‘Intersection’ features works by artists that have studios located at 31 Central Ave. and at 237 Washington St. in Newark, NJ.
Opening Reception will be on Friday, October 13, 6 – 11 pm
231 Central Artists: Jerry Gant, Katrina Bello, Akintola Hanif, Stephen Mckenzie, Kevin Merkel, William Oliwa, German Pitre, Kati Vilim, and Robert Shoup
237 Artists: Diana Palermo, Colin Sheilds, Patricia Dahlman, Kevin Durkin, Jeff Koroski, Colleen Gutwein, Lowell Craig, Jillian Keats, Peter Dougherty, Heidi Lorenz Wettach, Sohoah Lee, and Joseph O’Neal
Index Art Center exhibitions opening on Friday: (follow links below for additional information, to rsvp, and to share)
City Without Walls is pleased to present ArtReach XXV and a Newark New Media exhibition this summer. An opening reception will be held on Friday, June 16, 2017, 5-8pm.
ArtReach XXV will be on view at City Without Walls June 16 – August 26, 2017.
cWOW’s ArtReach program exposes local high school art students to the real lives of working artists. ArtReach offers encouragement, practical advice and guidance, and includes a high profile cWOW exhibition featuring collaborative work by the mentors and their students. The program, celebrating its 25th year, nurtures the next generation of artists and arts leaders with professional artists for a semester, engaging in dialogue through art talks, and visits to local art spaces. Students in this year’s program were sponsored in part by The Newark Print Shop, a community fine art printmaking workshop that provides affordable and accessible workspace.
This group exhibition features painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, installations and video by the following students and their mentors: Chevelle Ogbonna and James Blake, Marcus Everson and Layqa Nuna Yawar, Adelin Figueroa and Patricia Arias-Reynolds, Olga Melissa Tapia and Robert Richardson, Alonzo Lockhart and Matt Gosser, Gabrielle Johnson and Toni Thomas, Kayla Muldrow and Danielle Scott, Orchid Sylvester and Angela Pilgrim, Manuel Mejiá and Alverson Layne, Angela Johnson and Kristian Battell, Dylan Sánchez Quinteros and Colleen Gutwein, Taphara Lundy and Adrienne Wheeler, Chiara Quezada Hernández and James Wilson; and Jackson Bazile and Khari Johnson-Ricks.
City Without Walls is New Jersey’s oldest alternative art space. Our mission is to advance the careers of artists, expand the audience for contemporary art and provide opportunities for arts education and community engagement.
City Without Walls is the grateful recipient of donations and grant support from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the City of Newark, Tarin M. Fuller, and individual contributors.
Join the celebration this Friday, May 5, 2017 for the grand opening of Express Newark and Shine Portrait Studio in Newark, NJ. I will be shooting complimentary black & white portraits in the Shine Studio from 5-8pm, as part of a happening. See the Small Forest contact page for directions to the studio. Click HERE for information about the Express Newark grand opening celebration. (accessible by train, bus, and car: parking deck available under the Hahne building, closes at 10pm)
I am very excited to be working with Matthew Gosser. He will be providing set pieces for the photoshoot from his current curatorial programming: “Art & Artifacts of Newark”.
Join us on Thursday March 30th, 2017 6-9pm at Index Art Center for an artist & curator led gallery tour of the exhibition Landholdings, followed by a community conversation dealing with local issues close to the theme of the exhibition. Artists will include: Anne Percoco, Ellie Irons, Jamie Bruno, and Sara Fox. Community discussion speakers will include: Lowell Craig from Index Art Center, Tobias Fox from Newark Science and Sustainability, and Ngu Asongwed from Shorty’s Skate Park.
LANDHOLDINGS is a multimedia exhibition focused on questioning the ownership and stewardship of the land we live on. The exhibition explores these ideas though an ascension from soil composition to the broader scale of cartography and all of the human relationships in between.
“When you answer the question, Who really owns the soil? wrote George McBride, a pioneer of the Green Revolution in Mexico, you lay bare the very foundations upon which its society is based, and reveal the fundamental character of many of it’s institutions.” – Andro Linklater Owning the Earth
Index Art Center presents: LANDHOLDINGS.
Reception Saturday, March, 4, 7 to 10pm.
LANDHOLDINGS is a multimedia exhibition focused on questioning the ownership and stewardship of the land we live on.
The exhibition explores these ideas through an ascension from soil composition to the broader scale of cartography and all of the human relationships in between.
“When you answer the question, Who really owns the soil? wrote George McBride, a pioneer of the Green Revolution in Mexico, you lay bare the very foundations upon which its society is based, and reveal the fundamental character of many of it’s institutions.” – Andro Linklater Owning the Earth
Curated by Colleen Gutwein
Exhibiting Artists:
Nell Painter is an artist and historian. In her series “Composite Maps” (Odalisque Atlas), Painter examines the ancient and contemporary locations of slave girls through cartography.
Sara Fox has taken her photo journalism to North Dakota in an essay from Standing Rock. Fox gives the viewer a glimpse into the present-day struggle over a Native American territory with disputed boundaries dating back to the 1800’s.
Mike Belleme points his lens into a mysterious subculture of people living off the excess of a society they have left behind in his photo essay “Wild Roots”. Foraging, dumpster diving, and the occasional hunt brings food to their off-grid cooperative, hidden deep in the forests of NC.
Anne Percoco explores migrant peoples relationship to the land in her “Weather Shield for a Migrant Dwelling”. Percoco designed a protective outer layer for a one family dwelling using the waste of plastic food wrappers. The shelter reflects the landscape surrounding it, as well as creates a localized cooling system within.
Ellie Irons & Anne Percoco have created an ongoing library, “The Next Epoch Seed Library”. This seed bank focuses on weedy species most likely to survive and thrive in a landscape dominated by human excess.
Jamie Bruno has spent years in both the art and agricultural worlds. Her installation focuses on the urban gardener, and the cultivation of polluted land into nutrient rich soil suitable for growing food.
As the Earth changes and people continue to migrate, we explore our deepest relationships with the earth and to each other through LANDHOLDINGS.
Also Happening-:
Index Side Gallery: “ANTI-PRINTS” by Joe Waks
27 Mix: Xplore Freedom
Gallery hours are by appointment.
Admission is free and open to the public.
This event is sponsored by our neighbors 27 Mix and Kilkenny Alehouse.
The 5 Wards explore the diversity of Newark’s landscapes and people. Through photography, the artists reveal nuanced reflections of change, culture and community, providing a deeper analysis of the City of Newark and the current socio-political climate. Presented in conjunction with HYCIDE magazine, featuring works by Manuel Acevedo, Cesar Melgar, Tamara Fleming, Colleen Gutwein, Stefan Brown, Nema Etebar and Fabian Palencia.
January 29 – April 30
Seton Hall University School of Law
1109 Raymond Boulevard Newark, NJ 07102United States+ Google Map
Join me for an open studio visit on the 3rd floor of Index Art Center, followed by the Opening reception for the Queen of Angels: When a Church Dies exhibition, all on Sunday October 23rd. Free transportation is available to local galleries and artists studios, more information HERE
I am lucky enough to share my studio space with my talented husband, Joseph O’Neal. Please join us in our studio from noon-6pm on Sunday October 23rd. The gallery at Index Art Center will also be open and showing Intersection 2016, in which both Joseph and I are participating.
Facebook Event HERE
Queen of Angels: When a Church Dies
Unintended Relics, 2016
October 23 & by appointment. Opening Reception: October 23, 4-7pm
270 Central Ave, Newark
After a 5 year hiatus from curating Ar+chaeology exhibits, Matthew Gosser is bringing the idea back to help celebrate Newark’s 350 anniversary founding. The Queen of Angels church, and school, was a highly significant historic landmark which was recently demolished. A collection of artifacts, photographs, and historic research was plentiful to artists in this exhibit charged with the idea of creating works that speak of the Queen of Angels.
Information for Newark 350 HERE
Facebook Event HERE
Newark Open Doors 2016 will be happening October 19 – 23rd this year. On Friday, October 21st, three exhibitions I am showing work in will be hosting opening receptions. Free transportation to all of the gallery openings that night is available with registration for the “Gallery Crawl” through the Newark Arts Council. Hope to see you there!
The 5 Wards
Ballantine Brewery. September, 2016
October 21 – December 17 Opening Reception: October 21, 6-9pm City Without Walls
The 5 Wards is a photography exhibition curated by Akintola Hanif featuring works by Manuel Acevedo, Cesar Melgar, Tamara Fleming, Colleen Gutwein, Fabian Palencia, Nema Etebar, Stefan Brown and Rhys Valmonte. Presented in conjunction with HYCIDE magazine, the exhibition will also launch The 5 Wards online series, which is part of Newark Celebration 350.
Complete information for The 5 Wards HERE
Facebook Event HERE
Market Street Convergence II
Samantha Katehis, above her studio.
October 21 – November 12 Opening Reception: October 21, 5-9pm Gallery Aferro @77 Market St (fl. 2)
25 exhibits/ 4 buildings/1 block/1 night Market Street Convergence II is presented by Gallery Aferro and the Newark Arts Council for the Open Doors citywide arts festival.
Alongside other photographic documentation of Newark, I will be exhibiting The Newark Arts Photo Documentary Project: Selected Color Prints
Complete information for Market Street Convergence II HERE
Facebook Event HERE
Intersection 2016
31 Central, September, 2016
October 21 – November 17 Opening Reception: October 21, 6-11pm Index Art Center
Intersection 2016 features work by artists that have studios located at 31 Central Avenue in Newark. 31 Central has been occupied by artists and creatives for more than three decades, helping to establish an emerging arts community in the Halsey Street area and Downtown Newark. Intersection will also feature works by artists that have studios at 237 Washington Street – Index Art Center’s new location after a fire displaced the organization in 2013.
Complete information for Intersection 2016 HERE
Facebook Event HERE
My partner and I had the opportunity to take some time off of our regular lives this summer and move to a quiet little town in his home state of North Carolina, I have never spent long periods of time in the South, and with our upcoming marriage this seemed like an ideal situation to learn more about his family and culture. The chance to get back to nature and slow down my life was promising. I would also have plenty of time to dedicate to my ongoing documentary developing negatives and contact sheets in the nearby community darkroom.
This sabbatical, if you will, happens to coincide with my participation in the three month long Creative Capital professional development program. It was only necessary for me to be physically present in NJ for two meetings, an ideal situation for me. The rest of the work in the program is done remotely through webinars, online courses, Skype, and good old fashioned book learning. This program coupled perfectly with my time in North Carolina and has been eye opening. I have been able to think clearly without the distractions of daily life that usually surround me. I have taken a step back and given myself the opportunity to consider how I want to reorganize my home, office, and studio to make them more efficient. By decluttering my life and living simply for a few months in North Carolina, I have gained amazing perspective into what is and isn’t working for me. Being able remove all the things and ideas that are not propelling me forward has created more time for the people and activities I truly enjoy.
I am no stranger to traveling for extended periods of time. After college I spent a year teaching English in Japan with the JET Program. As a teacher in Japan, I saw a distinction between the way Japanese and American high school students prioritize and engage in activities. In Japan, schoolwork comes first. After schoolwork, students are expected pick one activity: a sport, hobby, or school club, and become the best they possibly can at that one thing. My upbringing in the American school system was a stark contrast. I was encouraged to be “well rounded” by having decent grades, play different sports all year round, and have hobbies all while working a part time job. Somewhere along the way this became overwhelming and the idea of striving for perfection with keen concentration was lost. Both high school experiences had a profound affect on my future self, as I now search for the balance between being well rounded and an expert in my field.
The Creative Capital program is helping me find this balance by showing me the tools necessary to stay on track with my artwork and finances at the same time. As an artist in today’s world I need to be well rounded enough to manage and run a small business, network, grant write, pitch ideas, and manage finances all while staying focused and becoming an expert in my field of photography. The guidance of Creative Capital has proven to be the missing link to pulling all of these aspects of my life together in harmony.
As the blended learning program winds down and ends next week, my time in small town North Carolina is coming to an end as well. When I move back up north to New Jersey I will be flung into the anxiety driven, fast paced lifestyle of a working artist. I get tense thinking about the transition. I used to work numerous jobs to support my art and budding photography business (www.smallforestphotography.com). When I return to New Jersey it will not only be a physical jump back into my old home, but I will metaphorically be taking one of the biggest leaps of my life. My only job will be self-employment with Small Forest Photography. It will truly be the time that I have to sink or swim. I will put the knowledge and tools acquired from the Creative Capital program into action not only with funding and completing my documentary, but in running my own freelance photography business.
I began my photography business as a way to support my artwork while I was working an office job that I despised. When I quit my day job my business wasn’t fully operational so I took on assisting jobs and retail work to make ends meet. Now the company is looking towards its 5th anniversary this March and I have to make the leap. Understanding the cost of living with the Real Cost Budgeting Tool has been invaluable in the effort to make my life work for me. It is one of the greatest pieces of paper that anyone has ever handed me. I was able to rework my entire business structure based on that tool and now feel very confident in my pricing. I have a been able to build a more sustainable business plan to implement upon my return to New Jersey. The most basic part of the plan is to march forward without fear. I still have some time left in North Carolina, and if I use my time wisely I will be able to meet my goals of working for myself while sustaining my art practice.
I find myself working in the darkroom, that cool dark place, where I am locked away in the basement of an old mechanical building, totally oblivious to the world passing by. I find myself deep in thought with the ventilation humming away, joined by sounds of jazz and bluegrass penetrating the air. I find myself constantly working on this documentary. I spend time in the darkroom with all of my friends, new and old, who are artists in Newark. I spend so much time in this one-sided relationship while working on their images, that when I see them in person after months, sometimes years, I feel like no time has passed at all. I want to pick up the conversation right where I left it, under the enlarger, in the drying rack, or muddled under the soft ripples of developer cascading over their faces. I live in a world of fantastic imagination with my friends. Within that world of the darkroom, I find myself thinking that this may be the most important moment of my life. After all of my hard work, years of education, after hardships, friendships, and worldly travel, after I am dead and gone, what I create in this one moment may be the only physical thing that survives. This one little piece of a negative, or that one print. Who will find it? Will anyone be able to connect these puzzle pieces to the vibrant Newark community which is now full of life, and love, and artistic power? How will we be remembered? Would anybody even care?
Leaving the darkroom, sunglasses sheltering my eyes, I climb up three sets of concrete stairs with heavy legs. I am leaving the darkroom with more proof of my existence, and the existence of my peers, than I had before I entered. I sit in the steamy car and review negatives and contact sheets. Reality begins seeping back into my mind as I make the drive home.
How can I sustain my work? What if I don’t get funding to continue this? How will I pay my rent? I roll down the driveway, say hello to my partner, and shower off the small of chemical. I sit at the computer, follow up on emails, try to find ways to restructure my freelance business, and scour the internet for grants and fellowships. I applied for three grants last month. Is that enough? How many more can I find to apply for this month? My partner meets with a reputable gallery and sends emails and letters to collectors. We are making work, important work. But how do we move forward? The uncertainty will surely lead to insanity if we don’t get a break soon.
I crack open that Creative Capital workbook and sign on for classes. I review my notes from the webinars and contemplate my peer group support meetings. I review my newest artists statement, bio, and CV. I have followed the Creative Capital writing program and am so thankful to be on task, and much more diligent in finding ways to secure my future. It dawns on me that if I made it this far in my career with none of these tools, I will be ahead of the game when I finish this workshop.
While reviewing my life goals in the workbook I see that I have left graduate school off of my list yet again. I have wanted to go to graduate school for over a decade now, but its off the list. Where would I find the money anyway? I don’t want a mortgage sized loan with no house to live in. How could I ever afford it? This program has made me realize that it is still ok to have these goals. It’s ok to dream without having money, because life changes abruptly.
In the evening when I should be slowing down my mind, little voices start creeping into my head… Oh my I don’t know how you do it…. Thats incredible you don’t have to work a real job…. How do you think you will be able to have a family as an artist?… It’s so cool you get to do what you want. … Could you donate to this?… I just want a really small photoshoot…. When are you going to finish the project?… I soon realize that I am battling other peoples fear of living this life as my own, and drift to sleep.
As the days march on, the workshop shifts. In the beginning of the program more things are assigned with clear deadlines. At this point in the program, less than one month away from completion, we are keeping tabs on ourselves and being held responsible by self-regulation and peer group meetings. We have completed the webinars and are given the option to take three online courses at our own pace.
I started my first online course with the blended learning program last week. I decided to take the Grants and Applications course since this is where I am with my project right now. I followed the first half of the seminars reviewing strategies on how look for funding. What struck me was the idea that anyone who partners with me and my documentary is not giving me a handout, they are partners because they share the same values that I do, and find my work to be important to the community.
The Creative Capital program is teaching me a variety ways to get the end result I need to sustain my work as an artist. The main thing, as I talked about in my last entry, is to just keep doing it. The cornerstone of writing better proposals is based on the amount of time I am spending writing them. Writing helps to articulate the goals of my project, and gives me a clear direction for the future Writing was something I used to shy away from. By forcing myself to do these journal entries, and rewriting my thesis for my current project over and over, I have been able to translate my work from photographs to words. This only makes me more confident in talking about the work and my processes. Without this program I definitely would not have pushed myself so hard. I am in training right now and I feel the growing pains. The most encouraging aspect of this training program is that I believe I am getting back what I am putting in.
One of the unexpected results from participating in the blended learning program is the emotional connection to other artists around me, more so than I already had with the documentary project. The peer groups create a platform for us to share our struggles, and has highlighted the importance of working together as a community. We can easily unify in our passion as culture bearers. We can start with that common bond and work forward towards a system for our children, and their children, to truly be free in the way they contribute to culture and society.
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