ELIZABETH, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to present an exhibit of paper sculptures by Elizabeth artist Barbara Wallace in the gallery space at the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, located in the historic St. John’s Parsonage at 633 Pearl Street in Elizabeth.
A selection of Ms. Wallace’s work entitled “Barbara Wallace: Sculptural Relief” is on display at the Pearl Street Gallery through October 20. The public is invited to enjoy the exhibit during gallery hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
“The talent and diversity of our county artists assure an inspiring and interesting variety of exhibitions at the Pearl Street Gallery,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, liaison to the Union County Cultural and Heritage Advisory Board. “We are pleased to display an exhibit of Ms. Wallace’s impressive figurative sculptures.”
Barbara Wallace began her artistic training at the Art Students’ League of New York. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Pratt Institute and her Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the University of Pennsylvania.
Wallace is an Adjunct Professor at Kean University and Passaic County Community College. She currently works with various mixed media materials including recycled paper, wire, and acrylic paint.
Recent exhibitions include the Westfield Art Association Jubilee Exhibit at the Masker’s Barn in the Deserted Village of the Watchung Reservation, Fire in Her Eyes at the Newark School of the Arts, and Wreath Interpretations at the Arsenal Gallery in Manhattan.
She is a previous Union County Honoree in the Arts for Women’s History Month, awarded by the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly in Trenton. For more details visit Ms. Wallace online at blw105.wix.com/barbarawallace.
“My training is in traditional sculptural materials of clay, metal, stone, and wood. I have adapted techniques ordinarily reserved for clay and sheet metal for recycled paper and cardboard,” Ms. Wallace said. “The process for creating the works usually begins with a recycled metal clothes hanger. Layers of newspaper, magazine pages and cardboard are applied to this minimal armature with an adhesive of boiled wheat paste glue. Other sculptures combine the paper core technique with a layer of wax. Creating long-lasting sculpture from unlikely and somewhat ephemeral materials of yesterday’s news and this afternoon’s lunch is the crux of my artwork.”
Union County artists interested in exhibiting in the gallery space are welcome to apply (works must be hung on a wall). For more information about the Pearl Street Gallery or other programs, contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at culturalinfo@ucnj.org or call (908)-558-2550. NJ Relay users dial 711.
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