During the month of January, the Watchung Arts Center will showcase the works of Hob’Art: Selfie-Reimagined and Richard Lear: Ode to O’Keeffe. An opening Art Reception will be held on Sunday, January 6 from 1 – 4 p.m. and the exhibits will be on display from January 5 through January 26. The reception and exhibitions are free of charge and open to the public.
The Center’s Heinz W. Otto Gallery will feature “Selfie – Reimagined” an exhibition by Hob’Art, an artist’s co-operative in Hoboken, NJ. The exhibit deals with the ubiquitous aspect of selfies taken using a cell phone wherein people create images of themselves at various occasions. The work is presented through a variety of mediums. The artists use photography to delve into this subject, but also use paint, collage, and sculpture to investigate the possible meanings and implications of the selfie. This display is inspired by the omnipresent cell phone photograph that enlarges / expands this tiny mundane image and re-visits the concept of human impulse to document our every move. Be prepared for a visually stimulating, amusing and vibrant show that challenges our assumptions and visual stereotypes.
At the same time, the Lower Gallery will showcase an “Ode to O’Keeffe” presented by Richard Lear. The flower, is Richard’s preferred subject, as one of nature’s most perfect and unique gifts that brings joy, laughter and brightens the darkest of days with its awe inspiring magnitude of color. Having traveled the world looking for extraordinary flowers to photograph, he has captured beauty as well as abstraction from New Jersey to Fiji, through his lens.
The Watchung Arts Center, located at 18 Stirling Road in Watchung on the Watchung Circle, is a multi-disciplinary arts facility serving Watchung, the surrounding communities and the Tri-State Area. The Galleries are open Tue – Fri noon – 5 p.m. and Sat 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. To obtain more information about upcoming performances, classes and workshops, and monthly art exhibitions, please visit WatchungArts.org or call 908-753-0190.
