In 1964, Jasper Johns wrote himself a note: “Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it.” Since then, this set of instructions has referred to artwork that uses everyday objects and other non-fine art materials and describes the revolutionary approaches to art-making that developed from the early 20th century to the late 1950’s,1960’s, and beyond.
For this exhibit, artists are invited to submit work in any medium and in any genre including abstract. However, an object must be used as the primary subject and inspiration of the work.
Other thoughts to consider for this theme:
Transform public opinion of an object; Inform the viewer about a particularly rare, arcane, or historical object; Consider objects assigned to gender, power, and public symbolism; Offer a fresh perspective on a common object.
Studio Montclair’s Virginia S. Block Community Partnership Exhibition Program.
This exhibition is the fourth in SMI’s Community Partnership Exhibition Program created by cofounder and past president Virginia S. Block. The partnership aims to reach out to other nonprofit organizations each year to create a collaborative exhibition designed to inspire our members, create new connections, and reach new audiences.
This year SMI’s Community Partner is the Montclair Art Museum (MAM). As a collaboration, SMI and MAM will be mounting concurrent object-inspired exhibitions.
Exhibition Dates: September 10 – October 15, 2021
Entry Deadline: Saturday, July 24, 2021
Notification Date: Monday, August 1, 2021
Opening Reception: TBD
Delivery of Artwork by Hand: September 3 & 4, 2021
Delivery of Artwork by Shipping: by September 2, 2021
Pickup of unsold artwork: October 16 – 22, 2021
Questions? Contact us at exhibitions@studiomontclair.org
About the Montclair Art Museum
The Montclair Art Museum, together with its Vance Wall Art Education Center, engages our diverse community through distinctive exhibitions, educational programs, and collections of American and Native American art. Our mission is to inspire and engage people of all ages in their experience with art, including the rich inter-cultural and global connections throughout American history, and the continuing relevance of art to contemporary life.
MAM’s exhibit titled Transformed: Objects Reimagined by American Artists comprises more than sixty paintings, sculptures, photographs, and works on paper, which highlight the role of objects as reimagined by American and Native American artists from 1829 to the present. The exhibition will feature still life paintings, works emphasizing letters/the alphabet as objects, and other works focusing on urban scenes and objects of industry, including tools. Found objects, constructions and assemblages will be prominently presented, as well as collages and works based on collage aesthetics. Finally, a section of the show will present dolls and images of mannequins as human representations and exploration.
Virginia S. Block is a native of New Jersey. She holds a BA degree in Art Education and an MA. in Visual Arts from William Paterson University along with a NJ Teaching Certificate. Block is one of the five co-founders of Studio Montclair and served as its first president from 1997 – 2002, she also served as Studio Montclair’s gallery director from 2010 – 2018. Block’s work is included in hundreds of corporate and private collections throughout the East Coast and the Midwest. She has had a long and varied art career, including working as an art teacher, package and logo designer, and director of incentive marketing for an advertising company. Throughout this time, she has continued to develop her career as a fine artist.
Ira Wagner is the Executive Director of the Montclair Art Museum. A Montclair resident for more than 30 years, Wagner began studying photography in 2008 after working on Wall Street for more than 25 years. With an interest in urban history and design, he has focused on photographing the urban landscape. Wagner received his MFA from the Hartford Art School in 2013 and has taught photography at Monmouth University in New Jersey. His project “Houseraising,” photographs of houses being raised on the Jersey Shore following Hurricane Sandy, was featured in The New Republic, National Geographic, and was released in a photobook by Daylight Books in 2018. His most recent project, “Twinhouses of the Great Northeast,” had a photograph included in MAM’s Personal Landscapes exhibition during 2020. Based on images from Twinhouses, he was selected a Critical Mass Top 50 photographer by Photolucida and participated in Review Santa Fe during 2019.
Studio Montclair Gallery is a 1,000 sf light filled gallery in the Montclair Arts District. It is easily accessible by train or bus.