From Rutgers-Camden:
CAMDEN — A colorful and diverse display of artwork and artifacts will provide a unique perspective on the rich history of the City of Camden during a special exhibition at the Rutgers–Camden campus that will open Thursday, Jan. 17.
“Visions of Camden” will feature a wide array of media to present an impressionistic view of Camden’s history. The exhibition at the Stedman Gallery on the Rutgers–Camden campus is free of charge and open to the public, and will run through March 1.
The display includes glass slides, photographs, and prints of Camden from various moments throughout its history. Oil paintings by artists William M. Hoffman Jr. and en plein-air sketches by Mickey O’Neill McGrath will provide impressionistic representations of city locations, while an array of maps, postcards, and posters will deliver different views of Camden.
The iconic, stained-glass image of “Nipper,” which defined the former RCA Victor tower, will be remounted for this exhibit. Artifacts discovered during the construction of 330 Cooper Street, the new Rutgers–Camden student residence facility, offer glimpses into the domestic lives of early Camden residents.
“This Stedman Gallery exhibition offers – and invites – insights into Camden’s past, its present, and its prospects,” says Cyril Reade, director of the Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts and an associate professor of art.
“It proposes ways of envisioning moments in the history of the city, through the eyes of visual artists whose manipulation of color and form often return magic to the cityscape; and through the more realistic and unforgiving eyes of the photographer’s camera.”
The Stedman Gallery is located in the Fine Arts Complex on Third Street, between Cooper Street and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the Rutgers-Camden campus. Admission is free to the gallery, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. The Stedman Gallery will be closed Monday, Jan. 21.
Artist Mickey O’Neill McGrath, an oblate of St. Francis de Sales who lives and works in Camden, will deliver a free gallery talk at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17. An artist and author, his work focuses on the connections between art and faith. During his Rutgers–Camden talk, McGrath will discuss how his early morning walks through the city influence his artwork.
“Visions of Camden” is organized by the Stedman Gallery at the Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts and MARCH (the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities). The exhibition is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; MARCH; and other generous contributors.