Studio Montclair (SMI) is privileged to present “We the People,” a timely exploration of expansive visual interpretations of our country’s 250-year-old experiment in democracy.

The opening words of the US Constitution’s Preamble outlining the Constitution’s goals and justification, “We the People,” affirms that the US government serves its citizens and that the people are the ultimate source of the government’s power. This exhibition is comprised of work reflecting artistic perceptions of the trajectory and success (or lack thereof) of this 250-year-old experiment. It depicts Americans going about their lives amidst the tensions between the foundational ideals of “We the People” and its imperfect realities. According to the exhibition’s curator, Jeremy Moss, “The world is in a state of fluctuation and full of challenges. ‘We the People’ documents how we see and face these challenges in the creative sphere…It is comprised of works of art that depict the emotions evoked by upheaval; clearly reflecting the diversity of ways in which artists reflect the immense challenges present in our society today.”

Participating Artists:

Stephen Adubato, Ann Antoshak, Teela Banker, Debra Bernath, Terri Binder, Kit Boyce, Bill Brookover, Phil Cantor, Cal Carter, John Cerra, Pauline Chernichaw, Dennis Connors, Briar Craig, John Diephouse, Alina Dolitsky, Renee Folzenlogen, Jon Gabry, Max Ginsburg, Leslie Goldman, Just Grippo, Beth Heit, Mary Hood, Manman Huang, Patricia Hutchinson, Trevor Jennings, Tania Kimche, Oxana Kovalchuk, Steven Kushner, Jean-Rene Leblanc, Stephen McDonnell , Kathryn Murray, Nancy Nicolescu, Patricia Patrick, Ida Picker, Martin Potts, Amy Putman, Joseph Putrino, Sonia Rapaport, Flite Robinson, Katha Rossein, David Schlosser, Paul Schmitz, Lianne Schoenwiesner, Shibani Sheth, Glendora Simonson, Kari Souders, Julie Swenson, Netti Forne Thomas, Angelo Varisano, Laura Warne, Kenneth R. Windsor, Antoinette Wysocki, Harun Zankel

About the Curator:

Jeremy Moss is a curator and multi-disciplinary artist. Trained as a photographer in the UK, he spent years photographing the New York Fashion Week and working with Jim Keyser Photography shooting various campaigns for McGraw-Hill Publishing and the New York Times. Moss has been the curator of the Iris Gallery at the South Orange Performing Arts Center for the past ten years and is also currently the curator and manager of the Heidi Gallery in Livingston. He has curated for the Pierro Gallery, Firehouse Gallery, 1978 Gallery and Orbital Gallery among others; was the co-founder of the Maplewood Art Walk; co-produced the Art Hub at TedX Maplewood; is a member of the Orange Arts Council; and is an advisor to the Springfield Avenue Partnership, South Orange Downtown, SOPAC and the Livingston Environmental Commission mural projects. Moss also serves on the board of Creative in Common, an adaptive studio space in South Orange designed to facilitate creativity, foster collaboration and engage the creative community.