By Marion Filler
There was a time when street art had a bad rap. It was called vandalism, and it cost millions to remove from urban walls, underpasses, highways, and subway cars.
Today, motifs from murals and graffiti are seen in advertising and fashion. They’re even moving into museums and galleries.
The Morris Museum in Morris Township follows the trend with On and Off the Streets: Urban Arts in NJ. After its success in 2019 with Aerosol, an exhibit of graffiti painted directly on museum walls, Curator Ron Labaco wanted to try again.
This time, instead of graffiti that is letter-based, the show is “street art” that is strictly figurative and representational. It also includes smaller studio pieces by each of the 11 artists.
And, because neighboring New York street artists get more attention than those from New Jersey, everyone in this show is from the Garden State: Catherine Hart, Clarence Rich, Emilio Florentine, Joe Iurato, Layqa Nuna Yawar, LUV1, Mr Mustart, RH DOAZ, RORSHACH, and Will Power.
There also is a special installation of work by Newark legend Jerry Gant (1961-2018).
The guest curator for On and Off the Streets is Lois Stavsky, editor of StreetArtNYC.com and blogger on vandalog.com.
“She is a household name in the urban art community,” said Labaco. ” Lois ended up serving as an advisor to the Aerosol show, and at the opening she pulled me aside and said, ‘If you ever want to organize the ultimate New Jersey street art show, let me know.’ And so here we are.”
Visitors will need to stand back from the huge 14f-by20-foot murals to see them at their best.
No directions were given to artists about what subject matter: They were invited to create anything they wanted on the Museum walls. The variety is wonderful to see.
On the immediate right upon entering the gallery is New Life, a completely abstract composition by a very pregnant Catherine Hart. On the left is Every Wall is a Door, a dimensional, black and white by Joe Iurato.
A few steps away is a room dedicated to small works by Gant, an early practitioner who made the transition from street art to gallery.
Jerry Gant, ‘Lil Jewel Eyes,’ no date, wire and found objects. Photo by Marion Filler
One large gallery space is particularly stunning with paintings on all four walls.
Hall of Murals: Street art inside the Morris Museum. Video by Marion Filler for MorristownGreen.com:
Even more amazing is that they all were created onsite within a few days.
Time-lapse video by the Morris Museum:
Equally intriguing are artis biographies, compiled by Stavsky with the assistance of Rachel Fawn Alban. Visitors can read a printed gallery copy or scan a QR code on the floor by each piece.
Stavsky didn’t select artists with any particular theme in mind.
“I chose artists whose works on the streets attracted my attention,” she said. “I was familiar with their “street art” long before I had ever visited their studios or seen their works in galleries.”
Like every outdoor mural, the paintings in On and Off the Street have a short life span. The walls will be painted over at the end of the show .
“I know that it seems like a shame because all the works turned out wonderfully,” said Labaco. “But the artists were informed of this from the beginning, that these would be temporary works of art. So this is a one-time opportunity for visitors to see these murals up close.”
The exhibit continues through Feb. 27, 2022. The Morris Museum, New Jersey’s only Smithsonian Affiliate, is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm, at 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morris Township. Call (973) 971-3700 for more.
