Taryn Pizza - Deadbolt

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Studio Montclair, Inc. presents “Portfolio Series: Local Materiality,” featuring the work of artists Lynn Breitfeller, Suzan Globus, Calina Hiriza, Andrea McKenna, Taryn Pizza, and Ann Volum. This annual exhibition, showcasing the work of just six creators, enables viewers to take a deeper look into the bodies of work of individual artists. The exhibition runs from March 25 to April 22, 2023.

The concept of materiality posits that, if we change the matter from which an artwork is created, then we likely alter its meaning or message and what it seeks to express. This exhibit investigates artistic and critical approaches to materiality, focusing on the moments when materials become willful actors and agents within artistic processes. Artworks mix the sensorial with the cerebral, vary in scale from the miniscule to the vast, and explore physical, geometric, psychological, topographical, and anthropological implications. According to Curator Donna Kessinger, “I am very excited about the level and complexities of the work which was submitted to Local Materiality at Studio Montclair. This show is inspired by the writings of Lucy Lippard in The Lure of the Local, my deep love for the exploration of each artist’s individual approach to material, and the physical language of an art making practice.”

A piece of paper or a photograph is as much an object, or as 'material' as a ton of lead – Lucy Lippard

Participating artists include Lynn Breitfeller, Suzan Globus, Calina Hiriza, Andrea McKenna, Taryn Pizza, and Ann Volum.

Hours: Wednesday through Friday, 1:00 to 5:00pm; Check website for weekend hours. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, March 25, 6:00 to 8:00pm

Donna Kessinger is Gallery Director and Curator of the ChaShaMa Matawan Studio and Gallery, where she also maintains her studio. She is currently focused on connecting with the artist community that thrives along the New York/New Jersey corridor. As an independent curator and artist, she has a passion for creating programs that embrace inclusion, social justice, and diversity. Kessinger was invited to participate with the REPOhistory Collective in the late 90’s, where NYC artists, historians and curators created multiple series of street signs that provided the structure for the retelling of forgotten histories. They were installed on the sites in specific communities as a reminder of truths which are sometimes erased by gentrification and the passage of time. Her work explores the materiality of paint, wax and thick surfaces on canvas and she is also a video artist with queer feminist sensibilities.

Studio Montclair Gallery is located at 127 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey. Studio Montclair is celebrating 25 years as 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. Founded in 1997, the organization includes over 500 members. Visit Studio Montclair’s flagship gallery (Studio Montclair Gallery), Leach Gallery, or virtual exhibit website to view and purchase contemporary art. Find out more about classes at SMI’s Art Academy at www.studiomontclair.org/education