Art Center to Re-open Shows for a
Limited September Run
The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey will reopen the exhibitions
Nancy Cohen: Atlas of Impermanence & Katrina Bello: Knowable Earth
WHEN: Friday, September 3,through Sunday, September 26. Additionally, the Art Center will host an in-person artist talk, moderated by Curator Mary Birmingham, on Sunday, September 12, 2–3 PM. Registration information can be found on artcenternj.org.
WHERE: Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm St. Summit
Nancy Cohen: Atlas of Impermanence, on view in the Main Gallery, features large-scale drawings that resemble tapestries but are made from paper pulp and handmade paper.
The imagery in Cohen’s paper works derives from memories of particular landscapes—often waterways in industrialized New Jersey—as well as personal observations about the human struggle. She has always been concerned with survival in the face of environmental change, both personally and globally.
On display in the Art Center’s Mitzi and Warren Eisenberg Gallery, Katrina Bello’s drawings and videos explore our complex relationship to the natural world. Knowable Earth includes large pastel and charcoal drawings of imagined landscapes, small drawings of rocks, and a related video. Reflecting the idea that nature is experienced through the body, the tree bark, rocks, and ocean water referenced in the work are all things she has physically collected, held, or observed.
The work is either monumentally sized or very small, prompting the viewer to feel immersed in a natural environment, or able to hold small parts of it in the palm of a hand. (Above, right: Katrina Bello’s work installed in the Art Center’s Mitzi and Warren Eisenberg Gallery. Photo by Etienne Frossard.)
Like Cohen, Bello created this body of work during the COVID-19 pandemic, while she was missing the tactile and physical connections to the places and things that normally inform her work.
She challenged herself with the question, “How can I know them enough to make drawings?” Relying largely on her own memories and perceptions, as well as the testimony of others, she has recreated an experience of earth that is both knowable and authentic.
Visit artcenternj.org for more
information on these exhibitions.
About the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
For over 85 years, the Visual
Arts Center of New Jersey has been exclusively dedicated to viewing, making,
and learning about contemporary art. Recognized as a leading non-profit arts
organization, 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.
The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is located at 68 Elm Street in Summit, NJ. Gallery hours: Monday– Thursday, 10 AM–8 PM; Friday, 10 AM–5 PM; and Saturday & Sunday, 11 AM–4 PM. Admission must be reserved in advance. Please call 908.273.9121 to confirm holiday hours. Visit artcenternj.org for more information.
Support
Major support for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey is provided in part by the Peter R. & Cynthia K. Kellogg Foundation; the Wilf Family Foundations; and Art Center members and donors.