Without the aid of a personal Q & A session with multicultural artist Monique Hendricks, I can’t really say for sure why, after her birth in Switzerland and subsequent growth in such glamorous and colorful locations as Iceland, Germany, Belgium and England, she chose to settle down in God’s Country…New Jersey. But Europe’s loss is our gain. And the vision she brings with her will be on display for all to see this month with her exhibit, “Around the World in Twenty-Seven Paintings” at the Lundt-Glover Gallery in Chatham. The more you learn about her, the more interesting she becomes. Featured exerpts from her professional bio:
MONIQUE HENDRICKS was born and raised in Switzerland. At eighteen, she packed her bags and left for England, where she spent a year perfecting her English. Her interest in other cultures led her to move fourteen times–England (twice), Germany, Belgium (twice), Iceland (once was enough!)–before she settled in the US, putting down roots in New Jersey with her Guyanese-born husband and their two sons. Monique studied anthropology as an undergraduate and holds masters in Media & Communications (LSE) and Marriage & Family Therapy (SHU). Fluent in several languages, she worked for many years as an editor and translator in the music industry; after her last relocation, from London to New York, she became a cross-cultural consultant, providing cultural adaptation programs for international assignees and their families, publishing articles on expatriation in British and American magazines, and writing a book.
I will live six lifetimes and never come close to achieving all that.
A longtime painter of abstracts, Monique recently discovered a passion for figurative art. She is the publicity chair for the Art League of the Chathams (ALC) and a member of the Programming Committee at the Contemporary Art Group (CAG) in Watchung. In June 2014 she exhibited her artwork at the Giralda Music & Arts Festival in Madison, New Jersey. In July, Monique took part in a group show celebrating the 350th anniversary of New Jersey at the Art Upstairs Gallery of the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown. Her entry, Barnegat Revisited, sold on the first day of the exhibit. Currently, three of Monique’s paintings are displayed in a group show at the Lundt-Glover Gallery in Chatham. The Gallery is also the venue for Monique’s solo exhibit in December 2014, Around the World in Twenty-Seven Paintings: A Cross-Cultural Sampler, which will showcase paintings inspired, in part, by the artist’s wanderlust. The exhibit, sponsored by the Art League of the Chathams, will be held from December 7, 2014 to March 3, 2015.
As someone who writes for a living I always appreciate an artist who can capture the magic, beauty and culture of a faraway land and bring it home for all to see. Thank you Monique for not disappointing.
www.artleagueofthechathams.org
