Black History Month art exhibit in Morristown honors Newark art teacher
Published: Sunday, January 30, 2011, 10:30 AM
Russell Aldo MurrayMORRISTOWN -- On Friday afternoon, men in dark pinstripe suits and women in heels paused in the middle of the workday to admire the vibrant artwork temporarily brightening the hallways of the Morris County Administration Building in Morristown.
The exhibit is the 19th annual Art in the Atrium show in honor of Black History Month, which begins next week, and features the work of 37 artists of varying mediums, including collages, photography, three-dimensional installations, paintings, and quilting and fabric work.
“I like having the show in a non-traditional space because you will have a wide group of people who will be exposed to it, not just people who seek it out,” said Lauren Craig, director of special events for Art in the Atrium.
This year’s show, which runs through March 11, is called “Memories of Russell,” in honor of Newark artist and art teacher Russell Aldo Murray. Murray died in 2009 at age 59. The RAM gallery, on Washington Street in Newark, is also named in his memory.
All the art on display was made specifically for the show, or is something from the artists’ catalogs being displayed for the first time, Craig said. Much of the art is also for sale.
Montclair-based artist Janet Taylor Pickett has been participating in the Art in the Atrium show nearly every year since the first one in 1992, and said she relishes the event.
“It’s a very democratic show. It gives some people the only chance they would get to display art on a professional level,” Pickett said. “It’s really a labor of love.”
Pickett, whose artwork includes paint, fabric and other mixed media, said this year’s show has special meaning for her because of its dedication to Murray.
“Russell was one of the first artists I met when I moved to New Jersey 30-plus years ago. He was like a brother to me,” Pickett said. “When he died, it was a shock to all of us and this show gives us a way to express how we feel about him and how he inspired us.”
Akintola Hanif, a photographer who lives in Orange and has a studio in Newark, said he was excited to be asked asked to participate in a show celebrating Black History Month.
“I document present-day black culture, so it’s preserving and capturing our history as it happens,” Hanif said.
His photos in the show depict homeless men in Newark, and he said his work focuses on “marginalized, disenfranchised and misunderstood” people and groups. Though he did not know Murray personally, he said the artist’s legacy endures and continues to inspire.
“To pay homage to such a historical figure in the black arts community and the art community as a whole is so important,” Hanif said.
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