New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Thoughts & Prayers, Another Round of Vacant Stares Exhibit Online & In Matawan

originally published: 08/01/2020


(MATAWAN, NJ) -- Thoughts & Prayers, Another Round of Vacant Stares on view at Chashama Matawan by appointment and can be seen virtually on KUNSTMATRIX from August 13 to September 19, 2020. Thoughts & Prayers, Another Round of Vacant Stares is an analysis of the American gun culture. This exhibition highlights artwork that examines the impact guns have within our nation, as a symbol of power and freedom, or as an instrument to incite fear and cause harm.

Firearms affect all American populations and demographics. The artwork featured in this exhibition is meant to facilitate a dialog on the divisive iconology of guns, the power or fear they represent, as they allow some to become empowered, while suppressing others.

Originally, this exhibit was meant to be on view at BSB Gallery in Trenton.  However, curator Christy E. O'Connor was notified 5 weeks prior to the upcoming opening that the gallery she was working with was to close permanently.  In less then a week she secured a new location and relaunched her independent curatorial site Art Hustle in order to keep this important exhibition on American Gun Culture alive.  

Participating artists for Thoughts & Prayers include: Nanette Reynolds Beachner, Chee Bravo, Kimberly Camp, Wendy Cohen, Pam Cooper, Leslie Anne Condon, Timothy Dill, Patrick Hay, E. Sherman Hayman, Cheryl Gross & Nicelle Davis, Joy on Fire, Gusty Kincaid, Kathleen Hurley Liao, Local Artist, George Lorio, Tali Margolin, Brian McCormack, ChurchOf.Art, Stacey AS Pritchard, Margaret Roleke, Dominic Sansone, Danielle Scott, Joan Sonnenfeld, Suprina, Kenechi Unachukwu, Jodi Walker, Sue Eldridge Ward, and Kristen T. Woodward.

The Opening Reception of Thoughts & Prayers, Another Round of Vacant Stares on Thursday, August 13th at 7:00pm on Zoom.  Click here to register for the opening reception. 




Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info



Chashama, Matawan, is located at 60 Main Street, Matawan, New Jersey. Thoughts & Prayers, Another Round of Vacant Stares will be on view August 13th - September 19th 2020, by appointment only.

Art Hustle was established in 2017 to develop engaging art exhibitions throughout the state of New Jersey and to provide opportunities for artists to work with various art spaces. As times continue to change, so does Art Hustle, as we begin to develop virtual exhibition platforms and online programming.

Art Hustle is proud to partner with Chashama in their Matawan, NJ location to present Thoughts & Prayers, Another Round of Vacant Stares. Chashama supports artists by partnering with property owners to transform unused real estate into space to create and present, and provides free art classes for under-resourced communities. They are excited to collaborate with Moms Demand Action, Gays Against Guns, and #UNLOAD. Through these partnerships they deliver programming that is inspiring and educational for activists, artists, and community members alike.

IMAGES: (TOP) H.O.G. OS Version XX, by Suprina (MIDDLE) Bullet Points, by Leslie Anne Condon (BOTTOM) The Playground, by Pam Cooper




Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info




FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Art

Art on Screen: The Danish Collector

Monday, July 14, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: art

Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Kirby

Kirby & Delia: "All Rise"

The murals in the Brennan Courthouse (583 Newark Avenue) aren't tough to decipher. There are pilgrims, there are patriots, and there is Hudson County history rendered in the boldest strokes. Look to the underside of the building's grand dome and you'll find signs of the Zodiac; look to the walls for "The Coming of the English," a piece by Howard Pyle that depicts exactly what its title suggests that it will. This feels appropriate for the town's most handsome building — one with an interior reminiscent of classic civic architecture in Trenton and D.C. and the decorated Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and named after a jurist whose written decisions on the Supreme Court were distinguished by their clarity. William Brennan believed in the salutary effects of direct and comprehensible language. For him, the law was no place for abstraction.



Gallery

Gallery at HACPAC presents Colorblind, a solo exhibition of paintings by Val DeAppolonio

(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- The Ruth Bauer Neustadter Gallery at Hackensack Performing Arts Center (HACPAC) presents Colorblind, a solo exhibition of paintings by Val DeAppolonio from July 7 through August 29, 2025. Val is a self-taught, colorblind artist from Northern NJ whose bold abstracts pulse with energy and motion.



Akwaaba

Akwaaba Gallery presents Martryce Roach Solo Exhibition Reflecting the Great Migration

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Akwaaba Gallery is proud to present "Patterns: People in Transition," the second solo exhibition of New Jersey born artist, Martryce Roach. The exhibition features a collection of brand new paintings, ranging in size, that explore the rich history of the Great Migration and its synergy with blues music. The exhibition will be on view through August 15, 2025 with an opening reception on Saturday, July 12, 2025 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.



Art

Art by Sydnei SmithJordan is Part of Exhibition in West Deptford

(WEST DEPTFORD, NJ) -- The vibrant, story-driven artwork of celebrated Cape May-area visual artist Sydnei SmithJordan will be part of the featured lineup in an exhibition at the Riverwinds Community Center in West Deptford. Running July 1 to August 30, 2025, the dynamic show will include the work of SmithJordan — known for her unique pop fusion style oil paintings of historical figures and future newsmakers— alongside pieces by fellow artists Gloria Gammage Davis, Quinton Greene and Robyn Huber.



Geoffrey

Geoffrey Doig-Marx's "Portraits in Color and Light" opens at the Gallery at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey - A Fusion of Comedy and Heart

(MADISON, NJ) -- New York-based artist, educator, choreographer, and self-described "Renaissance Man" Geoffrey Doig-Marx (GDM) brings his dynamic exhibition Portraits in Color and Light to The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey as the second art installation in the Theatre's 2025 Season. This striking collection of twenty-six original paintings debuts with the Theatre's production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again], running July 9–27. It's a pairing that promises a bold celebration of irreverence, reflection, and artistic energy.