BIENNIAL EXHIBIT OF WILLIAM PATERSON ALUMNI ART ON VIEW AT BEN SHAHN GALLERIES Seventeen William Paterson alumni artists will present a variety of recent artworks during a juried exhibit to be held in the university's Ben Shahn Galleries in Wayne from January 25 through February 26. The "Art Alumni Biennial Exhibit," sponsored by William Paterson's Friends of the Gallery/Artists' Network, will be on view in Ben Shahn's Court Gallery and will feature such diverse artistic media as paintings, computer-generated images, pottery and mixed media works. Local artists featured in the show include Mary Mahon of Hawthorne, a stoneware potter whose clay forms are often put together and decorated with unorthodox materials. "Clay is the center of my artistic expression," says Mahon, whose works on view include a "A Set of Dishes" and "Garden Sculptures." "As a teacher, student and traveler, I encounter a variety of methods and materials that I always try to incorporate into my clay construction," says Mahon. Kiki Brodkin of Paramus, a professor at Bergen Community College, presents two works from her "Nymph" series. The brightly-colored monoprints are mirror image forms on a page torn from a telephone directory. "Their blossoming translucent forms stain but do not fully penetrate the columnar linear information beneath," says Brodkin, who "enjoys making icons out of popular cliches" by combing aesthetic issues with a variety of materials and found objects. Her recent exhibitions include shows at the Pleiades Gallery in New York City. Jane Bolinger Cohen of Franklin Lakes started making paper in simple forms that stood as sculptural reliefs. "Now, using handmade paper, I try to capture notes for sculpture by depicting movement, mood and spirit," says Cohen. Her handmade paper works "Optum," Duyal," and "Lyrical" will be on exhibit. John Dinkey Jr. of Tenafly, a teacher at Parsippany High School, will exhibit computer-generated photographs. Marion Archer of North Haledon will present Chinese ink and watercolor paintings on rice paper. Linda Pugliese of Califon, president of the New Jersey Art Teacher's Association, will exhibit oil paintings. Other William Paterson alumni whose works will be on display include George Shershanovich, Elsa Carbone, Else Sprague, Susan Reinstein, Eileen Holzman, Christina Buck, Jill Wallace, Endla Sullivan, Catherine St. John, and Marlene Bremer. A closing reception for the exhibit will be held on Wednesday, February 24 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the galleries. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Also on view in the Ben Shahn Galleries from January 25 through February 26 are "Selections from the Joan and Gordon Tobias Collection of African and Tribal Arts and Artifacts" and "Thomas Waterman Wood Images of African-Americans in the Civil War Era." For additional information, please call the Ben Shahn Galleries at 973-720-2654. |