MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Studio Montclair. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Studio Montclair (SMI) is honored to present “Strength and Resilience,” an exhibit celebrating Black History Month and Women’s History Month. The show will run from Jan. 31 through Feb. 28 at SMI’s Leach Gallery, 641 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Jan. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Strength and resilience are powerful concepts that are similar but not the same. Strength signifies endurance and toughness, the ability to resist force, while resilience embodies adaptability and flexibility, the ability to recover and move forward in the face of adversity. These qualities can distinguish both the character of individuals and groups and physical materials. The curator of “Strength and Resilience” challenged artists to create artworks that reflect either or both essential themes in terms of the conceptual thinking behind the work and/or use of art mediums/materials. The resulting pieces in the exhibition—innovative, thought-provoking, and masterful—convey, through varied subjects and mediums, the spirit and power of resilience and strength.

About the Curator:

Onnie Strother is a visual artist, lecturer, and curator, born and raised in Newark NJ. He is a former art and art history teacher with degrees in fine arts, art education and administration and supervision. He works in a variety of mediums with subjects derived from the media, popular music, political and social issues. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. His artwork can be seen in public and private collections and online.