Essex County 'Arts Unbound' Exhibit Will Highlight Disabled N.J. Artists

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — New Jersey-based community organization Arts Unbound has announced the line-up for its 5th annual "Friends of Arts Unbound" art exhibit and benefit sale, which will feature several Essex County residents.

More than thirty artists will be supporting Arts Unbound programs through an exhibit and sale of their own work at the event, organizers said.

The exhibit opens with a reception for the public on Saturday, April 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. 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.

Artists featured in the exhibit this year include:

• Newark - Armisey Smith
• Orange - Sylvia Taylor, April Tracey, and Kathleen Heron
• West Orange - Jennie Traill Schaeffer and Amelia Panico
• South Orange - Lisa Pressman South, and Sherry Beth Sacks
• Maplewood - Catherine Delett, and Peggy Excell
• Westfield - Gail Fishberg
• Jersey City - Donna Greenberg
• Toronto, Canada - Evan Ginsberg

Returning favorites showing their continued support for Arts Unbound include:

• South Orange - Rick Hauser and Dorothy Ganek
• Maplewood - Kathy Cantwell
• West Orange - Sarah Canfield, Joan Goldsmith, and Adam Gustavson
• Florham Park - Susan Faiola
• Orange - Terry Boddie, Robert Ramos, Ronald Freeman and Mike Malbrough
• Newark - Toni Thomas
• Montclair - Gayle Mahoney, Yvette Lucas
• Millburn - Louis Toledo
• Greenville, South Carolina - Humberto Ramos
• New York City - Jane R. Dell

Armisey Smith, well-known in Newark for her public murals and curatorial projects, will be exhibiting in this benefit show for the first time with a wall sculpture in the style of her piece titled “Layered Lady” constructed of mixed materials including shingles painted with acrylic paint [see above photo].

“I’ve been using repurposed shingles to create a series of wall sculptures that include 'Layered Lady," Smith said. "I was thinking about the material as a metaphor revealing and concealing the complexities of being a woman of color."

According to organizers, Arts Unbound is "dedicated to the artistic achievement of people living with disabilities and the continued artistic enrichment of seniors."

The organization provides 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.

The Dora Stern Gallery at Arts Unbound is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. The gallery is located at 544 Freeman Street, Orange, NJ 07042.

More information is available at www.artsunbound .org or at 973-675-2787.

Image: Armisey Smith, Layered Lady, 2017, shingles and acrylic