Members of Pierro Gallery's Exhibition Committee Show Work

Perhaps it was fitting that as the first viewers were arriving at Sunday's opening reception for the Pierro Gallery of South Orange's current exhibit, "Committee/Committed," the lights were out. A fuse had blown during an approaching storm, making it too dim to actually see the work of the 25 artists represented, all of whom had volunteered to serve on the Exhibition Committee of the Gallery during the 16 years it has been in operation.   

"While serving on the Committee," the catalog states, "these individuals were not permitted, per by laws, to exhibit their own work at the the Pierro Gallery." Rather, the role of members, nearly all of whom are noteworthy artists themselves, was to reach out, curate and participate in bringing the work of other talented artists—local, regional and international—to light for the enrichment of the community.

About 20 minutes in, when it seemed as if the rooms of the Pierro were brimming with viewers from that community, from elementary school students to great-grandparents, the lights suddenly came on. Finally, it was the Committee's turn to shine. 

And shine they did. The quality of the work displayed here is high, the content eclectic and challenging. Included are two of Fausto Sevilla's large scale, mixed media pieces, which combine neon bright paint with what looks like black felt or fur, like a paint-by-numbers kit on steroids. Laura Chenicek presents a series of chunky acrylic paintings, vividly colored landscapes that would resemble idealized post cards, except for the fact that each has a door cut out of the middle of it. Two of the doors open with a key to reveal a morsel of journal-like text; the third painting, entitled "There Are Some Things You Just Can't," has a lock but no key. What's behind the door remains a mystery.

The sculptural artist Susan Napack is represented by an eight-panel piece featuring formal white gloves nailed with pearly hat pins to sumptuous black velvet. The gloves are soiled, peeling like a layer of skin from their foam mannequin's hands. Two works of Sarah Petruziello's are included, both life-size pencil drawings of boys against a gilded background. The more striking one has two gorgeous red poppies sprouting from it; the effect is womb-like, a sonogram with color and the beauty of a child's grown form.

A series of impressionistic horizon-scapes by Jo Jochnowitz, so infused with smoky reds and purples it's difficult to distinguish sky from sea or land, is on view. (Jochnowitz was the subject of the first exhibit held at the Pierro back in 1994, before the Exhibition Committee was established.) Other artists included in the current show are Mona Brady, Raleigh Caesar, Liz Demaree, Kate Dodd, SK Duff, Peter Jacobs, Greg Leshé, Karen McDermott, Marco Muñoz, Frank O'Leary, Gary Park, Kaaren Patterson, Lennie Pierro, Lauren Rutten, Jay Seldin, Miriam Sumner, Jennifer Takahashi and Ellen Weisbord.    

Despite the celebratory theme, the exhibit, on view through July 18, had a poignant understory: it is the last to be mounted under the direction of Judy Wukitsch. Wukitsch, who built and founded the Gallery in the early '90s with her late husband Lennie Pierro, assisted by many other volunteers from the community, has been its Director as well as the Village's Assistant Director for Recreation and Cultural Affairs for more than 12 years. Last month she stunned many colleagues and residents with her announcement that she was resigning her position as of July 1.   

"My plan is to have no plan," she said when asked what she will do when she leaves her post next month. Wukitsch, an artist herself who works in metal, has a piece of her own in the exhibit: a delicate rectangle of copper brought to three-dimensional life through a process known as repoussé and chasing. The piece is sandwiched between glass, so the impressions can be viewed from both sides. Its title is "Going for It."

Committee/Committed: The Pierro @16 is on view at The Pierro Gallery of South Orange, located on the second floor of The Baird, 5 Mead Street, South Orange. Hours: Friday-Sunday, 1-4 pm. For information call 973-378-7755 or go to www.pierrogallery.org.