(MONTCLAIR, NJ) --  Studio Montclair presents “Absolute Abstraction” on exhibit from October 29 through November 30 at Studio Montclair Gallery in Montclair.  The exhibit, featuring the artwork of 49 artists, embraces non-representational art as a way for artists to express themselves—and viewers to respond--without the kind of public “agenda” that has been jockeying for position in nearly every aspect of our lives in recent years.

In a time of uncertainty, restrictions, and precautions, we look to pundits and experts to tell us what to think and how to behave; in this world of didactic moralism, we say “ENOUGH!” It is time to see some art that enables us to perceive beyond the tangible. According to Curator Onnie Struther, “We need art that allows our imagination to soar and fly high--we need Absolute Abstraction.” 

Viewers will be graced with artwork that allows them to draw their own conclusions. Art that dazzles the eye and emancipates the imagination. “Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colors, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential.” – Wassily Kandinsky

Participating Artists: Peter Allen, Patrick Binns, Nancy Blankenhorn, Jessie Bloom, Gyorgyi Bors, Pasquale  Cuppari, Mary Dajnak, Luz Donahue, SK Duffs, Mikel Frank, Yolanda Fundora, Debbie Galant, Richard Gilles, Anita Gladstone, Curtis Grayson, Michelle Harpster, Donna Jordan, Claudia Kreiss, Jade Lam, Joe LaMattina, Emma Larkin, Claude Larson, Stuart Larson, Edie Locke, Patricia Malarcher, Cassandra Martin, Brian McCormack, Chuck Miley, Ann Marie Miller, Barbara Alice Moir, Bryan Murray, Mansa Mussa, Ruth Bauer Neustadter, Nancy Pantirer, Diane Patmos, Kay Reese, Katy Repka, Bryan Robertson, Gregg Rosen, Fausto Sevila, Michael Sherman, Dorit Shmuel, Abbey Stace, Mark Stanley, Oni Strother, Katie Truk, Miroslav Vrzala, Sue Eldridge Ward, Juno Zago.

An opening reception will take place on Sunday, October 31 from 2:00pm to 4:30pm.

About the Curators: The Artists and Curators Group is an independent curatorial organization with a mission to promote emerging and established minority artists through exhibitions, education, and

professional opportunities.  

Onnie Strother is an artist, educator, lecturer, and curator with degrees in Fine Arts and Educational Administration and Supervision. Born in Newark, NJ, his artwork is often inspired by issues of race and power. Onnie’s artwork can be seen in exhibitions, galleries, and online. He is the founder of the JC White Creative Aging Project, an arts enrichment program for seniors in Newark Public Housing.

Nette Forné Thomas is a graduate of Montclair University with a BA and MAT with Certification in Administration and Supervision. Employed by the Newark Board of  Education as an art educator and administrator for 36 years, Nette is also recipient of the Geraldine R. Dodge visual artist/educator fellowship and president of Pen and Brush Inc. New York, NY. She is included in Rutgers University’s 400th anniversary perpetual virtual archival website of the Mary H. Dana Women Artist Series.

Bisa Washington is a Newark, NJ-based artist whose work is in both national and international collections. Bisa’s work hovers at the crossroads between the synthetic and the organic. Her mixed-media works combine historical, political, and religious traditions of the African diaspora to form what she calls “sculptural statements, visual narratives, and shrines for contemporary rituals.” Her work is inspired by and dedicated to ancestral spirits and modern African-American cultural icons transforming ordinary objects into objects of power. 

Warren S. Murray is an artist, collector, entrepreneur, and art transporter with 35 years in McDonald’s Corporation Youth Marketing Division.

Studio Montclair Gallery, located at 127 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey, is an inclusive, nationwide nonprofit organization of exhibiting professional and emerging artists and others interested in the visual arts. Its mission is to promote culture, education, equality, and tolerance through art. Founded in 1997, the organization includes over 500 members.  

IMAGES: (TOP to bottom) - Kay Reese: My house was burning..., Archival paper with acrylic paint on canvas; Bryan Murray: Ayler, mixed media, wood on wood panel AND Fausto Sevila: Alfreda, Acrylic on Raw Canvas; Mary Dajnak: Repeated Measures #4, Woodcut and Drypoint Monoprint; Debbie Galant: Cacophony, acrylic paint, and paper on canvas;  Abbey Stace: Flèche, plaster, acrylic media, oil AND Juno Zago: Untitled (Soda Label Panel 2) , acrylic and mixed media collage on wooden panel