Events

“The Work of Several Lifetimes,” an exhibition of new work created over the past year by 2018-19 Hodder Fellow Mario Moore, presents etchings, drawings, and large-scale paintings of Black men and women who work at or around the Princeton University campus in blue collar jobs.

An opening celebration will be held on Thursday, September 19, 2019 from 6-8 p.m., followed by a reception in the Forum from 8-10 p.m.

A panel discussion about the exhibition will also be held at 4:30 p.m. on October 22 in the Hurley Gallery.

Exhibition catalog is supported by Princeton University’s Campus Iconography Committee.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

mario moore

Photo by Justin Millhouse

MARIO MOORE (b. 1987) is a Detroit native, currently residing in New York City. Moore received a BFA in Illustration from the College for Creative Studies (2009) and an MFA in Painting from the Yale School of Art (2013). He has participated as an artist-in-residence at Knox College, Fountainhead, and the Albers Foundation. Moore’s work has afforded him many opportunities — from multiple exhibitions and featured articles including the New York Times. His work has been exhibited at the Charles H. Wright Museum, George N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, and with the Smithsonian Institution. Moore’s solo exhibitions include Winston-Salem State University’s Diggs Gallery and The Urban Institute of Contemporary Art. His work is included in the Studio Visit Volume 31 (2015) and the Studio Museum in Harlem’s catalog, Speaking of People: Ebony, Jet and Contemporary Art (2014).

Feature Video Story

OPENING RECEPTION

#TellUsTigers

michael by his portrait

#TellUsTigers: “As an artist, my project as a Hodder Fellow at Princeton has been about people, learning about people who work hard at Princeton but are not often recognized. I met Michael Moore at the @princetonu_artmuseum where he works as a security guard, part of the Department of Public Safety. Michael is a really inspiring figure and looks at life with great appreciation. I learned that Michael is a survivor, he had to undergo heart surgery and sees every experience from then on as a blessing. These are things that I would never know if I went through my everyday with blinders on. Often most people walk through elite institutions of art, education and places of exclusivity with an expectation of only acknowledging security guards or people who work in facilities when they need something. I grew up understanding all those individuals as part of my family since one of my dad’s first jobs was a security guard at the Detroit Institute of Arts (@diadetroit). It is this approach that I wanted to bring to my time here as a Hodder Fellow, acknowledging the unacknowledged and analyzing art history with a magnifying glass. In this painting of Michael, I created a gallery in the art museum that doesn’t exist but contains some of my greatest inspirations in art history — I ‘replaced’ the real paintings on the walls with works by Henry Ossawa Tanner, Barkley Hendricks and Charles White. Michael gives the viewer access to a physical space that is very real but includes a level of admiration and mythology. Combining these great painters within a work of art that only Michael has allowed us to see is a gift and a dream. As a dream it allows me to also be in conversation with these amazing artists, as I included an old painting I did some years back. Wouldn’t it be something to see this dream become a reality? My work is often about insight and how to allow people into a world they may be unfamiliar with.” — Mario Moore (@mariomooreart), 📷 Hope vanCleaf (@creativefingerprint) #Princetagram @PrincetonArts “The Work of Several Lifetimes,” an exhibition, on view Sept. 19-Nov. 17, Hurley Gallery, Lewis Arts complex, opening celebration Sept. 19, 6-8 pm, reception 8-10 pm. View story on instagram

EXHIBITION NEWS COVERAGE

“Four new portraits serve as ‘visible expression of Princeton’ today” | Princeton.edu, Sept. 25, 2019

“‘A Fellow at Work’: Artist Mario Moore’s work presents black campus workers in new light” | Princeton.edu, Oct. 15, 2019

Video: “Princeton University portraits give campus workers the spotlight” | CBSnews.com, Dec. 30, 2019; CBS This Morning Twitter highlight

“Princeton University is hanging a series of portraits that honor its blue-collar campus workers” | WTKR.com, Jan. 1, 2020

Video: “Canteen workers honoured alongside US presidents” | BBC.com, Jan. 2, 2020

“Princeton University to Display Portraits of Campus Workers” | DiverseEducation.com, Jan. 2, 2020

“Princeton University Acquires Portrait Series Honoring Its Campus Workers” | Observer.com, Jan. 3, 2020

“Princeton University is hanging a series of portraits that honor its blue-collar campus workers” | CNN.com, Jan. 6, 2020

“Most Paintings on Princeton’s Campus Are of Dead White Men. But One Artist Is Adding Equally Grand Portraits of Its Cooks and Cleaners” | News.ArtNet.com, Jan. 8, 2020

“Princeton artist paints portraits of blue-collar African American workers” | NewJersey.news12.com, January 15, 2020

“Princeton artist-fellow Mario Moore celebrates African American workers” | TheArtNewspaper.com, Jan. 20, 2020

“Portraits on campus lacked diversity, so this artist painted the blue-collar workers who ‘really run things’” | Washington Post, Jan. 24, 2020

“When this artist honored Princeton’s blue-collar workers, the university took notice” and Good Morning America Feature | ABC News, Feb. 24, 2020

 

 

Map + Directions

The Hurley Gallery is located on the Mezzanine level directly below the plaza by the Arts Tower at the Lewis Arts complex, 122 Alexander Street, Princeton, NJ. View map of Lewis Arts complex

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Presented By

  • Program in Visual Arts

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