Independent Arts News Reporting Neiman Marcus Presents Selected Work by Artist Jan Huling in Collaboration with Morris Museum
Reported on Monday, March 18, 2024.
Pictured Above: Jan Huling, The Gown: Affinity; 2015; Fiberglass substrate, Czech glass beads, mixed media. Photo courtesy the artist.
Newsroom Post: SHORT HILLS, NEW JERSEY
Short Hills, NJ – For the first time, Neiman Marcus in collaboration with the Morris Museum presents a selection of works by artist Jan Huling. The centerpiece, The Gown: Affinity on display from March 4 to April 8 joins other work by the artist in the Neiman Marcus Short Hills private gallery space and is open to the public, located on the third floor. These installations coincide with the exhibition Jan Huling: Everything is Alive at the Morris Museum which runs through the end of May.
Taking over a year to create, The Gown: Affinity is a 3D-printed wedding dress is completely covered in vintage Czech glass seed beads, Swarovski crystals, tokens, photographs, chains, and vintage cabochons. The gown is not only a tribute to Huling’s mother (the original dress was worn by Huling’s mother, her two aunts, and the artist), but also a meditation on marriage, family, life, and death.
Pictured Above: Artist Jan Holing during an exhibition talk with Morris Museum curator, Michelle Graves. Photo Credit: Contributed.
The Morris Museum exhibition, Jan Huling: Everything is Alive is on view through Sunday, May 26. As part of the artist’s Everything is Alive series, the artist merges inanimate objects with animal forms—as if to imbue life into ordinary objects. The exhibition extends into other galleries of the Museum with Huling sculptures placed provocatively amid other installations.
With a background in commercial design, Jan Huling cultivated a remarkable artistic practice of transforming everyday objects into wonderfully whimsical works of art with beadwork that heightens our experience of shape, color, and form. Her visual storytelling transports us to a fantastic world where fairy tales, myths, and mystery collide. Under her steady hand, ready-made forms are transformed into gem-like masterpieces, with every available surface covered in elaborate patterns of beadwork and cherished found objects. Huling makes each piece organically, never planning out the pattern or layout, each added bead building the surface of the form until the piece has been reborn.
The Morris Museum exhibition is organized by curator Michelle Graves.
Leadership support for of the Morris Museum exhibition is provided by Michele and Martin Cohen and The Dawson Family.
About Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus is a Dallas-based luxury retailer, providing customers access to exclusive and emerging brands, anticipatory service, and unique experiences since 1907. Each day, Neiman Marcus connects with customers worldwide while delighting them with exceptional experiences across a 36-store presence in the U.S., one of the largest U.S. e-commerce luxury platforms, and industry-leading remote selling and personalization technology. From delectable dining and indulgent beauty services to bespoke experiences and exclusive products, there is something for everyone. To keep up with the latest news and events at Neiman Marcus, visit neimanmarcus.com.
About the Morris Museum
The Morris Museum—founded in 1913 and located on 8.5 sylvan acres in Morris Township, New Jersey since the mid-1960s—draws visitors from across the region to its dynamic and acclaimed art exhibitions program and performing arts events. Its 45,000+ object collection of art and material culture from around the world join the art of our time in displays throughout the Museum’s purpose-built spaces and within the historic Twin Oaks mansion, designed by McKim, Mead & White. Learn more at MorrisMusuem.org
