show winner Meghan Cooper (Mendham HS), with her bronze, Cirque Acrobat; more young award winners with their ceramic works; 1st place in pencil drawing winner Ashley Granato (Whippany Park HS) in front of her work; a wall of  beribboned art;.

Morris Arts manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8am – 5pm on Mondays-Fridays. Free parking is provided during the reception in the garage underneath the building (accessed via Schuyler Place). This new exhibit will run from March 22 through April 26, 2013. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org

 

Art in the Atrium’s 21st African-American Art Exhibit
January 25-March 8, 2013:

On Friday, January 25, 2013, nearly 150 members of the public attended the free Opening Reception for the 21st Art in the Atrium African-American Art Exhibit entitled “Generation Next” at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown. The featured artist,  Janet Taylor Pickett, whose works are on display on the 5th floor,  gave a talk as part of the evening’s festivities. Many of the artists whose 183 works are on display were available to meet the public and discuss their art.

Distinguished guests attending the festivities included U.S. Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen along with members of the arts community including Tom Werder, Executive Director of Morris Arts.

Left: Featured artist Janet Taylor Pickett’s Patterns of Memory (fabric, acrylic & collage on canvas).

Embracing a wide variety of subject matter and media (oil, acrylic, collage, photography, fabric, multimedia, etc.), the artworks highlight the creative energies of over 30 artists drawn from throughout the United States, including  Alonzo Adams, Peter Ambush, Indira Bailey, Terry Boddie, Bisa Butler,Lynn Cabbell, Leroy Campbell, Ray Clark, Jacqueline Collier, Viki Craig, Jerry Gant, Keidra Hoskins, Marian Howard, Cassandra Jennings Hall, Glenda Jones, Oliver Lake, Thomas Malloy, Ray Mobley, Rosalind Nzinga Nichol, Wannetta Philllips, Cephas Stubbs, Sandra Smith, Janet Taylor Pickett, Gwen Verner, and Bisa Washington, among others.

Art in the Atrium, Inc. (ATA) is a nonprofit, volunteer arts organization that has proudly exhibited African-American fine art in many venues throughout northern New Jersey since its founding in 1992 by Charles and Victoria Craig.

 

L-R:Janet Taylor Pickett’s acrylic on canvas, Spring Rain; Janet Taylor Pickett’s acrylic on wood panel, White Tulips;  Bisa Butler’s artquilt, Afrodite.

L-R: Leroy Campbell’s Night Stroll; Rosalind Nzinga Nichol’s fabric work, The Day it Rained Butterflies; Ray Mobley’s Untitled.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some shots from the January 25th, 2013 reception:

L-R: Indira Bailey with her painting, Marketplace; Cephas Stubbs with Pilgrimage 2011;  artist Keidra Hoskins with her daughter Olivia; Bisa Butler with her quilt, Afrodite; B. Curtis Grayson with Rhythm of the Drum; Janet Taylor Pickett with Roots of Intention and Desire.

 

 

 

 

L-R: Delicious buffet service; Lauren Craig, Viki Craig and Janet Taylor Pickett; Former Executive Director of the Morris Museum, Steve Miller with his wife.

 

 

 

 

 

L-R: Viki Craig with Congressman Frelinghuysen and Morris Arts Executive Director Tom Werder; The Carcich Family; Crowd attending the Pickett talk.

Morris Arts  manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8am – 5pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit will run from January 25-March 8, 2013.  For additional information about the show, visit www.artintheatrium.org or contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for Morris Arts, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org.

Fall/Winter 2012-13 Exhibit  Sept. 28, 2012- January 11, 2013

On Friday, September 28, 2012, approximately 150 people attended  the Fall/Winter 2012 Exhibit at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown.

Left: Detail from intricate embroidery,Flowers in the Window, by Natalia Margulis.

Embracing a wide variety of subject matter (landscapes, portraits, abstracts, etc.) and media (oil, acrylic, collage, photography, fabric/embroidery, etc.), the artworks highlighted the creative energies of 12 artists whose 260 works are displayed on the four floors of the Gallery.

 On the fifth floor, the exquisitely detailed seascapes of Dennis Joseph Yanoski shared space with the intriguing, atmospheric multi-media oils of Robert Gagauf. The fifth floor stairwell featured colorful art quilts by Victoria C. Craig and Wannetta Phillips of Javiwa & Jo while the elevator lobby included a continuation of the photo/painting, joint exhibition by Laurie Harden and Pam Hasegawa which began on the second floor.

L-R: Dorrie Rifkin’s watercolor, Da Subway-168 Street, Bronx, NY; Dennis Joseph Yanoski oil, Before Irene; Pam Hasegawa photo, Ethiopian Man;  Robert Gagauf oil, Sin City.

L-R: Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern’s oil, Booty; Nina Nemeth’s liquid acrylic/collage, Into the Day;Laurie Harden’s oil, Warrior;Jyoti Godhani’s rendition of Georgia O’Keefe’s Oriental Poppies; art quilt by Victoria C. Craig.

 The fourth floor featured the brilliant cityscape watercolors of Dorrie Rifkin and vibrant landscapes and portraits in fluid acrylic/collage and drawing by Nina Nemeth. In the third floor Atrium area, Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern’s sly humor abounded in her silkscreens and oils while the Hallway area featured the exquisitely detailed and intricate embroidered “paintings” by renowned Russian-born fabric artist Natalia Margulis. Artist Jyoti Godhani filled the third floor elevator lobby with “fabulous fakes”…her excellent renditions of classic works by Van Gogh, O’Keefe, Renoir and Munch. On the second floor, Around the World: Memorable Faces and Less-Traveled Places was the subject of the joint photo/painting exhibit by photographer Pam Hasegawa and painter Laurie Harden (which also continues in the elevator lobby of the fifth floor). In the atrium stairwell area between the second and third floors, John Tetz’s showed his fascinating mobiles, Feather Pieces and wall-mounted Totems.

Click on  Fall-Winter Exhibit, 2012-13 catalogue to see the full catalogue of the exhibit.

The exhibit ran from September 28, 2012 through January 11, 2013.  It was  open on the evenings of December 14, from 5-8pm, for Art Around the Park and on December 31, 2012, from 7pm-midnight, for First Night Morris County. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for the Arts Council of the Morris Area, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org.

Spring/Summer Exhibit runs from May 18-Sept. 5, 2012

Running from May 18-Sept. 5, 2012, the Spring/Summer 2012 Exhibit at the Atrium Gallery was located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown.

L-R: Carol Manochio’s oil, 42nd St. Evening Rush; detail from Theresa Kubert’s watercolor, Flower Girls; Linda Aldrich’s colored pen/ink, Reclamation; Nora Winn’s watercolor, Tricycle.

Embracing a very wide variety of subject matter (landscapes, portraits, abstracts, sculpture, etc.) and media (oil, acrylic, collage, photography, pen and ink, mixed media, etc.), the artworks highlighted the creative energies of artists whose 217 works were displayed on the four floors of the Gallery. On the fifth floor, the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts showcased 43 works by artists Linda Aldrich, Peggy Dressell, David Gruol, Mary Guidetti, Annette Hanna, John Power, Joe Terrone, and Nora Winn.

L-R: Details from Virginia Puskar’s watercolor, Rockland View; Pat Albee’s mixed media, Mushrooms; Susan Kadar’s oil, Storm Warnings over Normandy; Joe Wallace’s photo, Tell Me a Story.

On the third and fourth floors, the Art Association in Roxbury presented 103 works by artists Pat Albee, Marjorie Barrett, Dolores Bruzzi, Carol Campbell, Martin Chapkosky, Jean Davidson, Dee DeJuilio, Jerily DeWorken, Elmer Dey, Dorothy Fleming, Theresa Fleming, Terri Forester, Joseph Gilligan, Caroline Goldsmith, Rose M. Goldstein, Connie Lucas Halliwell, Nina Harlan, Daniel Herczak, Susan Kadar, June Knopf, Theresa Kubert, Donna Kusama, Annette Lange, Ruth Long, Anastasia Mancuso, Rose Mandala, Carol Manochio, Linda Olinger, Karen Paz, Jack Quinn, Lorraine Robertson, Leina’ala Schwartz, Doris Schwindt, Joyce Sciacca, Liza J. Smith-Simpson, Wendy Stamer, Roberta Tarnacki, Antoinette Troy, Norman Volz, Joe Wallace, and Joan Winter. The second floor featured 71 works by member artists of the Myhelan Artists Network, including art by Judi Case, Elmer Dey, Buel Ecker, Holly Fazelat, Abi Fellows, Mef Gannon, Kim Griswold, Kathleen Kirchner, Jean Leigh, Kristina Lloyd, Parvathi Kumar, Gail Mardfin, Sher Weston Stec, Shirley Supp, John Tetz,  Marianne Trent. In the atrium stairwell area between the second and third floors,  artist John Tetz’s fascinating mobiles, Feather Pieces and wall-mounted Totems were on display.

L-R: Shirley Supp’s acrylic on canvas on Indian Rug, The Ancestors: Elmer Dey’s mixed media, Rainbow Connection; detail from Mef Gannon’s mixed media art quilt, She Dreams; Gail Mardfin’s acrylic, Day Lilies in the Garden.

 

 

 

 

 

At the opening on May 31st, viewers enjoyed refreshments and the chance to meet many of the artists.

Click on MorristownGreen.com for additional coverage of the opening reception, with brief interviews of artists John Tetz, Annette Hanna and Sher Weston Stec in front of their works.

The Arts Council of the Morris Area manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8am – 5pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit will run from May 18 through September 5, 2012. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for the Arts Council of the Morris Area, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org.

24th Annual Blackwell Street Juried Student Show ran from  March 30th to May 11, 2012

On Friday, March 30, 2012, hundreds of  young artists, art teachers and parents attended the Opening Reception for the 24th annual Blackwell Street Juried Student Show at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown. Embracing a very wide variety of media (sculpture, oil, acrylic, collage, multimedia, drypoint etching, charcoal, pen and ink, graphite, photography, etc.), the artworks are a stunning tribute to the creativity, skill and passion of these young artists from throughout Morris County.

L-R: Jae Huyn Cho’s book-foamcore-rope and glue piece, Information Pirates (Roxbury); Paulo Carandang’s acrylic, In the Fast Lane (Mt. Olive); Best In Show, Mike Kwilos’ etching, Reaching Heaven (Delbarton); Kathleen McGlynn’s acrylic, Jamie (Morris Knolls).  

  A panel of five professional artists from the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts comprised the jury selecting nearly 400 works from 600 submissions by talented high school students from 19 schools spread throughout the county. The show was then organized, hung and administered by the all-volunteer members of the Blackwell Street Center for the Arts, their friends and family. There were at least 14 ribbon categories,  including a new one for paper sculpture. Best In Show and the 1st Place ribbons receiving monetary prizes. The opening reception included an awards presentation (on the 5thfloor, in the Freeholder meeting room) and the opportunity to meet these talented young artists in person.

 

 

 

 

 

L-R:  Samantha Sernekos’ book-wire-glue piece, The Dragon from Down Under (Roxbury); Kelly O’Grady’s glazed ceramic Turkey Burger (Mountain Lakes); Yelitza Herrera’s Mosaic (Dover) and Rachel Powell’s oil, I.O.P. (Mendham). 

To see a brief interview of Elaine Provost, guiding force behind the Blackwell Street Juried Student Exhibit, click HERE.

Evolving from an exhibit that, in 1988 (featured approximately 90 pieces of art) to this current, massive undertaking, the Juried Student Show is unique in its democratic approach:  there are no restrictions on the number of pieces a school can submit and submissions are open to public, private, parochial and home-schooled high school student artists from throughout Morris County.  Each year, hundreds of students, parents, teachers and friends attend in support of these exceptional young artists. Free parking is provided during the reception in the garage underneath the building (accessed via Schuyler Place).

L-R: Chuan-En Wong’s watercolor & ink, Program (Montville Township); Julia Rosenblatt’s oil, Storyteller (Butler); Marlaina Lutz’s multimedia, The Woman in Words (Roxbury); Kaleigh Hennet’s collage, The River Maiden (Montville Township).  The Arts Council of the Morris Area manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8am – 5pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit will run from March 16 through May 11, 2012. For additional information about the show, contact Dr. Lynn L. Siebert, Gallery Director, and Director of Arts Participation & Communication for the Arts Council of the Morris Area, (973) 285-5115, ext. 10 or Lsiebert@morrisarts.org

Atrium Gallery’s Winter 2012 Exhibit 

The Arts Council of the Morris Area’s Winter 2012 Exhibit before  closed on March 13, 2012. Embracing a very wide variety of subject matter and media, the 181 artworks highlighted the creative energies of 8 artists whose works are exhibited on the four floors of the Gallery. On the fifth floor, Raymond Sicignano’s Urban Expressions features bold, colorful renderings of cityscapes captured the singularity and distinctiveness of neighborhoods all too often replaced by sterile franchises, malls and corporate logos. On the fourth floor, Adel Gorgy’s recent body of work, Seeing Art Anew, presented a collection of photographs whose subject is art itself, honing in on visual phrases from great paintings as the basis for new compositions or exploring the world or realism and abstraction. On the third floor, Michael Paxton’s photographs captured the serenity and devotion of monastic life in Laos and Myanmar (Burma) while Sandra P. Smith’s multimedia abstracts captured deep emotions and Karen Lundquist’s post -Impressionist oils burst forth in a riot of color and energy. In the atrium stairwell area between the second and third floors,  artist John Tetz’s fascinating mobiles, Feather Pieces float on the air currents. Finally, on the second floor, viewers could see the unique “naïve” style of Romanian artist, Alex Chereches and the intriguing, contemporary canvasses of Jennifer Levine.

Located at the Atrium Gallery, located on Floors 2-5 of the Morris County Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street in Morristown, it offers 181 artworks by 8 artists.

To see the catalogue of this exhibit, click Winter 2012 Exhibit final catalogue.

 To watch the Morris County Office of Public Information’s short video on the exhibit, click  Morris Minutes.

L-R: Raymond Sicignano’s oil, Ideal Hosiery (featured above); Adel Gorgy’s photograph, A Hundred Veils Fall, after Matisse; Michael Paxton’s photograph, Columns; Sandra P. Smith’s multimedia work,Inner City.    

L-R: Karen Lundquist’s oil, Deep Ravine, November; Jennifer Levine’s oil, Strolling on a Cloud; Raymond Sicignano’s oil, Baobab Tree;  Alex Chereches’s reverse painting on glass, Wild Boar Hunting.

 The Arts Council of the Morris Area manages the Atrium Art Gallery, selecting artists and scheduling exhibits on behalf of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Atrium Gallery is free and open to the public during business hours, from 8am – 5pm on Mondays-Fridays. The exhibit ran from January 20 through March 13, 2012.