Student Exhibitions
CURRENT EXHIBITION
Instructor's Statement
The most fascinating aspect of creativity is that it has no boundaries. Through the centuries, artists have evoked subject matter in countless ways and continue to do so to this day.
Some of the inspiration for From Palette to Paper: Evolving Visions in Watercolor began when the Montclair Art Museum exhibited the show Cézanne and American Modernism. This was the first time my watercolor classes spent the full ten weeks working on one project. The richness, vibrancy, freshness, and great diversity of the influence of Cézanne on American artists was fascinating and led to an unprecedented focus for the watercolor classes. We did still life and landscapes based on Cézanne, and then moved onto cityscapes based on New York City. It was a very rich experience.
This autumn session we began another course of work using fruit as our subject matter. Each student was encouraged to select interesting or unusual looking fruits to work with, fruits with distinct markings or shapes, often those that we might not choose for eating. There were stories told of how, while making choices at the market, other customers were curious about the selection process, which is, of course, different when one is looking for fruit to paint rather than to eat. We painted whole fruit and cut fruits, arranged and rearranged for compositional interest. Students were encouraged to add unusual backgrounds or simple objects to their compositions for additional interest. Some fruits were juxtaposed with others and sections of fruits were combined in interesting ways. Students were encouraged to experiment with scale, color and composition to produce paintings they might not have otherwise done. We also looked to include ideas taken from photographs and altered to work with our ongoing paintings.
We spent two weeks reviewing a wide range of watercolor techniques and then dedicated the rest of the session to working on paintings of trees. Students were encouraged to incorporate these techniques into their paintings of trees in new ways. We exaggerated and edited photos of trees. We studied how foliage, limbs and branches intertwined and integrated via watercolor techniques such as sponging and tapping to project both delicate and bold foliage.
There was a delightful feeling in class of experimentation, challenging oneself, seeing in new ways, periods of quiet, and lots of concentration in the studio.
- Sharon Pitts, Instructor
ART SCHOOL ARCADE
The MAM Yard School of Art is pleased to be able to offer our students the opportunity to show their artwork in a professional gallery space. Our shows highlight the diverse range of media and techniques practiced by our students and faculty at the Yard School. The shows, which rotate approximately every six weeks, allow our students to experience the process of preparing a work for exhibition, and are also an excellent way to showcase their talent, as well as the abilities of our seasoned instructors. Additionally, our shows provide prospective students the chance to check out a variety of the Yard School’s class offerings, and the types of artwork that are produced. Receptions for these shows are open to the public.
The Art School Arcade is located on the 1st floor of the Museum. Click here to view a map of gallery locations.
The Art School Arcade Gallery is a gift of William and Judith Turner.
CHILDREN’S ARCADE GALLERY
Exhibitions in the Children’s Arcade highlight the work of our school programs and educational partnerships. Many of the exhibitions are the culmination of multiple visits to the Museum for tours and hands-on art-making experiences and complement the MAM’s permanent collection and special exhibitions. The student exhibitions and opening receptions provide a professional and festive culmination to the student’s museum experience.
The Children's Arcade is located on the 1st floor of the Museum. Click here to view a map of gallery locations.
Special thanks to Patricia Bell and Douglas A. Keller, Jr., for their support of the Museum’s Children’s Arcade Gallery exhibitions. The Children’s Arcade Gallery is a gift of the Plofker Family Foundation.
