MORRISTOWN, N.J. (Morris County) — More than 40 African American, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latino artists are featured in Art in the Atrium’s 34th annual exhibit, which opened this week at the Morris County Administration and Records Building in Morristown.
The exhibit, titled “From Many to One: A New Tribe,” includes nearly 180 works of art displayed across four floors of the county building at 10 Court St. The exhibit is open to the public weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with extended hours Wednesdays until 7:30 p.m., through Sept. 18.
Artists from as far as Atlanta attended the opening reception June 11, which served as a Morris County Juneteenth Arts Celebration event. The exhibit is presented in partnership with Art in the Atrium, the Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morris Arts and the Morris Museum.
“Morris County is proud to host this exhibit each year right here in the Administration and Records Building, and we are equally proud to recognize Juneteenth as a county holiday, marking the end of slavery and the promise of freedom for all Americans,” said Morris County Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw, who delivered remarks at the June 11 reception on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners. “Thank you to the artists, organizers and everyone who made this exhibit possible — and thank you all for supporting the arts, preserving history and celebrating the stories that bring us together.”
This year’s exhibit was curated by Onnie Strother and Nette Thomas. Featured artists include M. Gasby Brown, Philemona Williamson, Beverly McCutcheon and Lola Flash, whose works explore identity, heritage, community and the Black experience.
Visitors are welcomed on the fifth floor by Brown’s “Black Beauty” series, a collection of mixed-media portraits celebrating Black women. Nearby, Williamson’s “Equality of Balance” is displayed at the entrance to the adjoining atrium gallery.
Art in the Atrium was founded in 1991 by Charles and Viki Craig. Viki Craig, who died in 2018, is memorialized with a plaque in the fifth-floor atrium. Today, their daughter, Simone Craig, leads the organization, continuing its mission to elevate Black artists and enrich New Jersey’s cultural landscape.
The Atrium Gallery traces its origins to 1977, when the Morris County Heritage Commission began hosting small exhibitions in what is now the Morris County Courthouse Annex. The gallery has since expanded to four floors of the Administration and Records Building and hosts several exhibitions each year.
Morris Arts assumed oversight of the Atrium Gallery in 2008, helping transform the space into one of the county’s most accessible public art venues.
The Juneteenth Arts Celebration continues June 18 at the Morris Museum with a curator-led tour and panel discussion moderated by Donna Walker-Kuhne. Panelists include artists Ron E.A. Powell and O’Neil Scott, gallery owner Tanya Weddemire and Cheryl Mack of Bridge Art Gallery.
Juneteenth, observed annually on June 19, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States.
Founded in 1991, Art in the Atrium is New Jersey’s largest exhibitor of African American fine art. The nonprofit supports Black artists through exhibitions, educational programming, professional development, youth outreach and scholarships.
More information is available at artintheatrium.org.
