Diversity, Nature Appreciation On Display At Princeton Art Exhibit

PRINCETON, NJ — D&R Greenway Land Trust’s newest exhibition shows how artists, whether in China, Africa or the U.S., view nature through divergent lenses. “Same Moon: Diverse Voices of Nature” opens with a reception on Friday, Sept. 29, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, Princeton.

Artists Kenneth J. Lewis Sr., Nancie Gunkelman, and Chih Yu Fan are unified in their appreciation for nature. Some of the artwork for this exhibition has been shipped from China, according to D&R Greenway Land Trust.

"In today's world where global information and issues are in front of us every day, it's important that we learn to look for the common values we share rather than our differences,” D&R Greenway President and CEO Linda Mead said. “These three very different artists from diverse parts of the globe remind us that caring about nature is a value that belongs to all of us."

"The artists in this exhibit evoke nature in three very different styles, showing how a common love of land can be celebrated in myriad ways, from Chinese calligraphy to photorealistic painting to large-scale abstracts," Curator Diana Moore said.

Lewis is a self-instructed artist who began painting on canvas at the unusual age of 47 years, according to a release from D&R Greenway. On New Year’s Day 2008, Lewis painted his very first piece; he called it “Contemplation.”

He quickly learned he had a very raw and latent gift that he had seen more as a hobby from 2008 until the death of his mother in 2012. His mother’s departure from earth ignited the artist flow in him. Lewis’s mother could draw, yet she never attempted to embrace or further explore her talent.

He knew that he had to create not only for himself, but also for his late mother, and for generations that follow. Since discovering his passion, Lewis has had a prolific output.

Fan was not able to practice art as a poor boy living in a small village in the northeastern part of China despite his fascination with Chinese art and caligraphy. It was not until he retired as a well published professor of advertising and an inductee in the Advertising Hall of Fame from the Taiwan Advertising Society that he finally had the chance to pursue his passion.

In 2011, his beloved wife of more than 60 years passed away unexpectedly. With the sudden loss of his life partner, painting has helped him to cope with the emptiness, and has been his outlet for healing.

Fan is inspired by nature’s beauty and tranquility and memories of his village. Following the civil war in China during the 1940s, Fan lost contact with his family and could not return to his village. However, he has never stopped thinking about his hometown: especially the freezing river that he had to wade through in the winter as a child to get to school.

During that time, he always wondered what the rest of the world looked like beyond the mountains. During his visit back home in 2000, he realized that his village people still needed to wade across the river. He decided to have a bridge constructed so that the children could chase their dreams beyond the river as he did 70 years ago.

Gunkelman has lived and worked in Africa, first as a Peace Corps volunteer doing medical illustration for the Nairobi Medical Training Center, and later working for non-profits in health education. She has based her "Africa Nostalgia Series" on experiences abroad. During her son’s recent Peace Corps service in West Africa, she was reignited with the desire to depict scenes from the developing world, albeit in an abstract way.

“I hope that through this exhibition, people will be encouraged to consider the opportunities and inspiration of international service,” Gunkelman said.

To RSVP, call 609-924-4646 or email rsvp@drgreenway.org.

Image via Shutterstock