Art in the Atrium Celebrates ‘Visual Griots’ at Annual Show
Art in the Atrium, which curates the largest exhibition of African-American art in New Jersey, will hold the public opening for its annual show on January 29 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Morristown at the Morris County Administration & Records Building.
The title of the exhibition, which runs through March 16, is “Visual Griot’’ and celebrates the work of featured artist, Alonzo Adams, and nearly 20 additional artists. There will be a press and patron reception at the administration building on January 28 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Adams, of Plainfield, will give a tour and talk at both events.
The theme of the exhibition is a reference to Adams’ paintings and other pieces, which allude to the stories of his subjects and are sometimes vehicles for social commentary.
“Most of the work in this show tells some kind of story about the artist themselves and what they're trying to relate to the viewer,’’ said Victoria Craig, director of administration for Art in the Atrium.
The show will feature pieces from Adams’ new series, “Code Blue,’’ which explores threats to young black men -- from police brutality and other forms of violence to institutionalized racism and economic disparity.
"I'm raising two young black boys and with everything going on right now, I worry about them whenever they leave the house. I'm putting a body of work together that addresses that,’’ said Adams.
“My work is usually an autobiography of my life. Sometimes it includes things that I didn't personally experience but had a deep impact on me,’’ he added.
Art in the Atrium is a nonprofit volunteer organization founded in 1992 in Morris County to showcase the work of emerging and established African-American artists. Its annual exhibition is the largest of its kind in New Jersey.
"Every year it creates a venue for a lot of artists whose works wouldn't normally be seen,’’ said Adams. “And it’s been the springboard for a lot of works getting collected by museums and added to corporate collections.”
Other artists in the exhibition include Lynn Cabbell, Jackie Collier, Andre Woolery, Les Floyd, Stephen Ellis, Sherry Shine, Wannetta Phillips, Howard Cash, Mel Wright, April Harrison, Richard Clark, Anthony Boone, Leroy Campbell, James Denmark, Barbara Bullock and Janet Taylor Pickett.
Art in the Atrium began in 1992 after Craig’s husband, attorney Charles Craig, noticed that none of the art exhibited in the Morristown administration building was by African-American artists.
The organization formed to mount an exhibition of black artists and has expanded to include other events such as seminars, jazz brunches and collectors’ workshops.
The first Atrium exhibition was held on the second floor, but now, art work is displayed throughout the county administration building.
In addition to its other programs, Art in the Atrium cosponsors artist residencies in the Morris School District that benefit between 200 to 500 students each year. It also awards an annual scholarship to a student artist, whose work is often exhibited in the show.
This year, it will include a gallery of children's work featuring their response to past Art in the Atrium exhibits they visited during school field trips.
For more information, visit www.artintheatrium.org.
About Alonzo Adams
Known for his figurative paintings, Alonzo Adams’ work recalls the portraits of artists who inspired him: Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent and Henry O. Tanner.
His oil paintings have been auctioned off at Sotheby’s and collected by Maya Angelou, Alonzo Mourning and Bill Cosby, who first gave Adams exposure by featuring his paintings on the set of “The Cosby Show.’’
Adams was one of the first African-American artists to become an Absolut Artist and in 2004 became one of the first inductees into the newly created Rutgers African American Alumnae Association Hall of Fame. He formerly served on the board of the DuCret School of Art in Plainfield, NJ.
Thanks to former colleague Carrie Stetler for this information.
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