Exhibitions, music, discussionsWith the holidays over, the Jersey City Museum prepares for the New Year with a series of film festivals, concerts and new exhibits. Museum spokeswoman Linda Onorevole calls the upcoming events one of the most exciting lineups in the venue’s young history.
“There’s something for everybody,” Onorevole said. “Our concerts are by accomplished musicians, and our exhibitions are by award-winning artists.”
On Jan. 17, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s Hispanic Roots program, features a tour of Latin American musical traditions. The event is geared for children and it’s free. The following day, the Actors Shakespeare Company performs Henry V. The event is also free and it will include a reading of Elizabethan scripts and documents.
On Feb. 1, the Black Maria Film and Video Festival returns. Since 1981, the festival, an international juried competition and award tour, has been fulfilling its mission to advocate, exhibit and reward cutting-edge works from independent film and video makers. According to Onorevole, the festival is known for its national public exhibition program, which features a variety of bold contemporary works drawn from the annual collection of 50 award-winning films and videos.
Then on, Feb. 8, the museum will host a lecture by Peter Paone titled “Collecting America: The Artist as Collector.” This lecture is highlighted by photographs of some of the artists in their studios, anecdotes from dealers as well as comments from the artist about their acquisitions. The artists in discussion will include Rembrandt, Rubens, Degas, Matisse, Picasso and Warhol.
There’s also a variety of exhibitions debuting in 2004. Paone’s “The Italians,” which opened on Jan. 14 will run through June 27. Onorevole described the show as an exhibition of 20 works featuring works created between 1993 and 1997, in which the artist has re-imagined his childhood in South Philadelphia’s Italian-American neighborhood. “The Italians’ is a loving tribute to the artist’s Italian-American childhood, and is populated with relatives, friends and other characters from his neighborhood.
“The drawings are virtuoso statements of craftsmanship that range from the complex to the minimal, while the paintings are rich in color and open-ended, poetic narratives,” Onorevole said.
Also on the walls of the museum will be Chakaia Booker’s “Jersey Ride.” A mid-career survey of Booker’s work, the exhibition is informed by the idea that despite her lengthy absence from Jersey, much of her work is steeped in the influence of this landscape and the environment in which she spent her formative years.
“Examining her work from the early ’80s through the present, the exhibition explores the depth and breadth of her artistic production and her critical and conceptual use of recycled materials,” Onorevole said.
Booker was born in Newark and she studied at Rutgers University. She will discuss her works at the museum for the “ArtTalk” series on March 25. Her works will be showcased starting Jan. 28.
The Jersey City Museum is at 350 Montgomery St. in Jersey City. For information call (201) 413-0303 or visit www.jerseycitymuseum.org. q
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“Our concerts are by accomplished musicians, and our exhibitions are by award-winning artists.” – Linda Onorevole
Jersey City Museum launches winter events
