(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Studio Montclair has “Evanescent!” on exhibit now through April 8. This exhibit is part of Studio Montclair's Portfolio Series, a curated exhibit intended to take a deep look at a few established artists. It features the artwork of five widely exhibited artists, Rodriguez Calero, Pam Cooper, Danielle Scott, Bryant Small, and Katie Truk, is distinguished by the use of non-traditional approaches to reflect the ebbs and flows of life.
The artwork displayed in the gallery is complemented by unique installations in the gallery's Bloomfield Avenue windows. Curator Jo-El Lopez, "In each window, an artist’s imagination is on display. When inside the gallery, a deeper insight of the artist’s process is revealed."
The gallery is currently open by appointment via their website, studiomontclair.org.
Curator Jo-El Lopez describes the show through his distinctive prose: “Evanescent! A brief memory that remains,
An existence that quickly fades and disappears. Ahh! Evanescent!”
Born in Juncos, Puerto Rico, and raised in Paterson, NJ, Jo-El Lopez is a visual artist, arts advocate, and curator. His goal is to connect the urban audience with a cultural experience in non-traditional arts settings. He has been curating Newark’s critically acclaimed Gallery Aferro’s Activate: Market Street since 2011, a yearlong exhibition that displays installations and two-dimensional art in windows on one of the busiest streets in Newark. Along with additional shows and murals in Newark, Jo-El has also curated a variety of exhibits in Paterson and Hoboken, among other venues. He is currently the resident curator at Gallery Aferro.
About the Artists:
Rodriguez Calero was born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York. Calero successfully combines her knowledge of mediums, evolving them into another dimension of quality and visual sensibility and expression, which in turn produces a striking and thought-provoking impression. Her unique, distinct and innovative, not only technically, but also in the scope of her subject matter and the depth of her vision, signature style in painting has been termed as, ACROLLAGE.
Pam Cooper was born in the United Kingdom. Cooper uses handmade abaca paper with the addition of diminutive wooden furniture and found objects to create her three-dimensional pieces. Her work is driven by social issues, mainly those concerning children and their safety, women's roles in society, and voyeurism.
Danielle Scott is a mixed-media assemblage artist who grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her work expresses politically and socially charged messaging. She creates using photomontage, found objects, paint, raw materials, old books, and collage.
Bryant Small lives in Jersey City, NJ, and balances a social marketing and media career in New York City. Bryant has a love of culture, color, and all things sparkling. In his art, he loves to toe the line of free abstraction with vibrant color blending and pushing beyond pretty. His Alcohol Ink pieces are free-flowing, unpredictable, and levitate from the page.
Katie Truk creates three-dimensional work with pantyhose, wire, a sewing needle, and thread. Her pieces are a marriage of the sensual malleability of pantyhose and the rigidity of wire. Thread binds and extends the aggression and vulnerability, echoing life’s twists, turns, and pulling within our rigorous regulations and expectations.
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. Founded in 1997, the organization includes over 500 members. Visit Studio Montclair’s downtown gallery or virtual exhibit website (studiomontclair.online) to view and purchase contemporary art. Find out more about classes at SMI’s Art Academy at www.studiomontclair.org/education.
IMAGES (FROM TOP TO BOTTOM): Pam Cooper, Paper Doll; Bryant Small, Equilibrium; Katie Truk, I like Pink; Rodriquez Calero, Twins; Danielle Scott, Slave masters death sentence
