Urban Art at the Morris Museum
I have been visiting the Morris Museum frequently this year. Besides being located in a beautiful space that includes both a historic mansion and the renovated addition, I have work in the current Art in the Atrium (ATA) exhibit, The Social Fabric: Black Artistry in Fiber Arts, An Exhibition in Homage to Viki Craig. This is a well curated show of 27 artists that represents a creatively diverse perspective in the use of fiber arts and quilting in contemporary art making. On my last visit there I had time to walk into the adjoining gallery next to the ATA exhibit. To my surprise I walked into another exciting, well curated exhibit that showcased the work of New Jersey artists inspired by the urban landscape and practices common among graffiti artists. I found the large scale paintings very exciting to look at and the way they were presented in the gallery had a similar effect to seeing them as murals painted on the side of city buildings. I was again pleasantly surprised to walk into a special exhibit in tribute to artist Jerry Gant who passed away in 2018. Jerry had a skill with transforming a realistic subject into a unique abstract representation. To see a collection of these works in the gallery along with his signature print stencils on fabric and clothing made this a worthy tribute to the artist. I encourage you to take a trip to the Morris Museum this fall to catch the ATA exhibit before it closes on October 24, and On and Off the Streets: Urban Art New Jersey. The show features installations and studio work by 11 artists representing some of New Jersey’s finest street artists. The exhibit will be on view thru February, 2022. www.morrismuseum.org. Artwork by Will Power.
– Toni Thomas
Ida ZERO NINE-ZERO 0NE-TWENTY TWENTY - ONE
A Poem by Shonda Nicholas
Broadcasts
Broadcasts
Broadcasts
Weeks
Days
Hours
Radio
Television
Cell phone
Notifications
Alerts
Warnings
Ida
ZERO NINE
ZERO ONE
TWENTY TWENTY-ONE
Rain
Wind
Flooding
Devastation
Delays
Death
State of Emergency
Assessment
Aide
Community
Hope
Healing
Circle of Sisters
Moon Rising
The presence of the moon has been with me very strong these days. I have observed it over time progress from various phases and have marveled at it’s mystic beauty. What is it about the moon that mystifies us so? Is it the way it can affect our large bodies of water, as well as, our emotions? It is a question to ponder with many answers. In October the full moon is called the Hunter’s Moon. According to some it is called that because it is a period of preparation for the fall. A period for hunting and gathering in preparation for winter. Our next full moon is on October 20 at 10:57AM. Let’s take this time to prepare ourselves and gather what we need to secure a smooth transition into winter when the sun is most distant from us. Let’s learn to store the energy of the sun within. So we can propel ourselves out of melancholy moods and keep ourselves motivated to shine within, and hence shine outwardly, too.
Namaste
Public Health Awareness
While we have vaccines and in some areas the COVID-19 virus has waned we are still in a pandemic. We still need to practice caution, social distancing and we need to stay informed. To stay up to date on the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic click on the link below: https://combatcovid.hhs.gov/
