Visit PIECES, Messages in Street Art at the West Orange Arts Center 

PIECES, Messages in Street Art
West Orange Arts Center Art Exhibit

WHEN: October 16, 2021 – November 28, 2021. The exhibit opens on October 16, 2021, with a reception from 1pm - 4pm (rain date: Oct. 17) and runs through November 28, 2021. Regular gallery hours are Saturdays and Sundays from Noon - 4pm. 
WHERE: West Orange Arts Center, 551 Valley Road in West Orange, New Jersey
Pieces, Messages In Street Art will be open for in-person visits at hours posted on www.facebook.com/woac.org . Attendees are required to social distance and wear face coverings at all times.
RSVP is appreciated at info@woarts.org 

The West Orange Arts Council (WOAC) presents PIECES, Messages in Street Art, a group exhibition featuring gallery works highlighting contemporary NY/NJ-based street artists. (Above left: BC, Right 2 Love, 2 Love Right, 18" x 24", Spray Paint on metal sign)

The participating artists include: AJ Lavilla, BC, Commodore, Con$umr, Doodlehedz, DUEL RIS, Early Riser, GETLOSTALOT, Googly Eye Cru, J131 , Jake Genen, J.Eric Cook, Jim Tozzi, Joe Waks, Joseph Barral, Klo, Lady K Fever, Michael Saviello, NYC Kush Co., Ray Arcadio, Savior Elmundo AKA MAKE ART, SFVG, TF Dutchman, Theohiogirl, Viva Pancho, xplorefreedom and YOBE. (Right: J131, Brick City King, Size: 24" x 24,” Mixed media)

The exhibition is an opportunity to showcase the artists' unique styles and bring their voices inside gallery walls, states curator Josie Barreiro (J131). “In this setting, the artists can express their individual messages and present their diverse visions in one place. The work selected for this exhibition celebrates street art and its influence on urban culture.

WOAC gallery manager and co-curator Rey Arvelo sees this exhibit as a first of its kind for the West Orange Art Center. It is an opportunity to introduce new artists to WOAC and expose a new community audience by introducing urban themes and perspectives. “As an artist, I never practiced or participated in the art form. It just always intrigued me,” says Arvelo. “There is a sense of mystery, very cryptic or playful and even mischievous.” (Left: Lady K Fever, Being It, 24" X 48, spray paint, ink, acrylic on cardboard)

WOAC Chair Patricia Mitrano, inspired by the Morris Museum's 2019 exhibit and its current exhibit On and Off the Streets: Urban Art New Jersey, along with Newark’s Murals Project, believes this is a rare opportunity for the community to learn about street art and the artists currently active. She hopes everyone will “experience the raw emotion and energy of this exhibit.”

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and administered by the Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.