(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Studio Montclair presents one of its largest and most prestigious exhibits--the 23nd Annual Open Juried Exhibition, “ViewPoints 2020” from October 30 through November 27, 2020, at Studio Montclair Gallery. There will also be a robust virtual exhibit with audio features on their website. An in-person opening reception (with COVID restrictions) will take place on Sunday, November 1 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. In addition, there will be a ZOOM reception on Friday, October 30 during which time cash awards will be presented.

This year’s exhibit features 58 works selected from nearly 1,000 that were submitted. They reflect a vast range of materials, subject matter, themes, meanings, and metaphors, and present new stylistic approaches, multicultural portraits and imagery, fresh viewpoints, and highly original use of color and technique. According to juror Virginia Fabri Butera, the works were “selected for their quality of execution, unusual use of materials, innovative compositions, compelling subject matter, and themes that speak to life in 2020 as well as ideas that have been present for thousands of years.”

Considering how many excellent works she had from which to choose, Butera described the selection process as one of great difficulty. Ultimately, she chose works that “changed the way I think about art and the human condition…pieces that intrigued or horrified me, that showed me attitudes I never considered and subject matters that are often overlooked.” Visitors to “Viewpoints 2020” will be richly rewarded with artwork from nearly every corner of the U.S. that will challenge and inspire them.

Participating Artists include: Laura Alexander, Ry An, Carol Cassel  Baker, A Bascove, Amy Becker, Vincent Buchinsky, Monica Camin, Santiago Cohen, Pam Cooper, Alicia Ferreira, Jon Gabry, Joan Gantz, Stephen Geoffrey, Ronald Gonzalez, Allan Gorman, Paul Hitchen, Daryoush Houshmand, Armand Iztueta, Evgenia Klimenko, Joe LaMattina, Stacy Leeman, Eric Levin, Manuel Macarrulla, Joanna Madloch, Anand Manchiraju, Jessica Margosian, Michael May, Brian McCormack, Jennifer Anne Moses, Ruth Bauer Neustadter, Mary Alice Orito, Michael Paquette, Arianne Petersen, Jean-Paul Picard, Amparo Pikarsky, Andrea Placer, Robert Richardson, Theda Sandiford, Bill Sarnowski, Christine Sauerteig-Pilaar, Michael Scherfen, Nadia Sheikh, Pamela Shipley, Elaine Shor, Barbara Simcoe, Deneise Smith, Raymond Smith, Joel Sobelson, Isaac Stackell, Brian Stymest, Sandy Taylor, Dara Tesse, Doug Testa, Lauren Vroegindewey, Lisa G Westheimer, Michael Wiley, Michael Woodle, Harold Zabady, 

Virginia Fabbri Butera, PhD, is the Director of the Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery, a tenured Professor of Art History, and Chairperson of the Art Department, the Dance and Music Minors, and the MA Program in Social Media Design and Management at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, NJ. She received her BA in Renaissance Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, her MA in History of Art from Johns Hopkins University and her PhD in Art History from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. She has curated art exhibitions for more than 40 years and has published and lectured widely during her career. 

Studio Montclair is an inclusive, nationwide non-profit organization of exhibiting, professional, and emerging artists and others interested in the visual arts. The mission of the organization is to promote culture, education, equality, and tolerance through art. Studio Montclair is committed to diversity at every level. Studio Montclair Gallery is located at 127 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey.

IMAGES: (TOP) Barbara Simcoe, An Awareness Beyond the Body Led, Digital Photographic Collage (MIDDLE) Allan Gorman, Shadows in the Gallery, Oil on Panel (BOTTOM) Ry An, Eat Your Own/ A Specter of Caring, A wall-mounted recycled paper sculpture of a hungry skull, the exterior with statements in 17 languages giving notification of denial of health insurance coverage | Ronald Gonzalez, Open To Pain, Found objects, wax, wire leather over welded steel