A Tangle of Figurative Art

Art in Town

In the Workplace

Art On Campus

Art In Trenton

Other Galleries

Art by the River

To the North

Other Museums

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Prepared for August 16, 2000 edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All

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A Tangle of Figurative Art

This month in the Extension Gallery, the exhibition

wing of the Johnson Atelier, a civilized tangle of both rounded and

jagged metal shapes on the floor, on white pedestals, and on the walls

demands attention. For the most part, the metal is bronze, but it

wears a variety of finishes here — aqua, coppery to gilt, antique

silver, and mostly black. The metal shapes are figurative to

far-from-that,

and the exhibition includes two and three-dimensional sculptural

works,

as well as drawings and a print.

The show spills into a second room with still more sculpture by the

seven Atelier apprentices and staff members who were brought

"Together

by Chance" — the result of a change in gallery scheduling

and an invitation pull an exhibition together. They accepted.

A couple of snapshot views: "Abandonment" shows a woman

kneeling

with her head buried in her arms and flowing hair hiding her face.

Almost stylized in its simplicity, with the figure’s heavy curves

and very posture suggesting the weight of her grief, the work conveys,

ponderously, Catherine L. Perry’s sense of this condition. "The

Wrenching of Eve from Adam’s Rib" — winner of the poetic title

award for this show — portrays in a kind of stop-action way a

violent, decisive wresting of one being from another. A practicing

dentist for more than 20 years, Atelier apprentice LaRue W. Harding

has studied sculpture in this country and Italy for the last several

years.

Harding, who has referred to the "metaphysical and spiritual

aspects

of life," as well as the natural elements, may have made his tall

"Walking Man" of found metal, finishing him mostly in bright

gilt tones. Quite small-headed, the walker has one "foot"

that resembles a gnarled tree root.

James Love’s "Coffee Table" would give pause

to frequent-furniture movers — not to mention the myriad

cookie-cutter

designers of home furnishings. Not your catalog-order coffee table,

his oval, marble-topped creation is bordered with twisted, gold-tone

bronze that forms legs and descends to atypical claw and ball feet.

A 13-year staff member of the Atelier now based in the wax chasing

area, Love has lately moved toward combining sculpture with function

in the art works he creates. His large corner wall sconce, seemingly

formed from daubs of antique silver-toned metal, with openings for

light to shine out, departs from the smooth-surfaced coffee table.

Claudia Moore understates. "The Gift" is more like about 50

Raku-fired porcelain bowls of varying sizes and hues, each filled

with porcelain remnants. White and bone-like, some of the fragments

are curled and little-finger sized; others resemble leaves or shaved

white chocolate. A few bowls hold what must be porcelain powder. All

are arranged on a low, slatted table the visitor can walk around.

Moore, a staffer in the Atelier’s ceramic shell department, also does

figure drawing, as evidenced in her "Fuel Spill," which hangs

nearby.

Antlers, or horns, mark a couple of Carey Netherton’s pieces on

display

in the gallery. His abstract "Griot’s Charm" is topped by

one about a foot long, lashed to the rest of the piece with metal

"rope" atop a many-legged base of irregular metal twigs tied

with rusted wire. Turquoise-toned matter is visible inside the

"antler,"

which is ripped or broken on one side. A staff member in the wax

casting

area, who works mainly with cast and assembled metal, Netherton is

also a printmaker, and his "Inner Surfaces" echoes his

sculpture

textures.

Natalie Tyler’s "The Conversation," a small, very lifelike

sculpture, captures the tableau of a woman and man on opposite sides

of a bistro table that holds a cup and saucer. She gestures while

talking to her companion, who is dressed in a suit. Both are literally

on — if not over — the edges of their chairs in this intense,

even gravity-defying, tete-a-tete. Chris Rothermel, also an

apprentice, is represented by two figurative pieces —

"David,"

in which a seated man gestures realistically, and "Standing

Male,"

whose additive surface contributes to the strength the figure conveys.

Rothermel’s cast "Back Form," expressively renders that

section

of the body. "My surface treatment is left with a certain

tangibility

that plays with and distorts the sense of light and balance,"

he says.

"Elephant Platter," a reference either to the piece’s

elephantine

size, or to the possibility of its serving a pachyderm, is a huge,

birdbath-sized metal serving piece that should probably not be

casually

picked up. Four bronze, elephant-like legs support the wavy-edged

sculpture, which is the work of Catherine L. Perry, now on the Atelier

staff as sculpture preparator for the works of J. Seward Johnson Jr.

Each hand in her bronze torso, "Loss of Heart" cradles a full

breast, one spilling over. Above it, there seems to be a scar, or

seam — possibly marking the site of a recent surgery.

"Together by Chance" — it’s a mix, yet an interesting

one. For seven representatives of the Johnson Atelier, each at a

different

career point, here is where they are right now in their creative

lives.

— Pat Summers

Together by Chance, Extension Gallery, 60 Ward Avenue,

Mercerville, 609-890-7777. A group exhibition by staff and apprentices

of the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture, featuring

LaRue Harding, James Love, Claudia Moore, Carey Netherton, Catherine

Perry, Chris Rothermel, and Natalie Tyler. Gallery hours are Monday

to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for the show that continues to August

31.

Top Of PageArt in Town

Marsha Child Contemporary, 220 Alexander Street,

609-497-7330.

"Art and the Female Form," a themed group exhibition of

paintings,

sculpture, and works on paper by international artists. Women have

been a favored subject of artists for thousands of years, says guest

curator Megan Gorski, and this show illustrates the persistence of

this tradition in modern times. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday,

10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. To August 30.

Historical Society of Princeton, Bainbridge House, 158

Nassau Street, 609-921-6748. "Old Traditions, New Beginnings,"

a major exhibition celebrating 250 years of Princeton Jewish history,

jointly presented and exhibited at the Jewish Center of Princeton.

This is the first-ever exhibit on the history of Princeton’s Jewish

community, scheduled to coincide with the Jewish Center’s 50th

anniversary.

Topics addressed include early arrivals, family life, social

organizations,

work and business pursuits, religious traditions, and anti-Semitism.

Medical Center at Princeton, 253 Witherspoon Street,

609-497-4192.

Dining room exhibit of watercolors by Princeton artist Elizabeth

Roedell,

president of the Garden State Watercolor Society and trustee of the

Montgomery Cultural Center. Titled "Sojourn," she painted

the series of works last year on a journey through France’s Provence

region. Part of proceeds benefit the Medical Center. Open daily from

8 a.m. to 7 p.m. to September 14.

Medical Center, Merwick Unit, Bayard Lane, 609-497-4192.

Watercolors by Gloria Wiernik. A member of the Garden State Watercolor

Society, Wiernik studied at the Art Students League in New York, and

with artists Jacob Landau and Morton Kaish. Part of proceeds benefit

the Medical Center. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. To September

7.

Summit Bancorp Gallery, Route 1 at Carnegie Center,

609-799-6706.

"Handmade Paper," a group show featuring Anita Benarde, Joan

B. Needham, Marie Sturken, and Margaret Kennard Johnson, and their

two and three-dimensional works on and of handmade paper. All four

artists have worked collaboratively at the Dieu Donne papermill in

New York. Show is curated by the Delann Gallery Domani. Exhibition

is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., through September 1.

Top Of PageIn the Workplace

Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Route 206 and Province

Line Road, 609-252-6275. "Fragile Dependencies," a group

exhibit

that takes a close look at delicate relationships in nature. Featured

artists are Joan Roth and Madelaine Shellaby of Princeton, Susan

MacQueen

of West Windsor, Simon Gaon, Lori Van Houten, Karon Moss, Michael

Zansky, and the late Rachel bas-Cohain. Gallery hours are Monday to

Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends and holidays, 1 to 5 p.m. To

September

10.

ITXC Corporation, 600 College Road East, Princeton,

609-921-1142.

"Space, Time, and Travel," an international show curated by

the Williams Gallery featuring painting by Tanya Kohn of Mexico,

woodblock

prints by Yoshikatsu Tamekane of Japan, and etchings by Joerg

Schmeisser

of Australia. Www.wmgallery.com. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5

p.m. To September 1.

Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters Gallery, New

Brunswick,

732-524-3698. An exhibition of bold drawings in colored marker by

Echo McCallister that mirrors the artist’s intense and complex life

experiences as a person with autism. Having spent a great portion

of his life in mental institutions, McCallister has earned a national

reputation as an emerging "Outsider Artist." His work is in

the collection of the National Art Exhibitions by the Mentally Ill.

Free by appointment through September 14. Also, "Accumulative

Strokes" by Tony Khawam, to August 24.

Stark & Stark, 993 Lenox Drive, Building 2, Lawrenceville,

609-895-7307. "Shapes, Scenes, and Such," a display of artwork

by staff and family members of Stark & Stark. Also, a show of

watercolors

by Trenton painter Marguerite Doernbach. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.

to 5 p.m. To September 9.

Top Of PageArt On Campus

Art Museum, Princeton University, 609-258-3788.

"Photographs

by Barbara Bosworth," extended to September 3. Open Tuesday

through

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Free tours every

Saturday

at 2 p.m.

The permanent collection features a strong representation of Western

European paintings, old master prints, and original photographs.

Collections

of Chinese, Pre-Columbian Mayan, and African art are considered among

the museum’s most impressive. Not housed in the museum but part of

the collection is the John B. Putnam Jr. Memorial Collection of

20th-century

outdoor sculpture.

Firestone Library, Princeton University, 609-258-3184.

"A Century for the Millennium: 100 Treasures from the Collections

of the Princeton University Library," on view in the main

exhibition

gallery to November 5.

Top Of PageArt In Trenton

Ellarslie, Trenton City Museum, Cadwalader Park, 609-989-3632.

"TAWA Two Thousand," the annual members show juried by Kristen

Accola, exhibition director of the Hunterdon Museum of Art, featuring

more than 50 works by 30 artists. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11

a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday 2 to 4 p.m. To September 24.

Extension Gallery, 60 Ward Avenue, Mercerville, 609-890-7777.

"Together By Chance," a group exhibition by staff and

apprentices

of the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture featuring

LaRue Harding, James Love, Claudia Moore, Carey Netherton, Catherine

Perry, Chris Rothermel, and Natalie Tyler. Opening reception is

Saturday,

August 12, for the show that continues to August 31. Gallery hours

are Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Grounds for Sculpture, 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton,

609-586-0616.

Summer Exhibition features, in the Museum and Domestic Arts Building,

"Washington Sculptors Group," a juried exhibition of 60 recent

sculptures. On the Grounds, "Dana Stewart," imaginative,

mythical

beasts in bronze from the New Jersey artist. New outdoors, sculptures

by Red Grooms, G. Frederick Morante, Kenneth Payne, and Larry Young.

To September 10.

New Jersey State Museum, 205 West State Street, Trenton,

609-292-6310.

"Building a Collection: Fine Art at the New Jersey State

Museum,"

to August 20; "The Art of Jack Delano," July 29 to September

4. On extended view: "Of Rock and Fire;" "Washington

Crossing

the Delaware;" "New Jersey and the Great Ice Age;"

"Dinosaur

Turnpike;" "A Convocation of Eagles;" and "Amber:

the Legendary Resin." Museum hours: Tuesday through Saturday,

9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

Rhinehart-Fischer Gallery, 46 West Lafayette, Trenton,

609-695-0061.

Group show of painting, sculpture, and photography by area artists

including Marge Miccio, Eric Fowler, Thom Reaves, Tom Chiola,

Marguerite

Doernbach, Joseph Menna, and Erica Stanga. Gallery hours are Wednesday

to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Top Of PageOther Galleries

The Artful Deposit, 201 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown,

609-298-6970.

On display and available for purchase, six works in ceramics by the

late James Colavita. Show features his "Portrait of Susan,"

a tribute in ceramics to the artist’s wife. Gallery hours are Thursday

through Saturday, 4 to 8 p.m.

Hopewell Frame Shop, 24 West Broad Street, Hopewell,

609-466-0817.

"Reflections," a show of watercolors by Gail Bracegirdle and

students who include Kathy Siegfried, Stephanie Lin, Nancy Myers,

William McCarroll, Patrice Sprovieri, Anne S. Williams, and others.

Hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to

3 p.m. To August 19.

McDowell’s Restaurant, 146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Road,

Lawrenceville,

609-896-1611. Maxwell Nimeck, a retired microbiologist and avid

gardener,

shows oil paintings on floral and landscape themes. To August 29.

Montgomery Cultural Center, 1860 House, 124 Montgomery Road,

609-921-3272. "Summer Madness," works by members of the

Professional

Artists Group. All work will be for sale, with part of sales

benefiting

the 1860 House. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3

p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Show runs to August 31.

Morpeth Gallery, 43 West Broad Street, Hopewell, 609-333-9393.

Gallery owner Ruth Morpeth celebrates the opening of her new gallery

location with a group show, "Selected Works by Contemporary

Artists."

Featured artists include Robert Beck, Micheal Madigan, Paul Mordelsky,

Betty Curtiss, Tomi Urayama, and Ann Ridings. Also Philadelphia area

artists David Shevlino and Christine Lafunente. Gallery hours are

Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Top Of PageArt by the River

Coryell Gallery at the Porkyard, 8 Coryell Street, Lambertville,

609-397-0804. The gallery celebrates its 20th annual Summer Exhibition

featuring gallery artists Augustine, Baumgartner, Bross, Ceglia,

Chavooshian,

Ermentrout, Farnham, Lennox, Chesar, Miller, Rinninger, Ross, Sakson,

Scott, Silvia, Van Hook, Von Betzen, Dellenbaugh, Douris, Tsubota,

and Watts. Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Show runs to September 30.

Goldsmiths Gallery, 26 North Union Street, Lambertville,

609-397-4590.

Photographs by New Jersey multi-media artist Victor Macarol whose

work has been shown at the New Jersey State Museum, Galerie Fink in

Paris, and Galerie Mesmer in Basel, Switzerland. Open Wednesday to

Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To September 21.

In Rare Form Gallery, 14 Church Street, Lambertville,

609-397-1006.

Seven-year retrospective of the Dutch-based Droog Design company,

edited by DMD for area interiors. Show remains on view, Thursdays

through Monday, noon to 5 p.m., to August 16.

Morning Star Gallery, 7 North Main Street, Lambertville,

609-397-3939.

Images from Robert Drapala’s new volume of photographs, "Portrait

of the Outer Banks," written by Torrey Kim. As a licensed pilot,

Drapala has spent two decades creating a portfolio of aerial and group

photographs of the region. Also on exhibit are his images of the

Delaware

Valley including barns, churches, and landscapes. Gallery is open

Fridays and Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. To August

13.

Top Of PageTo the North

American Hungarian Foundation, 300 Somerset Street, New

Brunswick,

732-846-5777. "Then and Now: Recent Museum Acquisitions of Art

and Folk Art." To September 17. Donation $5. Museum hours are

Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts, 33 Livingston Avenue,

New Brunswick, 732-932-2222, ext. 838. "The Paper Trail: Douglass

Howell and Four Pioneers in the Art of Handmade Paper," an

exibition

of works by contemporary artists working at the New York-based Dieu

Donne Papermill and at the Rutgers Ceter for Innovative Print and

Paper. Galleries are open Wednesdays through Saturdays, from 1 to

8 p.m. To August 12.

The show begins with the work of Howell (1906-94) who transformed

handmade paper into an art form. The four pioneers who followed his

lead are his students Laurence Barker and Golda Lewis, and Walter

Hamady and Clinton Hill. Together their works illustrate the

post-Howell

era of sculptural forms, pigmented pulps, embedded materials, and

artists’ books.

Printmaking Council of New Jersey, 440 River Road, North Branch

Station, 908-725-2110. The 26th annual Members’ Juried exhbition of

monotypes, woodcuts, etchings, photographs, mezzotints, and handmade

paper. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.;

Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. To August 26.

Quietude Garden Gallery, 24 Fern Road, East Brunswick,

732-257-4340.

The contemporary sculpture gallery’s "New Artists, New Ideas,

New Season" show, featuring work by more than 100 artists in

natural

outdoor installations. Featured artists include Sarah D’Alessandro,

Charles Welles, and Liz Whitney Quisgard. Gallery hours are Friday

to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., and by appointment.

Top Of PageOther Museums

James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown,

215-340-9800. "John Goodyear: Thinking into Form, Works

1950-2000,"

a 50-year retrospective by the Lambertville-based conceptual artist,

curated by Henry Hose. Both painter and installation artist, Goodyear

taught at Rutgers from 1964 to 1997. The show highlights each period

of Goodyear’s career, and includes paintings, kinetic works, and

conceptual

works from the "Heat Sculpture" series, "Death of

Socrates,"

and "Earth Curve." To September 17.

Also an installation by Yardley sculptor Elizabeth Miller McCue

including

a life-size sculpture inspired by Monet’s famous "Haystacks"

series; to October 22. Also, "Sublime Servers: A Celebration of

Theatrical Possibilities at the Table," a cornucopia of expressive

ceramic sculpture and vessels by 30 artists, organized by the

Baltimore

Clayworks and curated by Gail M. Brown; to September 3.

Museum hours Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday &

Sunday,

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $5 adults; $1.50 students; children free. Website:

www.michenerartmuseum.org.

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