9/19/14 – 11/24/14
Opening Reception:
Friday, September 19, 7-9pm

SMI Virginia S. Block Gallery, 33 Plymouth Street, 2nd Floor, Montclair, NJ
Monday thru Friday: 7am to 7pm

Studio Montclair presents Wellness Arts Enrichment: Member Artists of JSDD’S Wae Center, an art exhibit on view from September 19 through November 21, 2014. An opening reception for the artists will be held Friday, September 19 from 7 to 9 pm at the SMI Virginia S. Block Gallery at 33 Plymouth Street, Montclair, NJ.

Operating as a program of Jewish Service for the Developmentally Disabled (JSDD) of MetroWest, Inc., the Wae Center provides artistic, educational and health enhancing opportunities to people with disabilities. JSDD’s Wae Center is a corporate member of Studio Montclair. Wae stands for Wellness, Arts and Enrichment. Some of the members are artists who came to the center for its enriching arts programs, while others found their “spark” and voice after coming to the Wae Center.

Many of the artworks displayed were created with acrylic on canvas, while other works are pencil and marker drawings, computer-generated art, and a large collaborative piece made with various mediums. The majority of work is large and non-objective, using heavy applications of paint. While some artists depict common objects in a personal naïve style, others, working by computer, have developed a signature style of characters or icons that are more graphic in nature.

“I was astounded by the powerful expressiveness of this work,” says Virginia Block, one of the curators of this exhibit. “The members of the Wae Center presented an overwhelming body of work from which to make selections for this exhibit.”

The Wae Center artists:

Alicia L., Angel M., Anthony Z., Bobby D., Carrie P., Daniel M., Danielle C., Debbie H., Dore S., Eva H., Jen S., Joanne C., Kayana S., Kelly S., Lisa Z., Logan R., Louis D., Marcie S., Mark L., Narcissa L.