NEW EXHIBIT TO HIGHLIGHT CELEBRATED ARTIST’S PROLIFIC CAREER

JOHN GOODYEAR: SHIFTING VIEWS

WHEN: May 4-July 8*
WHERE: Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit ADMISSION: Suggested Admission: Adults $5; Seniors/Kids $3; Art Center Members free

*Gallery Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 10:00 AM- 5:00 PM; Thursday 10:00 AM–8 PM; and Saturday & Sunday 11 AM–4 PM. Please call to confirm holiday hours.

John Goodyear: Shifting Views will showcase the work of an internationally recognized artist who has lived and worked in New Jersey for nearly half a century. The exhibition unites Goodyear’s ground-breaking artwork from the 1960s with some recent, related pieces and features three distinct, but interrelated bodies of work. (Left: John Goodyear, Red, Yellow, Blue Construction, 1978, acrylic on wood, 28 ¾ x 29 ¼ x 6 inches. Photo: Ricardo Barros)

His “pole” paintings—an idea he originated in the 1960s—are painted wood constructions that spin to reveal fragmented views simultaneously. Another series incorporates moving latticed screens in front of stationary paintings. When the screens are lightly pushed from side to side, the viewer experiences a strong optical effect that creates a new visual experience. Both these groups of kinetic works require the viewer’s active participation. Goodyear’s “Double Subject” paintings are based on iconic works from art history reduced to outline drawings and superimposed one over the other. The viewer must continually shift focus to “read” the individual images. The meaning for all of the works in this exhibition is continually in flux depending on elements of chance and the spectator’s shifting vision.

John Goodyear was a professor at Rutgers University from 1964 until his retirement in 1997. Throughout his long career, Goodyear has experimented with a broad range of processes and materials, including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, light and optics and even heat. His first solo show was in New York City in 1964. Since then he has participated in many individual and group exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad. Goodyear’s works are included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and 50 other public collections worldwide. The artist has lived in Lambertville, New Jersey, since 1972.

Related Programs:

Art Afternoon: Make & Meet
WHEN: May 20, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM

Meet the three artists in our spring exhibitions and create art inspired by their work! Collage, painting and kinetic art projects for the whole family. Free event open to all.

Artist/Curator Dialogue featuring John Goodyear (Thursday Evening Salon Series)     
WHEN: May 24, 7:30 PM-9:00 PM

Art Center curator Mary Birmingham will interview internationally-recognized artist and former professor of art at Rutgers University, John Goodyear. Mary will delve into the artist’s long and prolific art career. Free event open to all. Since space is limited, reserve a seat online or by calling (908) 273-9121.

Also on View:

David Ambrose: AFTERimage showcases richly colored, intensely worked paintings on pierced paper that incorporate lace patterns and architectural elements. (Eisenberg Gallery)

Changing Times: Seven Years of The Collage Journal highlights collages Peter Jacobs has made each day since 2005 using images and text from the daily newspaper. (Gallery X)

About the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey

The Art Center is New Jersey's largest institution dedicated exclusively to viewing, creating and learning about contemporary art, making it unique among the state’s visual arts organizations.  As the cultural anchor for the City of Summit and the surrounding region, the Art Center has fulfilled its mission--bringing art and people together –for nearly 80 years by connecting its audience with contemporary art and artists and engaging people of all ages and skill levels in arts education. In addition to over 5,000 current students and members and 60,000 visitors annually, the Art Center serves a rapidly growing number of Pre-K-12 students from underfunded public school districts with arts education programs.