Morris Arts invites the public to attend the reception and opening of seeing the unseen, a new Gallery at 14 Maple exhibit featuring works depicting people and aspects of our world that sometimes seem “invisible” in our society, on Thursday, March 14 at its offices in Morristown.
The reception for the exhibit is 6 to 8 p.m. on the 3rd Floor of the LEED certified building and is free and open to all.
The Exhibition Committee of Morris Arts and guest curator Greg Leshé selected works created by 10 outstanding artists. It includes painting, mixed media, photography, sculpture, collage, and digital art.
Top to bottom: Ed Kashi’s portrait of Ahmed, an African torture victim and U.S. detainee before being granted asylum; Jeffrey Campbell’s digital composite/found photography, Here Be Dragons; Nyugen Smith’s mixed media and collage on paper, Bundlehouse: Like oil + water; Detail from Hanna von Goeler’s multimedia work, Hung Out to Dry: From Riches to Rags and Rags to Riches; Tian Hui’s acrylic and oil on canvas, Friedrich Hayek.
The exhibit features works by distinguished artists, many of whom have also had careers as curators, documentary photojournalists, and artists deeply concerned by injustice.
The 10 artists featured in this exhibit are: Jeffrey Campbell of Wanaque, Patricia Cazorla of New York, Angeles Cossio of Jersey City, Hanna von Goeler of Montclair, Grace Graupe-Pillard of Keyport, Tian Hui of South Orange, Ed Kashi of Montclair, Nancy Saleme of New York, Nyugen Smith of Jersey City, and Wendel White of Galloway. Each artist brings a unique perspective to the theme of seeing the unseen.
Top to bottom: Wendel White’s Woman’s Hood NJ WKKK, Southern New Jersey Cultural Organization, Cape May, NJ; Grace Graupe-Pillard’s oil, Dadaab Camp/Kenya; Patricia Cazorla and Nancy Saleme’s charcoal pencil, ink marker, liquid silver leaf and acrylic on wood, The Garden of Opportunities, little boy; Angeles Cossio’s styrofoam, coffee cups sculpture, Conglomerate.
“Within the show’s compass I regard the artwork as the beacon, the lighthouse, the signaler-object of the unseen, transmitting a critical light, projecting warning rays while asserting and proclaiming what’s out there that we can’t or choose not to see,” said Guest Curator Greg Leshé about the exhibit. “These forces and realities pose a danger to an individual, a community, an environment, an ethnic group, a nation – and, if ignored or left untended, will imperil some level of our collective humanity.”
Through these artists’ eyes, we visualize the beauty and poignancy of migrant farm workers, people who survived extended detention, political imprisonment, or torture as well as tangible emblems of racism, environmental degradation, and, ultimately, our shared humanity. It is at once an exhibit of great beauty and profound awareness — making the viewer mindful of the truly important and fundamental matters in our world.
Additionally, at the opening reception, the winners of the Ehlers and Coladarci Arts Scholarships will be introduced and recognized for their achievements.