Stand Up Men

Works of Will Kasso Condry, Habiyb Shu’Aib

and Autin Dean Wright

 

on display

February 2 – March 3, 2019

 

Panel Discussion – Sunday, February 17 – 1 to 3 pm
“Where do you Stand? How being Black and an Artist confines or defines Artistic Expression in Trenton and Beyond”

Panelists: Will “Kasso” Condry, Habiyb Shu’Aib and Autin Dean Wright

Moderator: Edwin J. Torres,  Deputy Digital Director for New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy

For More Information

 

Stand Up Men is a celebration of Trenton’s African-American male artists and their use of canvas, photography, and sculpture to convey the pathos of what it means to exist as a man within the realm of Trenton’s Black culture and beyond. We invite you to explore the world within Trenton which is largely ignored or subsumed by perceptions of rampant violence and urban decay. “Stand Up Men” inhabits the world of the quiet, deliberate Trenton arts movement forged in love, life, and courage.

 

KASSO

Trenton native Will “Kasso” Condry, whose murals still grace much of Trenton’s cityscape, conveys both chaos and beauty in his work. His work has graced spaces throughout the United States and echo his strong commitment to both urban renewal and the challenges of being a local artist . His muralist approach to his work produces bold, moving images which focus on themes of history, community and humanity. He is one of the founders of the S.A.G.E Coalition, a nonprofit diverse group of visual artists, engineers, fabricators, musicians and teachers dedicated to the rebirth of Trenton. Considered the godfather of the Trenton art scene, Kasso continues to promote and produce graffiti-inspired art throughout the Northeast and the West Coast. Kasso currently serves as the Alexander Twilight Artist-in-Residence at Middlebury College. This will mark the first time Kasso has exhibited his work at the Trenton City Museum as a professional artist. He exhibited as a Trenton Central High School student in the museum’s annual high school exhibition more than 20 years ago.

 

HABIYB

Born and raised in Trenton, Habiyb Shu’Aib uses the camera to give visual context to Trenton’s past and future from his portrait of a father and daughter to the empty decay of an abandoned school. Shu’Aib’s work has been featured regularly at Trenton’s Art All Night and Art All Day, Trenton 365 Show (WIMG 1300), Soul of The Message with SAGE Coalition at Casa Cultura Gallery, Trenton Makes at Capital Health Medical Center, I See Storytellers Exhibit at Hopewell Valley Vineyards, and the Anthracite Fields Art Exhibition at Roebling Wire Works.

 

 

AUTIN DEAN WRIGHT

Autin Dean Wright, who was born in Jamaica, has made his home in Trenton for more than 20 years. Autin is a sculptor whose work is both organic and experimental and evokes a vision of strength and wisdom. Since 1993 he has been a staff member at the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture where he is currently the technical supervisor for Paint and Patina.   His work was included in the National Fine Arts Exhibition in Jamaica and he was the recipient of the Simon Bolivar Sculpture Competition Award hosted by the Venezuela Embassy in Jamaica. Autin has 6 sculptures installed at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, N.J. His sculpture, “Camille” is at Penn Medicine’s Princeton Health Care System in Plainsboro, NJ. Autin returns to the Trenton City Museum to exhibit his work after more than a 20 year absence.