| "As
Seen By Hand," an exhibit of touchable sculpture from 14
artists of the Sculpture Association of New Jersey and three invited
artists, is on display through Feb. 19 at the Gallery at Mercer County
Community College. The Gallery is under the direction of Curator Tricia
Fagan and is located on the second floor of the Communications Building
on Mercer's West Windsor campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road. Regular
Gallery hours are: Tuesdays, 9 a.m .to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.;
Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; and Thursdays,
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
An opening reception
takes place Saturday, Jan. 24, 2 to 4 p.m. A Gallery Talk/Presentation
will be held Monday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. and will include a brief slide
presentation by artist Frances Heinrich on the history of assemblage
sculpture, followed by an interactive portion with the audience.
Fagan notes
that visitors in galleries and museums are usually cautioned not
to touch the art as they move in for a closer look. "The natural
oils from a human hand can be very destructive to artwork, so art
lovers are asked to resist that urge to reach out and touch, pat,
rub and explore," Fagan said.
But in "As
Seen by Hand" at the MCCC Gallery, 14 members of the Sculpture
Association of New Jersey and three invited artists are generously
encouraging visitors to interact, feel and even rearrange most of
the 25 works in diverse media that are on display. Guests can feel
the elegant textures of classically influenced works in bronze,
plaster, and alabaster by artists including Edna Fish, William Kilpatrick,
and Mira Welnoska. Installation artist Jeff Packard invites viewers
to play a few holes of miniature golf in Café Thou Art, while
Larry Lee invites them to construct their own version of his sanitized-balls-and-mirror
piece, 26+1. Janis Purcell warns visitors that her creatures "bite,"
and Michael Wiley's Day to Day gives them a whole new way to "pump
it up."
Members of the
Sculpture Association of NJ featured in the show are: Hope Carter,
Edna Fisher, Frances Heinrich, Joy Hutchins, William Kilpatrick,
Irene Koldorf, Larry Lee, Stefanie Mandelbaum, Roger Munch, Pat
Feeney Murrell, Jeff Packard, Janis Purcell, Mira Welnowska and
Michael Wiley. The three invited artists are: D.J. Haslett, George
Olexa and Judy Tobie.
Founded in 1971,
the Sculpture Association of NJ is a collective of professional
artists "dedicated to promoting excellence in the field of
sculpture." Members must be juried in, and the criteria for
acceptance - which includes originality, diversity of styles, and
professionalism - is all evident in the work on display.
This exhibit
is supported, in part, by the Mercer County Cultural & Heritage
Commission through funds from the New Jersey State Council on the
Arts/Department of State, a funding partner of the National Endowment
for the Arts. For more information on this and other exhibits at
the MCCC Gallery, visit the
Gallery webpage here
or call (609) 570-3589.
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