(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)October 16, 2008

MAHWAH – An exhibition of paintings by women artists, “Affinities:  Painting in Abstraction,” will be presented in the Kresge Gallery on the campus of Ramapo College of New Jersey in November.

Represented in the exhibition will be a variety of approaches to abstract painting by eight women artists.  While the paintings are seemingly disparate in structure, each exemplifies common attributes made visible through the artist’s engagement with process and practice.  Each painting pushes the media through an active investigation and dissection of abstraction.

Paintings by Jacqueline Humphries, Jutta Koether, Suzanne McClelland, Rebecca Morris, Carrie Moyer, Dona Nelson, Amy Sillman and Laurel Sparks will be on view. “The artists suggest a trajectory that redefines, empowers and interrogates definitions of abstract painting,” said curator Kate McNamara.

“The sheer number of women who currently practice abstract painting and the undeniable quality of work being produced, force me to consider what abstract painting has to do with modernism, history and feminism.”
McNamara was the winner of The Ramapo Curatorial Prize, awarded each year to a second year graduate student at Bard College’s Center for Curatorial Studies.  Now in its 11th year, the Ramapo Curatorial Prize is selected by the Visual Arts faculty at the College.  The winning curator organizes and presents an exhibition in the Ramapo College galleries.

McNamara is curatorial assistant at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in Queens, New York and co-founder of Cleopatra’s, a Brooklyn-based project space.  Recent exhibitions include “Ode to Joy:  Zak Kitnick,” Cleopatra’s, 2008; “This is the Way the World Is,” Cleopatra’s, 2008; “Affinities:  Painting in Abstraction,” The Hessel Museum at Bard College, 2007 and “from Witness,” The Hessel Museum, 2006.

This program 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.  The Pascal Gallery is located in the Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts at Ramapo College.  Hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, 1 to 7 p.m.  For more information, call Sydney Jenkins, gallery director, (201) 684-7147.

An opening reception and curator’s talk will be given Wednesday, November 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Kresge Gallery.  The exhibition runs November 6 through December 10.

For media inquiries, contact Anna Farneski, assistant vice president, Marketing and Communications, (201) 684-6844.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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