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Thursday, September 21, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: P. Smallwood Art Gallery & Studio | 435 Cypress Court, New Milford, NJ
How Much: Complimentary
Questions: Contact the School of Arts | [email protected]
Event Details : As Fairleigh Dickinson University’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence, Philip Smallwood, along with the FDU community, is pleased to announce the launch of the Fredrick Smallwood Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Join us for a truly special experience of art appreciation, philanthropy, and camaraderie as we work to ensure that future generations have access to quality art education, and to foster an environment that encourages diverse artistic expression.
This will be a chance to see a variety of original works in Mr. Smallwood’s repertoire including a rare behind-the-scenes look into his award-winning process, known as “Lifescapes.”
Please join us for this intimate and private studio event to meet and connect with other distinguished alumni in support of this valuable cause as we raise $50,000 to benefit a fellow FDU student. In pursuit of this goal, there will be a curated group of available artworks on display, of which 50% of the proceeds from sold work will be donated to the Fredrick Smallwood Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund. Click here for preview of available works.
About Philip Smallwood
Art was not part of Philip Smallwood’s plan, but he is not here by mistake. He and his career are a product of an undying passion to create beauty with his hands and to deeply impact his community and those around him. Smallwood has been blending imagination, reality, and social consciousness for more than 20 years, with a steadily increasing level of recognition for his work. Known primarily for his enduring series called Lifescapes, Smallwood is a visual storyteller whose narratives embrace “real people living real, honest, imperfect, and totally unrehearsed lives,” that merge color with shadow, focus with juxtaposition, and gravity with irony.
Smallwood is the recipient of numerous juried awards and honors, including exhibition at the Butler Institute of American Art, the first black artist to be granted a solo exhibit in the 100+ years of the existence of the prestigious museum.
THE INFLUENCE OF FREDRICK SMALLWOOD, JR.
Whether he knew it or not, Freddy, a decade older than his brother, gave Philip his artistic sensibility. This is evident as Philip’s art explores the same kind of light, hope, and passion that filled Freddy’s world. After finding a way out of his own inner darkness of addiction, Freddy co-founded one of the most innovative drug rehabilitation centers in the northeast. He was also an avid student of Eastern religion, philosophy, martial arts and universal truths. He soaked up the world in his own way before being taken away by a tragic accident at the age of fifty-one.
“I didn’t know him long, but I knew him intimately,” Philip says. “He was my muse, his presence will never fade because he is permanently on my palette.”
For more information visit www.psmallwood.com.
