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originally published: 02/02/2023

(HAWTHORNE, NJ) -- Passaic County Arts Center will hold an Opening Reception for two exhibits (The Way I See It by June Fisher-Markowitz and Icarus and Friends by Kate Dodd) on Friday, February 4, 2023 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Additionally, an installation from a recent exhibit will also be on view, Texture In Nature, by Susan Zulauf. The event is free to attend.

Admission is free and open to the public. The Art Center is open from Wednesdays to Sundays, 11:00am-5:00pm. No registration is required to enter the galleries.  Admission is always free to the public. 

The Way I See It by June Fisher-Markowitz, on display until March 26, 2023. June explores the subjects that most peak her interest through her watercolors. In her paintings, she seeks to uncover their hidden truths that can only be found in their abstracted visual expression. Through a personal and process-oriented creative journey, she connects on a spiritual level with her work.

"I have ALWAYS loved art: looking at it, making it and watching other people make objects or paintings," said June Fisher-Markowitz. "I have two favorite subjects. First, trees and forests in various seasonal visual representations. Second, old figurative photographs intrigue me as I reinvent the subject through color, texture and abstracted shape. There are hidden truths to be seen in the abstracted visual expression of these subjects. I search for a connection with these truths through my painting."

"I am process oriented," continued June Fisher-Markowitz. "I can begin a painting with a simplified drawing, but I also enjoy starting without a drawing or subject and go on a creative journey. I create something new by conversing with the tools of my craft - water, colors, wetting, spraying, salting - which is only finished when it feels right. It can take a day or it can take months until I reach that place of satisfaction. I frequently complete a painting and I have no idea how I got there and will never be able to repeat the process again. Each one is unique. ​Most important of all is that I now have the time to paint - for a painter MUST paint. Painting pulls my soul and spirit from inside to the visual experience of an image on paper."

 

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​June Fisher-Markowitz is native to New Jersey and lives with her current husband in Wayne. June has always had an interest in art and took classes in high school when they fit into her academic schedule. She was accepted into William Paterson College with a very humble portfolio, and took classes in various media, including painting and pottery, which she was drawn to above all else. She graduated in 1970 with a major in Visual Arts and a minor in Art Education, which started her on her career path in teaching. She then pursued graduate work in painting, pottery and creative arts therapies. Once her children were school age, she quit her job in education and began a pottery business, where she developed a unique style of decorating that incorporated her love of painting with working with clay. Once she retired from her full-time healthcare career, June dedicated herself to working with watercolors, taking numerous courses and entering her art in shows throughout northern NJ.

Icarus and Friends by Kate Dodd, on display until March 31, 2023. Kate Dodd creates both temporary and permanent site-specific installations, and has exhibited her artwork nationally in museums, galleries, and colleges. Her works celebrate the transformation of materials and the hidden patterns of human habits.

“Icarus and Friends” are artworks, mostly paper constructions, from a series called 'Outer Wear' that I have been working on since just before the pandemic began. The pieces in this series are meant as imaginary, and futile, protective gear, protection from both the mistakes of the past and the revenge of the future. They evolved out of a love for the imagery content and printing techniques in outdated reference materials.  But while the visual quality of these materials is romantic, even nostalgic, the content is often dated, projecting a celebration of humanity’s ability to exploit nature and each other at a time when that no longer makes sense," said Kate Dodd.

Kate Dodd received her B.F.A. from Pratt Institute in 1983, and her M.F.A. from Columbia University in 1990, and currently lives in New Jersey, with bicoastal stints in the Bay Area, where she is originally from.  She has exhibited her artwork nationally in museums, galleries, and colleges, and has been teaching art in public and private schools for 30 years.  Kate was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship grant in 2020 from the New Jersey Council on the Arts, and has been awarded residencies at MacDowell, Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Papermaking, the Connemara Conservancy, Cummington Community for the Arts, the Vermont Studio School and numerous schools in the tri-state area.  In addition to site-specific installations, Kate has commissioned works at five NJ Transit stations, and has created three commissions for Summit Public Arts. She completed a site-specific commission for the Redwood City Public Library Children’s Room in 2021. The projects she has completed have given her a wide range of experience working with architects, engineers, lighting designers, contractors, specialty artisans, politicians, city administrators, inspectors and other officials, and the media. Her work spans an array of budgets, materials, and scale. Kate finds it deeply gratifying to create public art because it always requires working with people who are committed to community building. While Kate’s permanent installations use metal, glass, concrete, and porcelain enamel, her temporary installations investigate the possibilities of building with single use waste, such as bottles, cans, and even books. Her works celebrate the transformation of materials and the hidden patterns of human habits.

Passaic County Arts Center is located at 675 Goffle Road in Hawthorne, New Jersey. The Passaic County Arts Center, under the direction of the Passaic County Board of County Commissioners, is dedicated to providing high quality and accessible arts events and educational programming. Through gallery exhibitions, workshops, arts classes, and public programs, the Arts Center promotes an appreciation for the visual and performing arts by engaging the community in an environment that nurtures creative expression. The Passaic County Arts Center at the John W. Rea House is the property of the County of Passaic and operated by the Department of Cultural & Historic Affairs