Regional Artists Supporting Artists with Disabilities

ORANGE, NJ: Arts Unbound has announced the line-up for its sixth annual Friends of Arts Unbound art exhibit and benefit sale that opens with a reception on Saturday, April 7. The show will be on view through April 28, 2018 at the Dora Stern Gallery at Arts Unbound in Orange, NJ. Several new artists are joining familiar favorites to raise funds for the non-profit gallery and art studio for people with disabilities and seniors. More than thirty-four artists will be supporting Arts Unbound programs through an exhibit and sale of their own work.

Steve Green, well-known in Newark for his paintings of African Americans, will be exhibiting in this benefit show for the first time. His painting “She Is”, pictured, will be available as a framed print.

“The original painting was part of an art exhibit called "Misogyny Is The Root Of All Evil" at the Living Arts Incubator Space in Newark, NJ. The idea was to pair a male and female artists together to collaborate on a piece addressing misogyny in order to bring a greater understanding to the work produced. I chose to work with a performance poet named Melissa Marie of Newark ,NJ, and she wrote a poem that I incorporated into the original work on canvas that measures 5ft x 5ft.” said Green.

Other new artists featured in the exhibit this year include, Lisa Conrad of Newark; from East Orange, Beverly McCutcheon; from Orange, Jeremy Moss, and Lee Seidenberg; Ron Powell of Irvington; from South Orange, Jeffery Schnorr; Bob O’Brien of Nutley; and Celene Ryan of Brooklyn, NY.

Returning favorites showing their continued support for Arts Unbound include, from South Orange, Lisa Pressman, Rick Hauser and Dorothy Ganek; from Maplewood, Catherine Delett, Peggy Excell, and Kathy Cantwell; from West Orange, Jennie Traill Schaeffer, Amelia Panico , Sarah Canfield, and Adam Gustavson; from Orange, Sylvia Taylor, April Tracey, Kathleen Heron, Terry Boddie, Robert Ramos, and Mike Malbrough; from Westfield, Gail Fishberg; from Jersey City, Donna Greenberg; and from Newark, Toni Thomas and Armisey Smith. Montclair is represented by Gayle Mahoney and Yvette Lucas. Louis Toledo of Millburn, Humberto Ramos of Greenville, S.C., and Jane R. Dell, a painter in New York City round out the group.

The exhibit opens with a reception for the public on Saturday, April 7, from 5-8pm. All are welcome to attend, enjoy refreshments, and meet the artists. The Dora Stern Gallery at Arts Unbound is located in the Valley Arts District at 544 Freeman Street, Orange.

Arts Unbound is dedicated to the artistic achievement of people living with disabilities and the continued artistic enrichment of seniors. They provide visual arts education and professional development to help emerging artists compete in the retail market. Last year, they exhibited the work of 95 artists, many self-taught or “outsider” artists. By promoting the work of artists with disabilities and seniors, they focus on their art-making rather than any impairments, and by doing so challenge the stigma associated with disability and aging.

The Dora Stern Gallery at Arts Unbound is open Monday through Friday, 10am-4pm, and Saturdays noon-5pm. The address is 544 Freeman Street, Orange, NJ 07050. More information is available at www.artsunbound .org or by calling 973-675-2787.

Image: Steve Green, She Is, 2016, archival print on paper 22 x 28 inches.