The New Domestics: East Coast/West Coast

Posted
New Jersey Institute of Technology
MLK Blvd. and Warren St.
Newark, NJ
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Event Dates
Monday, October 7, 2019 through Sunday, November 17, 2019
Event Location
New Jersey Institute of Technology
MLK Blvd. and Warren St.
Newark, NJ
Contact
Matthew Gosser,
smatt_nj@yahoo.com

The J. Robert and Barbara A. Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD) gallery at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is honored to present an exhibition of 12 prominent female artists. Six hail from the East Coast and six are from the West. Exhibition co-curators Matthew Gosser and Gail Enns selected artists whose work deals with the idea of domesticity in several ways. The first is in subject matter and how particular content or imagery speaks to domestic issues or themes. The second is material choice and how using something typically associated with home life, such as an appliance, lace doily or house robe, can express domesticity. Art-making techniques such as embroidery, basket weaving and knitting are also explored. Artists conceptualize aspects of the domestic experience and find expression in their own personal artwork.

“The artists successfully illuminate and explore the perennial and existential struggles of women while they refrain from any obvious political agenda. Their work is about nostalgia and empathy, but it is also often jarring, arousing feelings of injustice, anger, grief and hope. However we choose to interpret the work, it is apparent that these artists place women’s “mundane” work on a level equal to that of men in the art world,” Enns explained. “It is also clear that their artistic consciousness is not simply a copy of their experiences -- the process of going about their tasks in the home. Regardless of their extraordinary skills with sewing and stitching, with weaving or modeling and composition, what draws us back to experience the work over and over are the subconscious feelings they evoke. The New Domestics question our culturally accepted norms of feminine expression.”

“The New Domestics: East Coast/West Coast” opens to the public Monday, Oct. 7 from 6-9 p.m with a reception for the artists, live entertainment, food and drinks. The exhibition closes Sunday, Nov. 17 with an artist talk starting at 2 p.m.

HCAD Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with additional times by appointment only. It is located on the second floor of Weston Hall, NJIT campus (on the corner of MLK Blvd. and Warren St., Newark). For more information about the exhibition, please contact Matthew Gosser at: smatt_nj@yahoo.com.

Featured artists:

Pamela Becker, Hunterdon County, N.J.: weaver and textile artist.

Elizabeth Kuny, Morristown, N.J.: quilt and textile artist. www.lizkuny.com

Lisa Sanders, Newark, N.J.: sculptor and textile artist. www.lisa-sanders.com

Wonju Seo, New York, N.Y. and N.J.: mixed media and textile artist. https://wonjuseo.format.com/

Geri Hahn, Mountain Lakes, N.J.: digital and textile artist. www.gerihahn.com

Diane Savona, Passaic, N.J.: assemblage and textile artist. www.dianesavonaart.com

Susan Abbott Martin, Oakland, Calif: collage and textile artist.

Maria Porges, Oakland, Calif.: sculptor and author. www.mariaporges.com

Judy Shintani, Half Moon Bay, Calif.: sculptor and installation artist. www.judyshintani.com

Lisa Soloman, Oakland, Calif.: sculptor and installation artist. www.lisasolomon.com

Temple Sisters, Sand City, Calif.: assemblage and mixed media artists.

Victoria May, Santa Cruz, Calif.: sculptor and installation artist. www.vicmay.com

About the J. Robert and Barbara A. Hillier College of Architecture and Design:

The J. Robert and Barbara A. Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD) is comprised of the School of Architecture and the School of Art + Design. HCAD offers undergraduate degrees in architecture, digital design, industrial design and interior design as well as graduate degrees in architecture, infrastructure planning, and urban systems. The Hillier College of Architecture and Design is a comprehensive design school located in a comprehensive research university. By studying design here, you will have ample opportunities for cross-pollination of ideas and interdisciplinary interaction.