A handful of exhibitions at area school and library galleries are offering regional viewers something new to fill their eyes and thoughts — but hurry, they will be gone soon.
The Leroy Johnson exhibition at the Mercer County Community College Gallery features 24 pieces that range from pure painting to collage to sculptures.
There is no text on the walls to accompany the works — information is accessible via smartphone, or in hardcopy at the desk — so viewers can be engaged either by following their own linear path or following the eye.
No matter the choice, one comes to the same end: a lesson in expression.
Without that textual leading, the alert eye notes that the artist has harnessed a variety of approaches and materials to create variations on theme: his existence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Or more pointedly, his existence as an American of African ancestry in the community that shaped him.
For contextual framing, an online source lets the artist put himself and his work in perspective with the following statement: “My name is Leroy Johnson (b. 1937). I was born and grew up in the Eastwick community of Southwest Philadelphia. Much of my work takes the form of painting, collage and found objects. My work is reflective of life in the inner city.”
While a few of his pure paintings demonstrate his ability to create a visual experience, his sculptural pieces show a desire to capture scenes beyond the canvas and uses materials form the city itself. Look about and there’s the recreation of hard-lived row homes and churches burst by personal and societal sins — where in addition to the wood, shingles, glass, and nails, one shows a bullet casing.
And while this description of the objects may suggest decay, Johnson’s use of rich colors suggest something different. As do his collages that show a range of city that is often buoyant and bright.
And since the sculptures are in the floor space, one can fancy the surrounding images a cityscape encompassing a micro neighborhood.
As noted earlier, the works are generally of the artist’s lifetime —he died in 2022 at the age of 85—yet it also features a work where the artist references history. There’s one depicting Fredrick Douglass in Philadelphia and several showing lynchings that may or may not have been in the alleged City of Brotherly Love (but it doesn’t matter).
Though the exhibition is word quiet, it makes many statements — including one glimpsed in the row of collages depicting the city’s landscape that, in many, seems dwarfed by a vast bright sky.
Overall, this artist shows how art can talk in a way words just can’t.
Mercer County Community College Gallery, Communications Building, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. Through Thursday, March 23, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Wednesdays from noon till 7 p.m. Free. www.mccc.edu/community_gallery.shtml.
“Art from Art News Writers and Photojournalists,” on view at the Trenton Free Public Library through March 25, hits close to home — literally. My wife, Elizabeth Aubrey, organized the exhibition featuring the art work of several colleagues and associates.
As noted in the title, the participating artists also report on the arts. That each are dedicated and serious in their nonwriting pursuits is obvious, as the following notes indicate.
First, using alphabetical last name order, is Ricardo Barros. Although a writer for Icon Magazine, the Princeton-based photographer established a reputation for his expressive imagery. As demonstrated in this exhibition, he also is willing to exploit a camera’s mechanical abilities to find fresh images — such as using panoramic applications to explore the shapes of the Lower Trenton Bridge — aka the “Trenton Makes” — that contribute to long history of visual interpretations.
Ilene Dube — who has written for U.S. 1 and other publications and now a video contributor to State of the Arts — provides a suite of brightly hued expressive images ranging from colorful groupings of friends and family to fairy-tale like flights of fancies.
John Gummere, Trenton Journal, is a Trenton-born painter of realism. For this show he is represented with several Trenton-specific images. One is also a depiction of the Trenton Makes Bridge, a loving tribute to place and paint.
Aubrey J. Kauffman, who writes for U.S. 1 and contributes to State of the Arts; provides a set of crisp arrangements of mainly urban landscapes and structural designs — albeit with a frequent dash of wit
Thomas Kelly, also a writer for U.S. 1, provides viewers with a defined style that blends German expressionism, narrative illustration, cartooning, and everyday New Jersey life to create engaging and eye-catching scenes.
And fittingly rounding out the show is Janet Purcell, who has been covering art exhibitions for the Times of Trenton for more than 25 years. Here, the Trenton-born artist shows her true colors with softly rendered depictions of flowers and seascapes. They easily signal an approach and love of art that has sustained her and the region.
Visitors can get more than an eye full on March 25 when participating artists gather for an artists talk from 3 to 4 p.m.
Trenton Free Public Library, 120 Academy Street, Trenton. Through March 25, Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. 609-392-7188.
“From North Africa to North America; Journey of a Story Teller” at Lawrenceville School’s Hutchins Gallery through April 8 surveys the work of Alia Bensliman.
A Robbinsville resident, the artist who grew up in Tunisia, North Africa, is influenced by North African and Berber art.
A mixed media artist who creates her own watercolors, Bensliman uses intricate line work that often provides a lattice or veil-like setting that fixes objective images — such as a face — and unifies the works.
Her work is informed by shapes and repetitive patterns highlighted by water-based markers, ink, gold, and silver oil-based paint, watercolors, and textures.
As she says in a past U.S. 1 interview, “All my drawings are full of symbols and meaning that explain my sentiments about milestones in my life, my past experiences, and my everyday life. I also try to express my views about current sociopolitical issues, health issues, religions ,and human rights.
“But I also try to draw in a way that allows the viewers to interpret the pieces in their own way. The goal of my drawings is to intrigue, engage and provoke thought and reflection from the viewers. The intricate level of detail in each piece allows the viewer to discover more details and make new interpretations each time they view the piece.”
With that in mind, it is easy to view her work and think, “mission accomplished.”
Hutchins Gallery, Lawrenceville School, 2500 Main Street, Lawrenceville. Through April 8, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. Free. hutchinsgalleries@lawrenceville.org.
