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Noyes Museum exhibition, the largest ever, focuses on climate resilience

  • Downbeach

Provided/Ann Calandro's artwork titled 'Rowboat' will be on display at the Noyes Arts Garage in Atlantic City.

ATLANTIC CITY - The largest exhibition in the history of the Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University is so big that two locations are needed to display the works.

The exhibit titled, Mother Nature vs. Human Nature: The Inequity of Climate Resilience, is the New Jersey Arts Annual Exhibition for 2023. The display, which features 105 artworks by 103 artists who either live or work in New Jersey, will be held at both the Noyes Arts Garage in Atlantic City and at Stockton's Kramer Hall in Hammonton.

It is the largest group of participants in the museum's history, Noyes Museum Executive Director Michael Cagno said. And it's compelling evidence of New Jersey's dedication to and passion for the arts.

The exhibition runs from Feb. 1 to June 24 with an opening reception to be held at the Noyes Arts Garage 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4. The Arts Annual Exhibition is a co-sponsored project of the Noyes Museum and the NJ State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The museum received a $50,000 grant from the state last summer to stage the climate-themed exhibit. The host of the annual exhibition rotates each year among different museums throughout the state. Cagno said the Noyes last hosted in 2016.

Through this exhibition, the public will gain a profound understanding of the interconnection between life and the disturbances related to the climate, he said. The artists have presented a renewed sense of responsibility for action.

Kathleen Beausolei's painting 'Meet at the Ferris Wheel' will be on display at the Noyes Arts Garage in Atlantic City.

The artwork features a wide variety of different artwork from sculpture

and ink drawings to multimedia, photographs and oil and watercolor paintings. That variety was important to the exhibit's jurors local artists Suzanne Horvitz and Robert Roesch.

We sought to create a balance and variety of materials, media and process, Horvitz said. We are impressed by the skill and creativity of the works submitted and by the innovation in techniques and technology used by many of the artists. That might not have been available a few decades ago.

Although the exhibit contains many pieces, Horvitz said many exceptional artworks had to be excluded.

This was one of the most competitive shows we have juried, and as visual artists we know how much time and effort goes into these submissions, she said.

Cagno said the Noyes is grateful to the State Council on the Arts for providing the funds and support for the exhibit.

As we elevate the accomplished artists of our state, we also renew our commitment to fostering excellence in the visual arts and supporting a diverse range of artists in all stages of their careers, he said. We are proud to continue providing opportunities for the New Jersey arts community.

We're extremely grateful to the board and staff at the Noyes Museum of Art not only for their work on the exhibition, but for recognizing how the arts spark important, global conversations, said Danielle Bursk, director of community partnerships and artist services at the State Arts Council. We are excited that the thought-provoking perspectives these artists provide will have an even broader impact through the two locations where the work can be seen and celebrated.

The Noyes Arts Garage, located on Fairmount Avenue in Atlantic City, houses two museums, the Noyes Museum of Art Galleries and the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey, eight artist studios, shops, a café, and an art classroom. The Arts Garage is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

The Noyes Galleries at Kramer Hall, located on Front Street in Hammonton add vibrancy to the Arts District in downtown Hammonton. The Noyes Galleries are open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, and until 7 p.m. during Third Thursdays.

Clamming (Navesick River)' by Bryan Gorski will be featured at Kramer Hall as part of the exhibit titled Mother Nature vs. Human Nature: The Inequity of Climate Resilience. The exhibit is the New Jersey Arts Annual Exhibition for 2023 and is the largest exhibit the Noyes Museum has ever hosted.