Last spring, the Trenton City Museum asked fine arts photographer C. a. Shofed -- who is well known throughout the Trenton art community and beyond -- to curate an exhibit of artists who have curated exhibits in and around Trenton.
He says names immediately came to mind of curators who, each inventive in their own way, have been “making a special effort to highlight the talented art community in Trenton or discovering a hidden gem. …the next batch of people who will move Trenton forward.” The curators he chose to put together this exhibit that opens Saturday, Dec. 3, are Lank, Buck Malvo, Heather Palecek, Brass Rabbit and Habiyb Shu’Aib.
Shofed says he has only project managed the exhibition and will not be exhibiting his own art photography. “I’ve done my best to stay out of the chosen curators’ way in this exhibit,” he says. “This exhibit is about how talented people, artists in their own right, chose talented artists to create a vision and to show those artists in their best light.”
The museum has wisely given each of the curators a section so the artists they chose are displayed together. Visiting this exhibit is like going to six shows , all different, each entertaining, inspiring, and thought provoking. Each speaks out clearly with its own message.
For example, when you enter the museum’s foyer, you are immediately greeted with paintings by Shofed’s selected artist, Léni Pacquet-Morante. A seasoned professional Pacquet-Morante’s abstractions are what she sees and feels as she looks into puddle, contemplating the way each element she finds there relates to all others while constructing yet another unique architectural element in nature. Her works set the tone of the exhibition—preparing you to expect the unexpected.
In curating her segment of this exhibit, Heather Palecek whose art is about Upcycling, “the act of taking an object that is no longer in use and repurposing it, giving it a second life,” invited eleven artists whose upcycling styles, subjects and mediums are diverse. “A little something for everyone,” she says.
Habiyb Shu’Aib and Jonathan Conner (LANK) curate monthly shows in the Mill Hill Playhouse showcasing Trenton artists and often complementing productions of The Passage Theatre Company. Among the six Trenton artists they’ve brought together for this show is Mel Leipzig who has taught so many Trenton artists, promoted their works and mentored many to their own professional status.
Trenton native Buck Malvo says he is endeavoring to build an art community. “I curate art and create art,” he says. “I see a vision and just get after it.” His community of artists in this show numbers eleven accomplished artists. These include an exquisite portrait by April Cooper that will hold you captive for a very long time. Also beautifully rendered is a hauntingly mysterious portrait by Vee Katz of a woman whose fingers on her three graceful hands are pointing in various directions
Curator Brass Rabbit is also a Trenton native. A professional curator of contemporary art, she is the head curator at the popular Trenton Social and has worked closely with SAGE Coalition, Grounds for Sculpture, Artworks Trenton, and the Trenton Downtown Association, to name a few of the many. She says she is dedicated to helping her community grow, to become contenders in the larger arts market. For this exhibit, she invited Trenton artists whose works she knew would add depth to the exhibition.
An added attraction to top off your enjoyment of works by all these talented Trenton artists is right upstairs. Go on up and you’ll find “Wreaths, Wreaths, Wreaths.” Some celebrate the holidays, while others cover a wide array of themes—one composed of recycled plastic bags, one that is all about sewing, and another that has a celestial theme. For that one, fiber artist Janis Purcell (no relation to this writer) adorned grape vines with a celestial image, stars, sun, moon and lights. All the wreaths were created by community members and artists.
“As we approach 2023, our 50th anniversary, the Trenton Museum Society is working on strategic planning and visioning. One of our goals is deeper community involvement,” says Joan Perkes, president. “These exhibits will be an opportunity for our members and visitors to meet a younger generation of curators and artists and for these young curators and artists to invite their followers to get to know the museum. “I can’t imagine a better way to end 2022 and begin our 2023 journey. Our eye is on our future and the part Trenton City Museum will play in the historic and artistic future of our city.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Curated by Trenton
WHERE: Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion, Cadwalader Park, Trenton
WHEN: Dec. 3 through Jan. 22. Opening Reception: Saturday, Dec. 3, 5 to 8 p.m.
WREATHS WREATHS WREATHS on view Dec. 3 to Jan. 8.
HOURS: as above. Kids’ Workshop Dec. 11.
CONTACT: 609-989-1191. info@ellarslie.org
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