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Tuesday, July 26, 2016

FEMALE ARTIST’S DIGITAL COLLAGES CAST SPELL ON VIEWERS

Lipstick 300Jill Kerwick: Lipstick and Other Stories

WHEN: An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 22 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm; On view through September 11, 2016.
WHERE:
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit
ADMISSION: Free

On Friday, July 22 the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey will open its newest exhibition. Jill Kerwick’s ingenious digital collages resemble film stills—part fantasy, part science fiction, and part fairy tale—featuring strangely serene female characters and giant animals in bucolic landscapes or domestic spaces. The New Jersey artist describes them as, “just real enough” to be believable—at least at first glance. 

Kerwick assembles miniature stage sets by positioning antique lady head vases, live animals, grass, and foliage in front of paintings or backdrops.  After photographing them she uses Photoshop to insert images of her body into the compositions. Her use of lady head vases for her female characters is an important signature element of the work and demonstrates Kerwick’s interest in contrasting the natural with the artificial. Blurring the boundary between reality and fiction, these intriguing images surprise us, excite our imaginations, and invite us to construct our own fanciful stories.

The Marylou Hillyer Members Show Juried Exhibition features 39 works of art in a variety of media by Art Center students and members. The pieces were selected through a highly competitive process and chosen by Lauren Hinkson, a curator at the Guggenheim Museum.

Adult and children’s group tours for this and the Art Center’s other exhibitions are available throughout the year. Visit www.artcenternj.org for more information.

Gallery Hours: Monday – Wednesday and Friday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm; Thursday 10:00am – 8pm; and Saturday & Sunday 11am – 4pm. Please call 908-273-9121 to confirm holiday hours.  

Visit www.artcenternj.org for more information about these exhibitions and programs.

Support
Major support for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the WJS Foundation, Audrey & Zygi Wilf and the Wilf Family Foundation and Art Center members and donors. 

About the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
For more than 80 years, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey has been dedicated to viewing, making and learning about contemporary art. Recognized as a leading non-profit arts organization and accredited by the American Alliance for Museums, the Art Center’s renowned studio school, acclaimed exhibitions, and educational outreach initiatives serve thousands of youth, families, seniors and people with special needs every year.

Image: Lipstick, 2013, archival pigment print, courtesy of the artist.