(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)February 12, 2020

MAHWAH, N.J.  — Alum and Then Some, a two-person exhibition by artists who have studied at Ramapo College, opens on Wednesday, February 19 in the Pascal Gallery of the Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. There will be an opening reception from 5-7 p.m., and artist talks at 6:30 p.m. The artists on view are Geri Hahn and Dan Monteavaro. The exhibition continues on view through April 10.

Geri Hahn has taken classes at Ramapo and is active in the Friends of Ramapo group. She has shown her work at the Montclair Art Museum, the Moscow (Russia) Art Museum, the Art League of Rhode Island Vets Gallery, the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Seton Hall University, Gallery Aferro and other regional spaces. Hahn offers the following artist’s statement:

“I was initially a self-taught artist, and studied the sciences rather than art in college, although I have drawn abstract biomorphic or geometric shapes daily for as long as I remember. I only started showing my work publicly in 2014 as a result of opportunities provided by Ramapo College. Until that year, only my family has ever seen my work. My art usually starts with a drawing on a post-it note, a napkin or a paper towel, or occasionally on my ‘tablet.’ These form the basis for either my limited edition archival prints, or my hand sewn embroidered and appliqued fabric art.

“I am a synesthete whose cross-neural wiring compels me to ‘see’ every sound I hear. Sounds are composed of timbres that have shape and color and exist in a visual landscape. I also see patterns of written language and experience all alphabet letters in color. As a result of another form of synesthesia, I see the spoken word spelled out like a colorful tickertape beneath the speaker’s chin. (I have 13 types of synesthesia).”

Originally from the South Bronx, Dan Monteavaro studied Visual Arts at Ramapo College and lives and works in Los Angeles. Below is an excerpt from a longer statement by Monteavaro.

“Since the beginning, I have been separating my public work aesthetic and my gallery specific works. The interaction with the viewer is the driving force for placement and application of the two distinct bodies of work. In a public space, the viewer doesn’t have the choice to interact with the piece, and mostly the time to have that visual communication is very limited. With respect to both of those key factors in public works they become something that is relatable on a fast and almost instinctual level. The colors and visual shapes play with space and the environment, and it becomes an immersive visual journey as opposed to the deeper questions of narrative that the canvas works explore.

“For my canvas works I focus on the juxtaposition of narratives and how the combination of two opposing visual images can create a new conversation different than each image alone.”

Monteavaro’s work with public site pieces, and various other types of collections and corporate spaces, include Berkadia and the California cities of West Hollywood, Los Angeles, San Pedro and Glendale; the New York City Department of Transportation, Paramount Pictures, Google, Universal Studios, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf company, the Los Angeles Clippers, DC United (MLS), Soho House, the French Consulate of the U.S. and a recent commission for Audi Stadium in Washington D.C. His work was acquired by the Figge Museum of Art in Davenport, Iowa, and one of his paintings was included in the Juried BP Portrait Awards for the National Portrait Gallery in England. His painting has also been presented at the Insa Dong Art Center in Seoul, Korea.

Pascal Gallery hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 to 5 p.m., and Wednesday from 1 to 7 p.m. Berrie Center galleries will also be open for special hours on Sunday, March 29, from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Gallery Director Sydney Jenkins at 201-684-7147.

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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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