Mona Lisa has been described as the most admired, written or sung about work of art in existence, possessing unique qualities that include the subjects mystifying expression, strong composition and delicate modelling of forms. This juried exhibition features works that “re-reimagine” Mona Lisa – whether it be in a new medium, new time/place, new interpretation, etc. and embodies how this famous work continues to capture imagination so many years after it was created.
Featuring the work of Monmouth University graduating seniors who will receive their degrees from the Department of Art & Design.
Closing Reception: April 23 from 1 to 4 p.m.
An art exhibition that explores a range of works over a long career, created by the American artist, humanist, and teacher Jacob Landau. The exhibition features a selection of some eighteen works. All are from Monmouth University’s extensive collection of Jacob Landau’s work, comprising over 300 prints, drawings, and paintings. The collection was gifted to Monmouth University in 2008 by the Jacob Landau Institute of Roosevelt, NJ.
Reception: Thursday, April 13, from 4– 6 pm
About Jacob Landau:
Born in Philadelphia in 1917, Landau launched his career as an illustrator, winning national prizes at age 16 and a scholarship to the Philadelphia College of Art. He went on to have over sixty one-person shows, featuring a wide range of drawings and paintings. The recipient of numerous awards, including Guggenheim and National Arts Council grants, many of his works are featured in permanent collections, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A master teacher, he retired as professor emeritus at New York’s Pratt Institute. In 1996, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts by Monmouth University.
For Jacob Landau “art enables us to see the world whole and undivided.” And at its center lies the artist’s desire for justice in this world. The current exhibit reveals that his entire career was driven by such a quest from an early work with conte crayon, “Two Women in Market” and his “Mine Strike at Auchel” through an “Einstein” portrait, as well as watercolor pochoirs of “Malachi” and “Isaiah” who call for justice and whose bold colors and sinuous lines derive from their respective stained-glass windows that Landau created for the Keneseth Israel Synagogue in Elkins Park, PA (just outside Philadelphia), two of ten windows, each towering 5’x20’, that flank the prayer hall.
Landau’s Isaiah and Malachi watercolors exhilarate, even as they confront the viewer. We realize that the prophet does not predict the future but reveals the present, witnessing injustice, condemning it, and proclaiming alternatives—actions. Clearly, Isaiah’s words pierced the artist’s heart: “Seek justice, relieve the oppressed.”
And we see Landau’s struggle in his quest as a citizen of our world and as an artist in a series of sketches and preparatory drawings for his portrait of Malachi as well as those of Amos, Hosea, and Jeremiah. We are also given an image of a world without justice, Ezekiel’s Vison of Dry Bones, and a glimpse of a promised new world to come, New Jerusalem.
“Les Paul: Thru the Lens” explores the life of pioneering musician and innovator Les Paul. Through a series of 24 photographs, visitors will see a chronicle of Paul’s life, career, and achievements: his early performances as Red Hot Red, his marriage to and work with Mary Ford, his explorations in the recording studio and with the electric guitar, and of course his long and influential performing career.
Collectively, the images provide an intimate view into the life of an icon of the music and sound products industry and remind us that, through it all, music—and the industry—are inseparable from the people who make it.
This traveling exhibition is courtesy of The Les Paul Foundation.
There will be a special musical tribute concert, “The Les Paul Experience” presented in conjunction with the exhibition on May 12 at 8PM in Pollak Theatre.
By Les Paul and Michael Cochran
Forward by Paul McCartney
Hard cover 368 pages, 9 1/2” x 12” x 1 1/2”
Special Offer – $50 + tax (Retails for $75)
The charm of this book is “listening” to Les Paul tell his story. Michael Cochran captures Les’ way of telling stories and Les had plenty to tell. This large, beautiful book encompasses the fascinating life of the musician and inventor who seemed to live forever. Les takes the reader from his childhood in Waukesha, Wisconsin through his adventures in St. Louis, Chicago, LA, New Jersey and New York. Les explains how he developed the solid-body guitar and endless recording techniques that changed the world of music.
The high quality color prints and photos include many of Les Paul, his extensive guitar collection, musician friends, his inventions and his home recording studios in LA and New Jersey.
Pre-order and pick up the night of show or anytime Monday-Friday 9am – 5 pm at the Pollak Box Office.
The Elephant in the Room calls attention to threatened and endangered animals, encapsulating their expressive nature through emotional representation. By addressing the “elephant in the room” these wood fired portrait-esque pieces bring awareness to species that have been brought to the brink of extinction due to human interference and have been forever impacted by these interactions.
As told in their own voices through art and film this juried exhibit seeks to share some of the diverse lived experiences of transgender and gender non-conforming older adults (T/GNC). This exhibit centers T/GNC individuals’ unique narratives and make their lives visible. The artwork chosen celebrates the strength and resiliency of these individuals while also sharing the painful challenges encountered. The process of living authentically may instill hope and bring joy, but often this process involves losses and pain as well. The purpose is to increase understanding and knowledge of the lives of T/GNC older adults while supporting Monmouth University’s commitment to create an inclusive, affirming, and equitable campus community.
In conjunction with this gallery exhibition we invite you to the FREE film screening/panel discussion of the film From This Day Forward with director Sharon Shattuck and her parents Trisha and Marcia Shattuck on Friday, February 10th from 11 am – 1:30 pm. Find more information about this event here.
Following the film screening there will be an artist reception in the Pollak Gallery from 2-3 pm.
This exhibition is sponsored by: Monmouth University’s LGBT+ Older Adult Project, The Center for the Arts and The Intercultural Center
This exhibit features work by painter Scott Nickerson and his core group of advanced students, and is a great example of the powerful influence one master painter can have on a school of artists.
Scott Nickerson was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in the fall of 1970. His passion for the art world evolved as he matured and he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts, New York City in 1996. Scott studied under many extremely talented instructors at SVA, including renowned figure painter and draftsman, Steven Assael. He continued his studies after graduation at the Art Students League, New York City and Studio Incamminati, Philadelphia with distinguished artist and teacher, Nelson Shanks.
In 1997, Scott began to share his knowledge and love of painting with his own students, teaching classes at several locations across Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Many of his courses work directly from live models, allowing the students an extensive study of each pose. When not teaching, Scott can be found working at his Ocean Township Studio on commissioned portraits. His work is displayed worldwide in private and public collections, including universities and government agencies.
Classical Realism is an artistic movement in the late-20th and early 21st century in which drawing and painting place a high value upon skill and beauty, combining elements of 19th-century neoclassicism and realism.
Opening Reception: October 28 from 5 pm to 7 pm. RSVP for the reception here
**Please note the gallery will be closed November 24-November 27 for the holiday weekend.***
An exhibition of work by artist Jeanine Pennell
Artist Statement:
I began this year journeying away from the studio. I left behind my bags of clay and my work tools. Bringing with me only a sketchbook and watercolors. It was the first time since the pandemic that I was away from clay.
I was in search of a new creative process. All of my early sculptures were created in short spurts of time, capturing the fleeting magic of a creative idea, much like gesture drawing. But this process did not serve when I began to push the boundaries. As the sculptures grew and I was creating without a clear end in mind, I found myself stuck. Clay figures draped in plastic shrouds collected in the corners of my studio.
During this time away I turned the process around. I began drawing small intuitive drawings. The sketches were quick, with no purpose or expectation. Capturing the essence of ideas that would float up. Later I would return to color them in and to excavate the meaning behind the art. What did the masks mean? The sharp teeth…faces and more faces? What did it all mean?
I then developed the ideas from my sketchbook in 3-D or clay by creating small maquettes. Once the sculptures were completed early mornings found me sitting with the art to write what I saw. The stories came out. Slowly at first, but with practice more steadily.
This collection is a record of that journey. In the main gallery is a collection of the largest, finished sculptures. As you descend to the lower gallery you will encounter the beginning of the journey. On display are the original drawings, maquettes and early sculptures as well as the stories behind the art.
Opening Reception September 30, 2022 7 PM – 9 PM | Ice House Gallery
This exhibition shines a spotlight on the late Miriam Beerman, a New Jersey artist whose works are included in the permanent collections of over 60 museums worldwide and a female pioneer in the 20th-century art world. Beerman (1923–2022) was one of the 20th-century’s most provocative artists, whose humanist expressionist works highlight her talent as a colorist. A pioneer as one of the first female artists to be given a solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Beerman is part of a canon of 20th-century women artists who were nearly lost to obscurity due to their gender in a male-dominated art world. Influenced by the social injustice seen around her, Beerman shines a spotlight on the horror and pathos of man’s inhumanity to man. The themes prove to be timeless, resonating today as much as when they were created in the 20th century. Her life and art were explored in the 2015 documentary Miriam Beerman: Expressing the Chaos.
Nearly 20 large-scale canvases by Beerman will be represented. The show is guest curated by gallerist James Yarosh and draws upon the recent exhibition Miriam Beerman – REDISCOVER, shown at James Yarosh & Associates Gallery in Holmdel, N.J., which opened in spring 2022. “Living with Miriam Beerman’s paintings at the gallery with the current exhibit REDISCOVER, one cannot help but be both moved and stirred to be in the presence of the colossal works, heavy with paint, laden with subject. When you see these humanist expressionist works existing silently, holding the weight of the world, you begin to understand the gallery’s presentation,” says Yarosh, a gallerist fueled by curatorial activism in recent years. “As I described Miriam’s art with clients, it occurred to me that those words also described the role of female artists of the 20th century whose voices were more stifled in favor of male artists—and of women’s roles in a patriarchal society. “If our art history is male-dominant, and the artists before us our teachers, we are only getting half the lessons to be learned,” he continues. “We have an opportunity to do better. This presentation with Monmouth University allows the conversations to continue and include a younger generation.”
Please join us for a closing reception on December 11 from 1 to 4 p.m.
