Until March 15th, the public is invited to admire, and potentially purchase, four floors of African-American art in Morristown. In its 22nd year, Art in the Atrium’s theme this time is “Your Crown Has Been Bought and Paid For,” a nod towards the struggle of those who came before us.

The exhibit is located in the Morris County Administration & Records building at 10 Court St. More information can be found at Art in the Atrium’s website here.

On Friday, I attended the opening ceremony. First Ward Councilman Bill Reid, a talented craftsman, was on hand. He has several works of art in the exhibition, as does Plainfield artist Alonzo Adams.

The featured artist, James Denmark of South Carolina, delivered the keynote speech, telling the story of his developing his talents which started when he was only a toddler. The fifth floor of the exhibition is filled with his wonderful work. In all, there are over twenty five artists and 165 pieces in a variety of different mediums.

As this is an art show, I figure that I can show you better than I can tell you. Unfortunately, much of the art, including all of Mr. Denmark’s work, is framed and covered in glass. This creates glare issues in photographing it, so I opted not to. You’ll have to go to Morristown and see the many more pieces for yourself.

The impressive atrium is four stories high, extending from the second floor to the fifth

“Ali (Trust the Code)” by Andre Woolery

“Wade” by Stephen B. Ellis

Leroy Campbell’s “Minds that Matter”

Councilman Bill Reid stands by one of his handcrafted clocks

City officials like art, too. City Administrator Rick Smiley

“Alert” by Yasmin DeJesus. It’s worth noting that as of Friday evening, this piece could be had for $250

Andre Woolery’s “Grace Jones (Natural Glow)” is made of a painted canvas and thumb tacks. Hard to photograph but very impressive in person.

Councilman Reid’s signature on his recently crafted desk

This show made me a big Andre Woolery fan. Here he portrays one of my favorite singers in “Erykah Badu (The Gaze)”

This peculiar love-it-or-hate-it piece of art was a big hit. It’s called “Life Every Voice and Swing” by Jerry Grant and you can find it, along with its accompanying music, on the floor of the atrium’s bottom level.