Studio Montclair presented the exhibit “Portfolio Series: Old is Good,” from November 3 through 29, 2015, at the Montclair Public Library Gallery, 50 S. Fullerton Ave., Montclair, NJ. An opening reception was held on Thursday, November 5, from 6 to 8:45pm. From 7:45 to 8:45pm there was a panel discussion featuring the exhibiting artists and moderated by Virginia Fabbri Butera, PhD.
EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION
This exhibit gave viewers the unique opportunity to glimpse the artistic journeys of five Studio Montclair member artists, not only through their diverse work displayed, sampled from various periods of their careers, but by their participation in the November 5th panel discussion.
“Almost all artists have gone through considerable changes in their careers,” says exhibit curator Susan Lisbin. She points out that we often expect to identify an artist by his or her recognizable style, yet most artists experiment and explore. Their evolution may be a reaction to changes in their own lives, world events, or opportunities created by new mediums or techniques.
This perspective certainly applies to the artists in this exhibit. Howard Berelson evolved as an artist, from making constructions to collagraphs to digital prints. He also writes, and considers both the poet and the visual artist as an observer. Rayna Gillman, who began quilting by studying traditional patterns, now pushes the envelope with hand-printed textiles, text, and freeform quilting. Marion Held’s organically evocative sculpture engages the viewer with explorations using everything from clay, resin, and paper to found objects. Carol Radsprecher combines figurative and abstract approaches. Playfulness and humor are evident in all her work. She switched from painting to drawing with Photoshop. And Michael Teters uses the luminous quality of encaustic to produce translucence and sculptural effects. He now employs the newer technology of LEDs to further illuminate his work.
HOWARD BERELSON
RAYNA GILLMAN
MICHAEL TETERS
MARION HELD
CAROL RADSPRECHER
Curator: Susan Lisbin
Susan Lisbin is a multimedia, abstract artist. She earned a master’s degree in painting from Montclair State University. Recently she had a two-person show at the Carter Burden Gallery in Chelsea, NY. Her work has often shown in the New York metropolitan area, including solo shows at the Ben Shahn Center for Visual Arts at William Patterson University, the M13 Project Room in Brooklyn, the Paquette Gallery in Boonton, NJ, and the Old Stone Cultural Center in Demarest, New Jersey. Lisbin’s work is in many private collections in the tri-state area. Visit her website to learn more: www.susanlisbin.com
Panel moderator: Virginia Fabbri Butera
Virginia Fabbri Butera, PhD, is the Director of the Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery, a tenured Professor of Art History and Chairperson of the Art Program and the Dance and Music Minors at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, NJ. She received her B.A. in Renaissance Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, her M.A. in History of Art from Johns Hopkins University and her PhD in Art History from the Graduate School and University Center at the City University of New York. For nearly four decades, Dr. Butera has curated art exhibitions for museums and galleries such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Toledo Museum of Art, Yale University Art Gallery, and other institutions around the country. Currently, her exhibitions Histories: Figuring It Out and Contrasting Abstractions are on view at the Maloney Art Gallery and Gallery 14 Maple at Morris Arts, respectively.
