South Orange Pays Tribute to Two Outstanding Native Artists at Seton Hall University

From Seton Hall University:

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University, in collaboration with the Lennie Pierro Memorial Arts Foundation, is pleased to announce a tribute exhibition featuring South Orange natives Kiki and Seton Smith in “A Sense of Place.” The exhibition, with an accompanying catalogue, honors two of the town’s most distinguished artists by considering their formative influences, while positioning their practices in the present. The exhibition’s opening reception and tribute will be held on Sunday, October 30, 1-4 pm. The exhibition continues through December 9, 2016 and will be complemented by two programs; An Artists’ Conversation moderated by Lynne Tillman, at Jubilee Hall on Tuesday, December 6, 7:00 pm and scholar, Edward Whitley of Lehigh University, will lecture of the topic of “Storytelling and Scholarship” in the Beck Rooms at the Walsh Library on Tuesday, November 7, 7:00pm. All programs, including admission to the exhibition, are free and open to the public.

The motivation for this project was the desire to acknowledge and share the major impact of the work by these artists who were raised in South Orange, immersed in an environment of art and culture by their famous father, sculptor Tony Smith and opera singer mother, Jane Smith. The exhibition will explore the question “How does place irrevocably impact our sense of self?” Kiki Smiths drawings and prints look to the natural world to understand the relationship between place and identity on a symbolic level. Seton’s large-scale photographs look to the built environment to convey associations by moving within and navigating through space. Viewed in this context, each negotiates the complex psychological and emotional terrain in understanding the self and the manner in which place becomes a defining characteristic of identity.

In the spirit of mentorship and outreach the Walsh Gallery and Lennie Pierro Memorial Foundation are collaborating with public school district, the Pierro Gallery and other arts organizations to invite the community to submit a digital image on the theme of place and identity titled My Sense of Place, to be displayed in pop-up and virtual galleries. Further information about this community arts project will be available in mid October. In addition, South Orange Village will acknowledge the important contribution of the artists and welcome them back to their home town with a proclamation at the reception on October 30th.
For more information, see www.shu.edu. Seton Hall University is located at 400 S. Orange Avenue, South Orange, New Jersey, 07079. The Walsh Gallery is open 10:30am to 4:30pm Monday – Friday.
This exhibition is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council of the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and administered by the Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.

Image credit: Kiki Smith “Jewel” (detail), aquatint and etching Hahnemühle bright white paper, 14 in. x 17 in., 2004.; via Seton Hall University.