Is it a woman’s world? You bet your testosterone cream. In every career imaginable, from politics and law to marketing and advertising, women have been making strides to not only break through the glass ceiling but in many cases, just shattering it outright. Who knows, maybe someday they will even receive equal pay for equal work.
We will have a woman president someday, this goes without saying. And if we have a woman president, maybe we’ll never again go to war. Or as my friend comedian Eric Lyden quips, “Oh, we’ll go to war. It’s just the other side won’t have any idea what it did wrong.”
Across the professional and artistic spectrum, there are many women performing many jobs. This month you are going to be treated to one woman wearing many hats. A New Exhibit at The Montclair Art Museum will feature a new and astounding show from one of our most innovative and respected artists. “Saya Woolfalk: The Empathics” is the first solo museum exhibition by the acclaimed multimedia artist and the second in MAM’s New Directions series of contemporary art exhibitions. Blending fantasy, humor, and play, Woolfalk’s art draws on anthropology, mythology, and fashion to present a fantastical world that encourages us to consider our most pressing societal issues, particularly concerning cultural difference, in a new light. The titular Empathics are a fictional group of women who, the artist imagines, blend racial and ethnic identities as they metamorphose, taking on characteristics of both humans and plants. In the exhibition, the Empathics’ story unfolds in the form of a fictitious ethnographic display—yet with kaleidoscopic colors, patterns, and textures unique to Woolfalk’s extraordinary vision. Woolfalk’s colorful installation includes human-scale, fabric-based sculptures, some of which double as costumes in her innovative performances; intricate paintings; thought-provoking videos; and interactive web technologies.
The exhibition is organized by Alexandra Schwartz, MAM’s curator of contemporary art and founder of the New Directions series, with Kimberly Fisher, curatorial assistant.
Treat yourself to something original, groundbreaking and absolutely enthralling.
Tickets are $10-$12
3 South Mountain Ave, Montclair
(973) 746-9118
www.montclair-art.com