Studio Montclair Exhibit Spotlights ‘Old School Feminist Art’

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Looking for an “old school, LGBTQIA-friendly, radical feminist art exhibition?” Studio Montclair’s latest installation, “Womyn’s Werq,” might be right up your alley.

The local arts nonprofit launched the exhibit earlier this week. It’s slated to run until April 9 at the Studio Montclair gallery, 127 Bloomfield Avenue. Gallery hours are by appointment only.

An opening reception will take place on Sunday, March 7 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. There will be a Zoom curator talk on Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m.

The exhibit, curated by Donna Kessinger, manager of the Matawan Studio and Gallery, features more than 60 pieces of artwork, including videos, sculpture and two-dimensional creations in a variety of mediums. A virtual exhibit that will include audio from the artists will be available on the Studio Montclair website.

Wondering where the exhibit’s title comes from? According to Studio Montclair:

• Womyn – “This is a term used by those who feel that having the word ‘man’ within the word ‘woman’ signifies that women are a subset of men. So, to make themselves a non-subset, they changed the letter 'e' to a 'y.' I am not a subset, I am a womyn.”
• Werq - “An expression used when praising someone for looking fierce.”

Studio Montclair offered the following description of the exhibit:

"The show is comprised of artworks that serve as visual narratives based on the mantra that the personal is political. They reflect—and seek to answer such questions as: What embodies radicalism on an artistic level? Is it the artist’s engagement with protest, activism, and/or cultural organizing? Is it the materials used or the conceptual content of the work? With a strong focus on inclusion, this exhibit represents all artists who may identify as gender-fluid, eco-femme, queer/trans, and old-school butch/femme artists. According to the curator, 'I am very excited about the level and intensity of the work which was submitted to ‘Womyn’s Werq’ at Studio Montclair. There is a palpable edge to the feminist dialogue which is emerging between the art, artists, and exhibition space. As we continue to face cultural change and a brighter reality, even in the face of adversity, I hope that bringing this incredible group of artists together will create a chance for us to collectively recharge our spirits and celebrate together (covid safe) as a community of artmakers.'"

Participating artists include: Aodan, Ara-Lucia, Mia Ahntholz, Olga Alexander, Sandra Anton, Barbara Bickart, Jeanne Brasile, Rodriguez Calero, Marina Carreira, Gwen Charles, Liz Collins, Leslie Connito, Lisa D'Amico, Lisa DeLoria Weinblatt, Yvonne Duck, Kara Dunne, Megan Dyer, Kathleen Elyse, Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern, Modern Fossils:Judith Marchand and David P Horowitz, Yolanda Fundora, Colleen Sweeney Gahrmann, Trish Gianakis, Parastoo Haddadi, Karen Heagle, Susan Hensel, Katie Hovencamp, Jennifer Hughes, Valerie Huhn, Raluca Iancu, Kristen Iannuzzelli, Elizabeth Insogna, Miriam Jacobs, Dorian Katz, Michelle Knox, Erin Kuhn, Phoebe Legere, Jennifer Malone, Paula Marino, Anne Q McKeown, Nick Metz, Leslie Nobler, Jacquie O'Brien, Christy O'Connor, Kate Okeson, Stacey AS Pritchard, Brass Rabbit, Marisol Ross, Yolanda Santa Cruz, Christine Sauerteig-Pilaar, Alix Anne Shaw, Gail G. Slockett, Victoria Smits, Peter Tilgner, Kay Turner, Rhondda Urdang, Sarah Van Vliet, Margaret Rose Vendryes, Sue Eldridge Ward, Jennifer Willoughby, Becky Yazdan.

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