Jersey City Museum presents Hair Tactics, an exhibition guest-curated by Rocío Aranda-Alvarado and on view at Jersey City Museum from Feb. 5 though Aug. 22.
The opening reception for Hair Tactics, as well as Jersey City Museum’s complete line-up of new spring 2010 exhibitions, takes place Friday, March 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Hair Tactics features over 30 visual artists whose artworks explore hair as subject matter and medium. Increasingly, artists have begun to use both real and synthetic human hair to create works of art. Some use synthetic hair because it is widely and inexpensively available in urban neighborhoods, others because it is laden with social and political meaning, and still others because they are exploring the human obsession with hair.
Texts written in hair, fancy hair motifs used to decorate a love letter, extravagant and multi-colored wigs, drawings featuring hair-covered bodies, and ladies with elaborate up-dos are all featured in Hair Tactics. The exhibition includes works in a wide range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, prints, photographs, video, and installation.
Artists featured in the exhibition include Amina Ahmed, Elia Alba, Firelei Báez, Nina Lola Bacchuber, Melody Boone, Melissa Calderón, Ursula Endlicher, Zachary Fabri, Carson Fox, Chitra Ganesh, Asha Ganpat, Bill Gaskins, Renée Green, Hermanas Iglesias (Janelle and Lisa Iglesias), Kristina Jacob, Tamara Kostianovsky, Jessica Lagunas, Simone Leigh, Sharon Louden, Felicia Megginson, Irvin Morazán, Omar Obdulio Peña Forty, Sa’dia Rehman, Kenya (Robinson), Nadine Robinson, Roger Sayre, Roger Tucker III, Quintín Rivera-Toro, Jayoung Yoon, and So Yoon Lym.
Founded in 1901, the Jersey City Museum is the major presenter of contemporary art serving the people of Jersey City, Hudson County and the region. The museum organizes many group and solo exhibitions every year, featuring works by culturally diverse, contemporary artists and from its 10,000-piece collection of regional significant art and historical objects. Through exhibitions, educational initiatives and programs, the museum welcomes over 25,000 visitors each year, including 11,000 school-aged children and youth.
Jersey City Museum’s gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday from 11a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and free for children under 12 and museum members.
Jersey City Museum is located at 350 Montgomery St. at Monmouth, in the Historic Downtown District, within walking distance of the Grove Street PATH and Jersey Avenue Light Rail stations. For more information, visit www.jerseycitymuseum.org or call (20) 413-0303.