Fall 2017 Gallery Exhibitions

New Jersey City University announces its upcoming fall 2017 art gallery exhibitions.

Highlights include Underground Up, which brings street art into the gallery (Oct. 2 – Nov. 2), and On a Different Page, a group show curated by Eileen Ferara that explores how books are creatively used to make individual works of art (November 9 – December 14). The full exhibition schedule and details appear below.

The NJCU Visual Arts Gallery is located on the ground floor of the Visual Arts Building at 100 Culver Avenue. The Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery is located in Hepburn Hall, Room 323 at 2039 John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Hours for both galleries are Monday – Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. or by appointment: call 201-200-2496 for the Visual Arts Gallery) / 201-200-3246 for the Lemmerman Gallery.

Both NJCU galleries will have special hours for the Jersey City Studio Tour on Saturday, October 14, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.

School and community groups are welcome and requested to make appointments for visits by contacting Gallery Director Midori Yoshimoto at myoshimoto@njcu.edu.

More information about upcoming exhibitions is available online at www.njcu.edu/arts

FALL 2017 EXHIBITIONS

Caroline Burton: A Rag, A Bone, A Hank of Hair

Wednesday, September 6 – Wednesday, October 18
Reception: Tuesday, October 3, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. (Artist Talk: 6:30 p.m.)
JC Artist Studio Tour: Saturday, October 14, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery

A line from one of Rudyard Kipling’s poems, “a rag, a bone, a hank of hair,” is an expression used in the artist’s family to mean, “You look haggard.” Painted, cut up, and sewn together, Burton’s canvases portray beautiful grid patterns that do not entirely match up and are as imperfect as the expression.

Caroline Burton received her MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers and her BFA from The Cleveland Institute of Art. She has had solo exhibitions at Accola Griefen Gallery, New York; PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR; Real Form Project Space, New York; Johnson State College, Johnson, VT; Cooper Gallery, Jersey City, NJ; and Elzay Gallery of Art, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH. Her work is included in many private and public collections including, the Jersey City Museum, Montclair Art Museum, Morris Museum, Noyes Museum, and the Zimmerli Museum, all in NJ.

Kirsten Sejda: Stitch Points
MFA Thesis Project
Monday, September 11 – Saturday, September 23
Reception: Thursday, September 14, 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. (Artist Talk: 5:30 p.m.)
NJCU Day: Saturday, September 23, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Visual Arts Gallery

Stitch Points explores the internal and external perceptions of self, the complexity of identity and the compelling parts within the self not easily categorized. 

Kirsten Sejda is a New Jersey based visual artist. She received her BFA (Printmaking) from NJCU. Prior to her master’s studies she taught at the NJCVA and the duCret School of Art.  Her work is shown and collected regionally.

Underground Up
Monday, October 2 – Thursday, November 2
Reception: Thursday, November 2, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. (Artist Talk: 6:00 p.m.)
JC Artist Studio Tour: Saturday, October 14, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Visual Arts Gallery

The three artists known as Mustart, Clarence Rich, and DISTORT grew up with the visual language of graffiti, yet formally studied painting. This trio’s take on Street Art reflects the evolution of this phenomenon, connecting classical art with contemporary street culture.

Mustart, who earned a BFA from NJCU, had a solo show at the Works on Paper Gallery in Philadelphia in 2015. His work can be seen in buildings and on walls in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Russia and Germany. Clients include: SmartCar, Absolut Vodka, Riverhorse, GothamWest Development, Green Villain, D&G Interiors + Design.

Clarence Rich, a street artist for over 15 years, has not only made his mark on the street, but has also challenged the North Jersey gallery scene. His progressive work both on canvas and in mural form has shifted the scene and inspired a younger generation of urban artists.

DISTORT earned a BFA from the University of Pennsylvania and a Certificate in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In 2010, he presented a solo show at the Works on Paper Gallery in Philadelphia. With subsequent shows in New York and New Jersey, his sculptural installations and paintings on canvas combined into his own original formats of “scrolls” and “shields.” He is a regular artist at Art Basel in Miami and has painted all over the world, from Istanbul to Los Angeles to Kearny and Brooklyn.

Constructed Space
Tuesday, October 24 – Wednesday, November 29
Reception: Tuesday, October 24, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. (Artist Talk: 6:30 p.m.)
Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery

Throughout the ages, artists have sought to deceive viewers’ eyes, and in our digital-image-saturated era, how can we discern what is real anymore? The four contemporary artists gathered in this exhibition – Curt Ikens, Kim Keever, Martin Kruck, and Jeremy Coleman Smith – employ unconventional materials and methods to construct the illusion of space. Curated by Midori Yoshimoto, NJCU professor of art and gallery director.

Curt Ikens earned BFA and BS degrees from Eastern Michigan University, and graduated with an MFA from Rutgers University. In addition to numerous group exhibitions, Ikens has had solo shows at Jersey City Museum, Hunterdon Museum of Art, Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, Windows on Columbus, and Domo Gallery.

Kim Keever was a thermal engineer before switching careers to become a full-time artist. Keever's landscapes, reminiscent of the Hudson River School and German Romantic painters, are actually detailed miniature scenes that he builds himself, places in a 200-gallon tank, submerges in water, and then photographs. Keever lives in New York City and his work is in numerous collections, including: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn; Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC.  

Martin Kruck earned his MFA from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his BFA from Queen’s University, Canada. His work has been featured in 25 solo exhibitions and in over 100 group exhibitions internationally. Grants and fellowships include the American Academy in Rome, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, and the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. He is a professor of art at New Jersey City University and lives and works outside of New York City. 

Jeremy Coleman Smith received his BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his MFA from NJCU. His multi-disciplinary work combines the use of printmaking, sculpture and furniture as an investigation of objects and display. He has exhibited his work in various galleries throughout the country and his work is in many private collections, including the Hoggard/Wagner Collection. He lives and works in Jersey City.

On a Different Page
Thursday, November 9 – Thursday, December 14
Reception: Thursday, November 9, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Artist Talk: Thursday, November 30, 5:30 p.m.
Visual Arts Gallery

Curated by Eileen Ferara, On a Different Page presents the artist’s personal relationship to the book as art form. Whether storytelling, tackling social issues, sculpting or deconstructing, each of these artists utilizes the book to create individual works of art. Featured artists include Aileen Bassis, Kate Dodd, Asha Ganpat, Jaz Graf, Winifred McNeill, Ibou Ndoye, Carole Kunstadt, and David Sandlin.

Aileen Bassis, a native of New York City who now lives in New Jersey, holds a BA in studio art from SUNY Binghamton and an MA in creative art from Hunter College. She creates work in book arts, printmaking, installation and photography.

Kate Dodd received her BFA from Pratt Institute and her MFA from Columbia University, and currently lives and teaches in New Jersey. She has exhibited her artwork nationally in museums, galleries, and colleges, and been awarded residencies at the Connemara Conservancy, Cummington Community for the Arts, and the Vermont Studio School. Dodd has been awarded commissions for large-scale works by NJ Transit. 

Asha Ganpat is a multimedia visual artist who was born in Trinidad, WI. Ganpat lives and works in New Jersey. She received her BFA from Rutgers University and MFA from Montclair State University. Ganpat has shown her work at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Insitituto di Cultura, Exit Art, The Noyes Museum, The Queens Museum, The Jersey City Museum, and the Nathan Cummings Foundation.

Jaz Graf, born in Nyack, NY, works with paper and print. Graf exhibits locally and internationally, has been featured in AM New York News, The Jersey Journal and on NJ's Public Broadcast Channel - NJTV. 

Carole P. Kunstadt received her BFA from Hartford Art School (CT) and continued with postgraduate studies at the Akademie der Bildenen Künste in Munich, Germany. A collagist, painter, book arts and fiber artist, her works often invoke a metaphysical quality of contemplation and timelessness.

Winifred McNeill has exhibited her work widely at national and international venues. Awards and residencies include the NJ State Council on the Arts; the Brodsky Center, NJ Printmaking fellowship; Yaddo; Millay and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. McNeill holds a BFA from Boston University and an MFA from Queens College, and is a professor of art at NJCU.

Ibou Ndoye, born in Dakar, Senegal, is a mixed media, glass-painting and book artist. Ndoye has combined modernism and traditionalism to create a unique style, using old fashioned books, discarded cardboards and flyers to portray people’s daily life.

David Sandlin, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, teaches printmaking, book arts, and illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He has exhibited extensively in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Australia, and his comics and illustrations have appeared in The Best American Comics 2015, 2012 and 2009; The New Yorker; Raw; and other publications.

Marco Cutrone: Expressive Portraits
MFA Thesis Project
Monday, December 4 – Friday, December 15
Reception: Thursday, December 7, 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery

Intended to be both viewed by the eyes and perceived by the emotions, these Expressive Portraits are a visual record of the essence of each subject’s personality.

Marco Cutrone is a representational painter based in the Greater New York City area.  He received his BA at Thomas Edison State University and is pursuing his graduate studies at NJCU. His work has been shown and collected all over the world.

About NJCU Center for the Arts

New Jersey City University (NJCU) Center for the Arts is the creative umbrella for the University’s performing, visual, film, and literary arts activities. A cultural hub of metro-north Jersey, NJCU has strong arts departments, led by accomplished international faculty, and presents an array of guest artists and speakers in addition to student performances throughout the year.

www.njcu.edu/arts