‘Art Around the Park’ proclaims Morristown as arts hub; gallery walk starts with journalism sculpture

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If any Sulzbergers are reading this, Riccardo Berlingeri has the perfect piece of art for your New York Times lobby.

It’s called Ode to a Dear Old Friend,  a man-sized sculpture made entirely from strips of the Paper of Record, bonded with Elmer’s Glue.

Ode hangs in the lobby of the “green” 14 Maple building in Morristown, where it was unveiled Tuesday to kick off Morristown’s first gallery tour, Art Around the Park. The provocative piece can hang in the Times lobby –or anywhere else– for a purchase price of just $10,000.

Photos from Morristown’s first Art Around the Park gallery walk:

“That’s a joke, but not a joke,” said Riccardo, whose sculpture can be viewed on many levels.

It makes a statement about the value of print in an increasingly digital world.

Its green tint is a nod to the 14 Maple building, which features geothermal wells, solar power and a living “biowall.”

riccardo berlingeri
Artist Riccardo Berlingeri with his 'Ode to a Dear Old Friend,' a hanging sculpture made of newspaper strips bonded with Elmer's Glue. Baby powder was used in the wrapping process, to prevent specific layers from sticking together. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

And Ode’s organic, perishable nature–be careful on recycling day!–strikes Riccardo as ironic. After all, he reasons, we owe our awareness of environmental issues to newspapers…which are threatened with extinction by their eco-friendly digital offspring.

“I believe we are in a very critical moment, taking us from print to digital media. It’s still kind of shaky,” said Riccardo, 65, who emigrated from Italy in 1997. He loves investigative journalism, and worries that public discourse will suffer if newspapers vanish.

“It’s the only tool we’ve got to evaluate our cultural models, our aesthetics, our behavior,” he said, arguing for the serendipitous discovery that a good newspaper provides. Web surfers tend to stick with sites that conform to their opinions, he contends.

Riccardo scoured stacks of the Times in his Middletown basement for green-colored advertisements, to give his work its green hue.

With its vine-like tangles, the finished 40-pound piece resembles a prop from a Tarzan movie. Or maybe a kid’s summer crafts project that spun out of control.

Artist David French chats with Cathy Hyland of Montville at Morristown's Simon Gallery during 'Art Around the Park' gallery tour. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Artist David French chats with Cathy Hyland of Montville at Morristown's Simon Gallery during 'Art Around the Park' gallery tour. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

The hanging sculpture prompted mostly favorable responses on Tuesday.

“What could be more fitting in a green building than a recycled sculpture?” asked Anne Aronovitch, executive director of the Arts Council of the Morris Area, which has a gallery upstairs at 14 Maple that includes  another piece by Riccardo in an exhibition called Whimsy.

Liz Mattson of the state Arts Council called Ode fascinating. “It reminds me of Cinderella’s carriage,” she said.

Randolph artist Bill Stillman, 27, related to the piece on an organic level.

“It looks like a sundial, with brass rings that have oxidized over time,” he said. “The green (tint) looks like nature is taking it back.”

Carolyn Clemente, a choral singer and wife of jazz pianist Rio Clemente, appeared bemused. “It looks like there is a message in there somewhere,” she said.

Probably on page 42, someone suggested playfully.

ART AROUND THE PARK

Whatever you think of modern journalism, Ode to a Dear Old Friend was an inspired choice to start Morristown’s first gallery tour. The piece got people talking while walking. Which is precisely what organizers of Art Around the Park intended: Generating some buzz about the Morristown art scene.

“I think it went exceptionally well,” said Simon Gallery owner Harry Simon, who hatched the art walk idea. Between 60 and 100 people made the rounds to his place from the Gallery at 14 Maple, Gallery Egan and the gallery he curates at the Hyatt Morristown, he said.

Not bad for a Tuesday night when all the galleries except the Hyatt normally would be closed.

“We’ll definitely do another one,” Harry said.

amy lu and andrea kelly
Amy Lu of Cedar Knolls with painter Andrea Kelly at Gallery Egan in Morristown, during 'Art Around the Park' gallery tour. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Visitors to the Simon Gallery gallery met painter David French, an abstract expressionist from Asbury Park who decided to quit real estate development after testicular cancer gave him a wakeup call in 2000.

Eight months of chemotherapy spurred considerable introspection.

“That life or death experience threw me back into my artwork, away from chasing a buck, to finding a voice again,” said David, 45, who had studied art at Carnegie Mellon University and the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

His marriage did not survive the career transition, he said.

Ten of his large oil-on-cotton-twill and oil-on-canvas paintings, ranging in price from $2,000 to $9,000, are on display. The official opening is Friday night.

David’s brush with mortality informs his paint brush. His art is about being in the moment, he said.

“I allow myself to respond to what’s happening in front of me,” he said. “It’s almost a partnership with the materials.”

He credited the Simon Gallery, now in its 14th year, with a reputation for sophistication that could anchor a regional art scene.

Morristown has more to offer than banks and restaurants, said gallery co-owner Mary Ellen Simon, Harry’s wife.

“We’ve always had a lot of talented people in the community,” she said. “We want to make this a destination for people who will come to support the arts.”

First-time visitor Larry Dell of Maplewood was impressed.

“It’s nice to see a gallery showing abstract painting anywhere, away from the usual suburban stuff,” he said.

Amy Lu, a recent art graduate of the College of New Jersey, enjoyed meeting painter Andrea Kelly at Gallery Egan.

“I was surprised there was even this much in Morristown,” said Amy, who loved Andrea’s bright abstract nature scenes.

“I’m happy to be around these,” Amy said. “That’s what art’s supposed to do.”

david french at gallery simon
Artist David French with his painting 'Secondary New Year' at the Simon Gallery in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

3 COMMENTS

  1. Ricardo is an extremely talented artist! He is a true example of what an artist should be. His work exceeds the limits and boundaries of what we know as art. He is a true visionary.
    His use of The New York Times should give them a great reason to do a story on his magnificent exhibition.
    Excellent job Ricardo, keep up the good work!

  2. Wow!
    What a talent Mr. Berlingeri is!
    I cannot understand WHY The New York Times has not had an exhibit of his work? What are they waiting for?
    More importantly, great to see these magnificent sculptures available to enjoy in the beautiful city of Morristown.
    Thank you!

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