New Jersey Artists Have Much to Say about the State of the Planet

by Ilene Dube, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-03-30
Is it OK to brag about our state? New Jersey often gets a bad rap, but those of us who live and work here know that among its many assets is the presence of some of the finest artists.

'Neither on Our Knees nor Hanging From Trees' - Alison Saar and Toni Morrison Foster the "Cycle of Creativity" of Black Women

by Ilene Dube, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-03-24
Hair. It seems a trivial topic to lead off with when discussing two of the most accomplished, influential women in literature and the arts. And yet you can't ignore the references to the reclamation of Black female identity through hair in the artwork of Alison Saar.

Newark's New Harriet Tubman Monument a Model for Community Engagement in Public Art

by Rachel Fawn Alban, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-03-16
The city of Newark, New Jersey unveiled its long-awaited Harriet Tubman monument March 9 with great excitement. Four days of community celebrations and events followed. With visual, audio and tactile components, "Shadow of a Face" is not a statue to view from a distance, but a place to see, hear, touch, spend time and reflect on stories. Designed by Jamaican-born, Montclair-based Nina Cooke John, this unique public art project will be visited, studied, and celebrated for years to come.

Speaking Out Through Art

by Ilene Dube, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-03-16
In the days leading up to Purim – the holiday during which Jews rejoice, don costumes and perform skits, eat triangular cookies filled with jam, and thank Queen Esther for saving them from persecution – Michigan’s attorney general announced she had been targeted in a threat to kill Jewish members of state government.

"Les Paul Thru the Lens" Exhibition Comes to Monmouth University

(WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- The Les Paul Foundation, whose mission includes honoring and sharing the life, spirit and legacy of Les Paul presents "Les Paul Thru the Lens," an exclusive traveling gallery of photos highlighting the life and career of Les Paul, the inventor, musician and icon. The exhibition comes to Monmouth University's Pollak Gallery on March 20th and runs through May 31, 2023.

Leroy Johnson Felt Called to Make Art

by Ilene Dube, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-02-25
Gazing out the window on NJTransit south to Trenton, and then on Amtrak further south to Philadelphia and Baltimore, one sees brick row houses, sometimes crumbling, sometimes boarded up, covered with words that express desolation. There are solitary figures here and there, or perhaps a face looking out from a window. Better times might have been in the past, for these places.

From Shoes to Splendor: ARTeriors Baltic Avenue Transforms Disused Space

by Rachel Fawn Alban, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-02-09
In Atlantic City, a community of artists has transformed a former Payless ShoeSource into a temporary art experience featuring large-scale, mixed-media installations. On view through Feb. 19, 2023, the Atlantic City Arts Foundation welcomes you to walk in and surround yourself with ARTeriors Baltic Avenue.

Black Women's Mural Raises Awareness About Black Suffragists, Celebrates Black Voices, and Sparks Community Pride

by Carolyn M. Brown, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-02-03
Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a prominent journalist and activist who fought tirelessly for women’s right to vote even though she is often left out of historical conversations about the women’s suffrage movement. Today her image graces a mural located in the heart of downtown Englewood, New Jersey, on the east-facing wall of the Women's Rights Information Center building at 108 W. Palisades Avenue. The painting was inspired by the 100th year anniversary of the 19th Amendment. “The Black Women’s Mural: Celebrating Black Suffragists and Black Women in Englewood” is meant to celebrate the achievements of Black women who paved the way for civil and women’s rights as well as serve as a beacon of pride and hope for young girls, Black women and the community-at-large in Englewood.

"Women's Work" Makes Bold Statements, Yields Nuanced Thoughts

by Shen Shellenberger, JerseyArts.com - published 2023-02-01
A 2019 Public Library of Science survey of eighteen prominent American museums revealed that over 80% of represented artists are male. This is not new. Throughout history, work by women artists has been undervalued. But, as Susan Fisher Sterling, the Alice West Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, told NEA Arts, there are things that people can do to help drive change. One of her suggestions is this: "Support women artists and the institutions exhibiting their work. Privilege those places that are working towards achieving gender equality."