It has expanded so much that the city is including shuttle service along the route. This is the chance to see the best of the Hudson County art scene. There will be photography, painting, sculpture, crafts, spoken word, film, mixed media, live performances, and musical acts, many in the artists' working space. Plus it is an opportunity to see some of the historic neighborhoods that Jersey City is famous for.
This event was made possible by the generous support from the following: The Hudson Reporter Newsgroup, the Provident Bank, Goldman Sachs, Newport, Panepinto Properties, Bank Of America, Historic Downtown SID, Jersey City Museum, Journal Square Restoration Corporation and Victory Hall Cultural Center. Local businesses that helped include: Hudson Camera, LITM, Palace Drugs, Beechwood Café & Market, Borinquen Home Improvement, and Gallerie Hudson.
Columns in Grace Church
During this weekend's tour, Grace Church Van Vorst, 39 Erie St. in Jersey City, is holding the exhibit, Columns: Installation x 12, which is a presentation by 12 artists, six men and six women, all at different points in their careers and experience. For this series, the 12 different artists each design a column in the church. Yet there will actually be 13 pieces in the exhibit.
Norm Francoeur, one of the 12 artists, designed the 13th piece, which is a cross made out of crutches and will stand in the back balcony. This exhibit will run until November. The opening reception for this group exhibit is on Thursday, Sept. 29 from 7 to 10 p.m. and includes a performance by Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Choir.
The curator
The curator for the exhibit is Garth Kobel, who has been at Grace Church since May 2004. This is his second Studio Tour. According to Kobel, the idea with the columns was so the artwork wouldn't infringe on the space for people. Initially, they used to display art on large walls that took up a lot of room. By decorating the columns that line the church, the space is still open and more people can fit into the church.
"It is appropriate that there are 13 sculptures," said Garth Kobel. "Because the 12 columns are for the apostles and the 13th is for Jesus."
Kobel has been filming the artists as they've installed their artwork. The documentary will be shown during the tour.
The artists
Maggie Ens' has been involved in the tour since 2000. Her column titled "The Pelican Tree" is made of found objects and has a large pelican as a centerpiece. "My work is about reuse," said Ens'. "And making positive changes in the new century. I took the notion of the philosopher's stone. The notion that stuff that is not valuable becomes like gold."
Nyugent Smith initially wanted to work with cabinets. Instead he took found wood and metal and constructed a tower that was influenced by the Orcs in The Lord of the Rings. "The movie reminded me of when I was a kid. I called it my Orc series so people could understand it and come close to it," said Smith. "The Orcs were mainly for inspiration. It is mainly about people who are part of a world where everything is disposable. Where they can pack up and go." He added the flags to the tower so people will understand that it is an established society with rules and regulations.
Ev Stone calls her piece "tower." Stone also works with found objects including: driftwood, muslin, and rusted metal. The fabric that she wrapped around the structure she found 15 years ago. This is the fourth and the biggest tower she has made. The piece is actually two sides that are fitted together like a shell. She put shellac over all the materials, which makes the whole thing seem uniform, even though the objects weren't found together, or meant to be one. "I'm always trying to invoke feelings of the arcane," said Stone. "I have my own mythology of a post apocalyptic society. We will annihilate ourselves and we will rebuild."
Peter Duffin, who is art director for Lincoln Center, constructed his tower out of pages from his book about the Polish author Bruno Schultz. Essentially, the pages form Duffin's emotional response to Schultz's work. Some of the pages drawn are images that Schultz created in his stories, like the section on the birds that grow from eggs that one of the characters collects from around the world. The birds mutate and one day the maid comes in and sweeps them out the window. According to Duffin, if you started reading at the bottom and followed the spiral around, you would finish the book.
Other artists
The other artists involved are: Nisha Drinkard, Norm Francoeur, Donald Gallagher, Megan Klim, Meredith Lippman, Jesus Moreno, Roger Sayre, and Noelle Lorraine Williams.
Roger Sayre has constructed a large-scale woodpecker that will peck its way down the column. Norm Francoeur crafted a large snake that is wound around the column with an apple in its fangs. Nisha Drinkard and Megan Klim have both constructed columns with lights and fabric wrapped around it. Klim's blanket is made up of gauze and wire and Drinkard has blue dyed white cotton.
Jesus Moreno's column has images of rifles and figures climbing up to the sky. Donald Gallagher has constructed an enormous myth based tree made from dead tree branches, fabric and other found materials.
Meredith Lippmann has several black abstract drawings suspended from wire around her column. Noelle Lorraine Williams crafted an angel out of wood, clay, and wire.
The individual columns are interesting, but to see them together in the church is breathtaking. This exhibit will be presented through November.
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