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 Eleven Arts Collective, including artists Pauline Chernichaw, Penny Dell, Sandra Frech, Alice Harrison, Valerie Mankoff, Nancy Egol Nikkal, and Ruth 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 Hanna fill 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.