MAPLEWOOD, NJ — A series of shadow box art constructions featuring all 44 U.S. presidents, by artist Robert Freese, will be on display at the Ethical Culture Society through mid-December. An opening reception will be held Saturday, Oct. 15, from 7 to 9 p.m. All are welcome.
A graduate of Pratt Institute with a degree in graphics and illustration, Freese was art director and designer at several New York publishing houses for nearly four decades.
The Presidential Shadow Boxes have been a labor of love, 28 years in the making — so far. Most have never been exhibited in the New York area before. They were born of Freese’s fascination with the country’s 44 chief executives — their personalities and the impact they had on their times. Some of these portraits are straight-on direct: Van Buren, known as the “Red Fox of Kinderhook,” is presented with a fox. The meaning of others are more subtle. Humor plays its part such as Taft stuck in a White House bathtub. Many of the collage elements are actually contemporary with their subjects. The oldest of these are the Tyler silhouette from 1844 and the Pierce engraving from 1852.
The Ethical Culture Society of Essex County is located at 516 Prospect St. in Maplewood. For more information on visiting the show, call 973-275-1633 or visit www.essexethical.org.