WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY ART EXHIBIT CELEBRATES AMERICAN ART QUILTS

“American Art Quilts,” a juried exhibit of works by 35 artists from across the United States, will be on view at William Paterson University’s Ben Shahn Galleries from March 22 through April 16. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. A closing reception for the exhibit will be held on Wednesday, April 14 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

The exhibit, in Ben Shahn’s South and East galleries, presents works that transcend material and process in the expression of the artist’s vision through color, texture and design. “The questions of medium and category have been part of the debate on art quilts during the last decade,” says Laura Cater-Wood, co-curator of the exhibit with Maxine Farkas. ”Our ideas about stitched surfaces and cloth, conscious or not, become part of the conversation of viewing the art. The fact of fabric, layers and stitching, central to all the images in this exhibit, is secondary to how the processes combine to express the unique vision of each artist.”

According to Farkas, the willingness to take risks, explore new ground, and follow instinct and eye, is demonstrated throughout the works. For example, for her piece titled “The Cloisters,” Joan Schulze cut up an earlier work and recycled it to make a new quilt. “This takes the idea of collage and extends it to a risky enterprise,” explains Schulze. “The final act of ‘composting’ was to draw on the quilt with machine stitches.”

A number of artists incorporate a variety of print processes into their quilts. In her work “Urban Landscape,” Rayna Gillman uses a plethora of traditional and not-so-traditional printmaking techniques –- monoprinting, screenprinting, dyeing, painting, photo transfer –- for a piece that demonstrates both her quilting and printmaking skills.

For other artists, the demarcation of new ground is accomplished by the incorporation of new visualizations. Joanie Gagnon San Chirico, whose works are archaeological in nature, advances her work, “Altar Fragments VI: Eclipse,” by stripping the imagery to basic shapes and forms. “I’ve simplified the design from other pieces in my Artifacts seriues, down to the basic level, from arches, columns and altars, into fragments,” she explains.

Other artists included in the exhibit are Pat Autenrieth, Judy Becker, Eliza Brewster, Linda Colsh, Helene Davis, Joan Lockburner Deuel, Susan Townsend Donabed, Claire Fenton, Cornelia Jutta Forster, Marni Goldshlag, Rosemary Hoffenberg, Phil D. Jones, Catherine Kleeman, Randy Keenan, Linda Levin, Denise Linet, Joan Loewenberg, Michele Merges Martens, Victoria Montgomery, Dominie Nash, Kathy Nida, Dan Olfe, Barbara Pucci, Wen Redmond, Sara Rockinger, Susan Shie, Carol Taylor, Judith Trager, Julie Upshaw, and Sandra L.H. Woock.

The exhibit is one of two shows on view concurrently in the Ben Shahn Galleries. On view in the Court Gallery is “Crossing the Line: Wearables to Unwearables,” an exhibit curated by Nisha Drinkard that explores the fine line between high art and functional design. All exhibits are free and open to the public and are wheelchair accessible.

This exhibit is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

For additional information, please call the Ben Shahn Galleries at William Paterson University at 973-720-2654.

For Further Information, contact:

Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966

3/15/04