Corrections or additions?
This article by F.R. Rivera was prepared for the August 18, 2004
issue of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Art: River Crossing Not Required
It’s August, and we are getting out and about, so it seems a good time
to discuss New Jersey’s many art destinations. Chances are, if you
pull off one of the state’s major arteries, you will be within
striking distance of an art exhibition.
Those in search of art too often think first of New York; for many,
New Jersey is merely a place to pass through on their way to the
“genuine” in New York. New Jersey receives a bad rap in a number of
areas, but none is more undeserved than in its commitment to the
visual arts.
Let’s start by not comparing New Jersey with New York City. New Jersey
has no city that is remotely comparable. New York City eclipses
contenders as far away as the capitals of Europe; and it is a rare
city in the U.S. that would dream of taking on its museums. An errant
risk or two, however, in the service of a dream is a risk that can
lead to success.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, under the direction of Anne
d’Harnoncourt, decided to go head to head with New York’s Metropolitan
Museum of Art in bidding for blockbuster exhibitions. When
Philadelphia secured an important Delacroix show in the late 1990s, it
was the beginning of a string of successes that continued right up to
the popular “Manet and the Sea” exhibition last spring. The result:
scooping New York’s Met and bringing hundreds of thousands of art
lovers to Philadelphia.
No New Jersey museum has the standing of the Philadelphia museum. What
New Jersey does have is a family of smallish museums sprinkled round
the state. For reasons known best to the authors of their mission
statements, many of these museums compromise their commitment to the
fine arts by allowing the stage to be shared with the decorative arts,
fossils and bones, and even vintage waterfowl decoys. These museums
ought to rethink their priorities.
New Jersey’s museums – located in Trenton, Clinton, Montclair, Morris,
Newark, Jersey City, Oceanville, and Lincroft – do show contemporary
art, much of it homegrown. They also enjoy state funding, which
secures their continued viability. These museums are complemented by
the state’s numerous arts associations.
Scratch the surface of this vast network, however, and you will find
something like a “Little Orphan Annie” complex, which seems to say,
“I’m well-bred and not inclined to risk-taking as in the Philadelphia
model.”
When we move to the private sector, support for the arts is even less
and arts organizations are more vulnerable. Adventurous entrepreneurs
are so scarce as to be almost non-existent.
Each year the periodical “Art in America” publishes a directory of
museums and galleries in the U.S. In its 2004-2005 edition, only 23
private New Jersey galleries are listed, compared to hundreds of
entries for New York State. If New Jersey is Little Orphan Annie, then
New York state must be Daddy Warbucks. The question must be raised:
Why is that big shadow so intimidating that we can’t scare up a few
more dreamers willing to open a gallery here in New Jersey and get
into the art game?
Readers of my reviews will know that I am a booster of those galleries
associated with colleges and universities. Some offer outstanding
permanent collections, as well as scholarship and historical
perspective in their rotating exhibitions. These include Rutgers
venues like the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Museum, Mason Gross, and Paul
Roberson galleries; and Princeton University. Other galleries such as
those at Rider University, the College of New Jersey, Glassboro,
Richard Stockton, and William Paterson College, and a number of other
community colleges and private schools offer surveys of emerging –
sometimes outstanding – local talent that might go begging for lack of
private galleries.
In all, New Jersey has done a creditable job of shaking off its
parochial image. If we were able to do a heat-sensitive scan in our
state-wide search for the hottest art destinations, red and orange
would saturate Hudson County. Home to Hoboken, Jersey City, and Newark
galleries, the region is sometimes called the “Left Bank”. Red and
orange fading to yellow would register in Mercer County, home to
Trenton, Hamilton, and Princeton. The spectrum would cool as we moved
south and west.
As the New Jersey art infrastructure has matured, it has adopted some
valuable marketing tools. Most of us are familiar with “First Fridays”
(organized gallery-hopping on the first Friday of the month). Recently
the Monroe Center for the Arts in Hoboken initiated a program of
“First Sundays,” opening its four floors of artists’ studios and two
galleries to the public.
Some of my recommendations for galleries outside the “U.S. 1” normal
coverage area are found below. Listings for nearby exhibitions may be
found in this newspaper’s Preview section.
Hunterdon Museum of Art, 7 Lower Center Street, Clinton,908-735-8415, Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m, through October 3.Christopher B. Koep: Paintings.Jersey City Museum, 350 Montgomery Street, Jersey City,201-313-0303, Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.. Alex Esposito:”New Small Works: Which Came First?” through September 12; DavidPoppie: “Swoop,” through August 29; Tara Russo: “Colorwheels,” throughSeptember 29; Lorenzo Clayton: “Inner Equations,” through January 2;and Nancy Cohen: “Ephemeral Balance,” through November 7.Monmouth Museum, Newman Springs Road, Brookdale CommunityCollege, Lincroft, 732-747-2266, Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to4:30 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. “Transcultural New Jersey StatewideInitiative: Quilts, Fiber Arts and Cultures,” exhibition of quiltsfrom diverse cultures, through September 5.Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair,973-746-5555. Tuesday to Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum maintainsa permanent collection of more than 11,000 works in a variety ofmedia. The American art collection includes paintings, works on paper,sculpture and costumes from the mid-18th Century to the present.Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown,973-971-3700, Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Features permanent andchanging exhibitions in the arts, sciences and history. “Springs,Sprockets & Pulleys: The Mechanical Sculpture of Steve Geberich,”through November 14. “New Jersey Arts Series: Antonio Carreno,”through October 3.City Without Walls, One Gateway Center, Newark,973-622-1188, Tuesday to Friday, noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to3:45 p.m. Career development opportunities to new and emergingartists. Showcases the work of more than 200 new and emerging artistsper year in 10 to 14 on-site, off-site, and traveling exhibitions.Noyes Museum of Art, Lily Lake Road, Oceanville,609-652-8848, Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, noonto 5 p.m. “Seaside Dreams: Works Past and Present Celebrating AtlanticCity’s 150th Year,” through September 12; “Altars, Icons & Symbols:Exploring Spirituality in Art,” September 21 to January 3.Newark Museum, 49 Washington Street, Newark,973-596-6550, Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. “My Ethiopia: RecentPaintings by Wosene Workie Kosrof,” through August 29; “Art of CopticEgypt 300-1000 A.D.,” through November 28.Top Of PageArt in TownHistorical Society of Princeton, Bainbridge House, 158 Nassau Street,609-921-6748. “Lost Princeton,” an exhibit that explores lostbusinesses and houses. The historic house also houses a long-termexhibition about Princeton history highlighting the Native Americanoccupation, the Revolutionary War, and Princeton in the 19th and 20thcenturies. Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Freeadmission.Dynasty Arts, 20 Nassau Street, Unit F, 609-688-9388. The recentlyopened Chinese antique and art gallery features a silk-screen series,”Last Dynasty,” oil and watercolor, and limited edition prints. Artistand owner, Lu Zuogeng, combines Chinese brushwork with Westernwatercolor. Also, Chinese antique furniture of Ming and Qingdynasties. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to6:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.University Medical Center at Princeton, 253 Witherspoon Street,609-497-4000. An exhibit of works by Monroe Township artist JudithStein. An art educator for 35 years, she uses oil, watercolor,acrylic, and mixed media. Part of the proceeds benefit the medicalcenter. Gallery is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. On view to September15.The Williams Gallery, 6 Olden Lane, 609-921-1142. “First Impressions”features digital watercolors of Princeton by Michael Berger includinga rower on Lake Carnegie, Einstein’s house, the original Mercer Oak,Nassau Hall, and a Princeton arch. Berger is one of the inventors ofPolaroid Corporations 35 mm instant slide film. Gallery appointmentsare available Thursday through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughAugust 28.Top Of PageArea GalleriesGold Medal Impressions, 43 Princeton Hightstown Road, West Windsor,609-606-9001. Newly-expanded gallery of photographer Richard Druckman,a freelance photographer for Associated Press. Six rooms and over 250photographs of professional football, basketball, hockey, tennis, andOlympic events. Photographs for sale are matted and framed and in avariety of sizes and prices. Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Grounds For Sculpture, 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, 609-586-0616.Urban Horizons features paintings by Philadelphia artist CharlotteSchatz and sculpture by Janet Indick. Both represent their personalinterpretation of industrial representation. Gallery hours are Tuesdayto Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. In the Toad Hall Shop and Gallerythrough September 26.Trenton Artists Workshop Association, Artworks Gallery, 19 EverettAlley, Trenton, 609-394-9436. “The 25th Gala Celebration AnniversaryExhibition” focuses on 60 TAWA members art work of paintings,sculptures, and photographs. Gallery open Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. On exhibit through September 12.Wheaton Village, 1501 Glasstown Road, Millville, 856-825-6800. Nativeto Neo: Mexican Folk Arts from Oaxaca is a four-month project devotedto the arts and crafts from Oaxaca, Mexico and the first exhibition inthe new Creative Community Connections Series, an initiative tounderstand and embrace cultural diversity. Through November 12.Top Of PageCampus ArtsPrinceton University Art Museum, 609-258-3788. Medieval, Renaissance,and baroque galleries are closed until the end of summer for painting,cleaning, and a major reinstallation. They will reopen on Friday,August 20. The museum’s lower galleries are open Tuesday to Saturday,10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Tours are given onSaturdays at 2 p.m.Top Of PageArt in the WorkplaceBristol-Myers Squibb, Hopewell Campus, 609-252-5120. Outdoor sculptureshow features works by seven prominent East Coast artists: Hope Carterof Hopewell, Kate Dodd, Richard Heinrich, John Isherwood, JoelPerlman, John Van Alstine, and Jay Wholley. Exhibition is on viewduring business hours and will remain in its location for two years.The artists were selected by a panel composed of Alejandro Anreus,veteran curator and scholar, Jeffrey Nathanson of the InternationalSculpture Center, and visual artist Sheba Sharrow, working under theguidance of Kate Somers, curator of the company’s corporate gallery inLawenceville.Top Of PageArt by the RiverE.M. Adams Gallery, 440 Union Square Drive, New Hope, 215-862-5667.New paintings by owner Ed Adams, a licensed psychologist with aprivate practice in Somerville.Artists’ Gallery, 32 Coryell Street, Lambertville. Garden Perspectivesis a two-person exhibit by Gail Bracegirdle and Sandra Davis.Bracegirdle, a representational watercolor artist, and Davis, a fineart photographer, are both drawn to gardens for color, light, life,energy, and beauty. Gallery hours are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 11a.m. to 6 p.m. Through September 5.New Hope Arts, Union Square, West Bridge Street and Union SquareDrive, New Hope, 215-862-3396. Second annual New Hope SculptureExhibition featuring an indoor exhibition of more than 88 works by 43nationally and internationally recognized artists and an outdoor showof seven large-scale works installed throughout the town. ThroughApril, 2005.Louisa Melrose Gallery, 41 Bridge Street, Frenchtown, 908-996-1470.Exhibit with a focus on water featuring Frank Federico, Carol Ross,Nadine Synnestvedt, Anthony Ventura, Luiz Vilela, Jane Voorhees, AnnZeig, Rhoda Yanow, and Frank Zuccarelli. Open Tuesday through Sunday,11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Through September 3.Exhibit featuring urban scapes by artists Frank Federico, MarilynHalls, Claire Paisner, and John Reilly. Through September 30.Coryell Gallery, 8 Coryell Street, Lambertville, 609-397-0804. Annualsummer group show of watercolors, acrylics, oils, pastels, and prints.Featured artists include Joanne Augustine, Albert Bross, MargeChavooshian, Tom Chesar, Mike Filipiak, Elizabeth Ruggles, LucyMcVicker, Robert Sakson, with pottery by Katherine Hackl and AnnTsubota. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. On viewto September 25.Triumph Brewing Company, 400 Union Square, New Hope, 215-862-8300.Catherine DeChico’s show, “Jersey Girls.” She presents both herintensely colorful paintings and evocative black and white photographsof bathers at the Jersey Shore. Through September 12.Top Of PageArt In TrentonThe Old Barracks Museum, Barrack Street, Trenton, 609-396-1776.”Furniture, Curios and Pictures: 100 Years of Collecting by the OldBarracks,” a display in the exhibit gallery is included in the touradmission fee. Open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the last tour isat 3:50 p.m.Gallery 125, 125 South Warren Street, Trenton, 609-393-8998. The newgallery is owned and operated by the Trenton Downtown Association. Thefirst exhibit includes art by Bruce Berenson, Kristin Bodine, WilliamHogan, Olu Festus, Denis Gallagher, Dora Golfetto, Rosemary Hutchins,Carmen Cartiness Johnson, Charles Katzenbach Jr., Susan Winters, andSiri Om Singh. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m., and Saturday,11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Through August 30.Top Of PageArea MuseumsAmerican Hungarian Foundation Museum, 300 Somerset Street, NewBrunswick, 732-846-5777. “Everywhere a Foreigner and Yet Nowhere aStranger,” an exhibition of 19th-century Hungarian art from the SalgoTrust for Education. Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; andSunday, 1 to 4 p.m. $5 donation. Extended to September 12.Monmouth Museum, Brookdale Community College, Newman Springs Road,Lincroft, 732-747-2266. African-American Quilt exhibition is part ofthe statewide art exhibit, “Transcultural New Jersey: An Arts andEducation Initiative.” Artists represented include Gail Mitchell,Soyoo Hyunjoo Park, Janet Taylor Pickett, Betsey Regan, FaithRinggold, and Karen Guancione. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to4:30 p.m.; and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. On view Through September 5.Printmaking Council of New Jersey, 440 River Road, North BranchStation, 908-725-2110. Small Impressions features traditional prints,photographs, digital prints, and handmade paper. Wednesday throughFriday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. To August 28.James A. Michener Art Museum, Union Square Complex, Bridge Street, NewHope, 215-340-9800. “Creative Bucks County: A Celebration of Art andArtists,” featuring 19th and 20th century painters, writers,composers, and playwrights. Also “Pennsylvania Impressionists of theNew Hope School.” $6; $2 youth. Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.Closed Mondays.James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown,215-340-9800. “The Artists Among Us,” a permanent interactive exhibitdedicated to the history and legacy of the artists who have made NewHope an internationally recognized arts colony. Tuesday to Friday, 10a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 5p.m. Museum admission $6.50 adults; $4 students.www.michenerartmuseum.org.Also on display are 10 pieces of sculpture by Connecticut-based artistDavid Hayes in the outdoor sculpture area. Most are largemulti-colored works of painted steel. Through October 1.Also on exhibit is an exhibition of works by Sandy Sorlien,”Photographs from Fifty Houses,” a selection of photographs from her2002 book, “Fifty Houses: Images from the American Road.” Sorlienappears for a lecture and book signing on Wednesday, September 22, 7p.m. Through October 3.Also, “Edward W. Redfield: Just Values and Fine Settings,” anexhibition of over 50 works created by the 20th century Pennsylvaniaimpressionist. The exhibit features works from early studentsdrawings, landscapes painted in France, and some pieces never beforeon public view. Through January 9, 2005.Newark Museum, 49 Washington Street, Newark, 973-655-7386.Springsteen: Troubadour of the Highway is an exhibit devoted to theNew Jersey native and Rock and Rock Hall of Famer Bruce Springsteen.Music, lyrics, photography, video, vinyl albums, and relatedmemorabilia. On exhibit through August 29.Top Of PageOn the ShoreLong Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, 120 Long BeachBoulevard, Loveladies. “Fiber Revolution: A Survey of Styles”exhibition features the works of West Windsor resident Carol SaraSchepps. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.;Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On view through August 26.Previous StoryNext StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
