STUDIO MONTCLAIR PRESENTS “BLACK AND WHITE IMPRINT,” January 26 – March 1, 2024

Black and White Imprint

WHEN: on view from January 26 through March 1, 2024. An opening reception will be held on Friday, January 26, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. 
WHERE: Studio Montclair Gallery, 127 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, NJ. 
For more information, contact smi@studiomontclair.org, or call 862-500-1447. (Left: Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Blue Nappy Coils, 2022, Digital drawing collage, acrylic print, 10 x 10 inches)

The exhibition, curated by artist Onnie Strother, honors Black History Month with a collection of prints using both traditional and experimental printmaking mediums. In the context of Black and White Imprint, the word “imprint” is defined as an impression or the mark left behind, an apt metaphor for the exhibition’s intended content: works that evoke personal or collective memory. 

According to Strother, “In its broadest sense, to imprint is to make a strong and lasting impression. From the earliest times, artists have sought to leave evidence of their existence by writing, engraving, etching, cutting, carving, and even scratching onto the surfaces of their environment.” 

Studio Montclair’s first 2024 exhibition, Black and White Imprint encourages artists to muse on African American history through printmaking particularly but not exclusively. And, through history, artists continue to make connections with and take references from such history. Viewers of Black and White Imprint have a special and distinct opportunity to recognize these connections themselves with the inclusion of prints by notable artists Hale Woodruff, Elizabeth Catlett, Ben Jones, Stephen J. McKenzie, Gwen Verner, and Chuck Miley. (Right: Ben Jones, Funk Elegance, 1975, Silkscreen, 40 x 30 inches)

This age-old tradition continues to flourish, well-represented by the collection of remarkably diverse and innovative works on display at Black and White Imprint.

 

About the Curator:

Onnie Strother is a visual artist, lecturer, and curator born and raised in Newark, NJ. He is a former art and art history teacher with degrees in fine arts, art education, and administration and supervision. He works in a variety of mediums with subjects derived from the media, popular music, and political and social issues. Strother has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. His artwork can be seen in public and private collections as well as online. (Left: Paulina Olivares, Untitled, 2023, Ink on paper, 8 x 11 inches)

Participating Artists: 
Peter Allen, Sybil Archibald, Andrei Averbuch, Susanna Baker, Wendy Bellermann, Nancy Blankenhorn, Janet Boltax, Cathleen McCoy Bristol, Robyn Burns, Joan Carter, Elizabeth Catlett, Jeanette Centano, Pauline Chernichaw, Kathryn Crawford, Alison Deas, Anne Dushanko Dobek, Kate Dodd, Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Richard Gaines, Judy Gould, Curtis Grayson III, Ivan Grosz, Kristen Iannuzzelli, Ben Jones, Veda Kagabo, Martine Kasmin, Catherine Kinkade, Neal Korn, Yvette Lucas, A Capella Lynch, Lisa Marseglia-Moran, Stephen J. McKenzie, Leonard Merlo, Chuck Miley, Savannah Mora, Paulina Oliveres, Sylvia Padilla, William Pew, William Phipps, John Piccoli, Marsha Pickett, Erica Engfer Pizza, Carrie Podell, Kristian Sacca, Paul Schmitz, Jay Seldin, Fausto Sevila, Stephen Spiller, Nette Forné Thomas, Dawn Tighe, Nakija Tobias, Gwen Verner, Larry Walker, Besa Washington, Greg Weinberger, Andrienne Wheeler, Hale Aspacio Woodruff. (Right: Gwen Verner, Embracing a Spiritual Heritage, A.P., 2024, Linocut, 36 x 28 inches)

About Studio Montclair: 
Studio Montclair is a nonprofit organization of exhibiting professional artists and others interested in the visual arts. Its mission is to promote culture and education in the visual arts and encourage emerging artists. Founded in 1997, the organization includes over 450 members including artists from around the United States, as well as Europe and Asia.