“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”

Anais Nin

Nancy Pantirer

SOPAC Unveils a New Art Exhibition at its Gallery

Currently Showcasing Visual Rhythms by Nancy Pantirer

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 • 2:45pm

The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) celebrates the unveiling of this season’s Herb and Milly Iris Gallery featuring a rotating series of visual art exhibits on display in SOPAC’s public spaces.

Community residents gathered on November 9th to christen the Gallery’s first exhibition of the season – Visual Rhythms, large scale acrylic paintings and giclée prints by Short Hills resident Nancy Bergman Pantirer. SOPAC’s Herb and Milly Iris Gallery is devoted to bringing contemporary art to the community by featuring local artists and providing them with a medium to reach new audiences.

“SOPAC is dedicated to embracing all genres of art,” says Michael Bollinger, SOPAC’s Executive and Artistic Director. “Our modern architecture and public accessibility make SOPAC an ideal place to showcase and incubate local visual artists.”

The Herb and Milly Iris Gallery is designed for movie goers, theater enthusiasts, art lovers, and all the citizens of South Orange alike to have an opportunity to further enrich their cultural lives. In addition to the exhibitions, the Gallery will host an “Art About Series” which includes artist talks, gallery tours, educational programs, etc. The artwork on display is for sale with a portion of the proceeds supporting SOPAC.

On view from November 9th to March 31st is the Gallery’s premiere collection of the season, Visual Rhythms, by experimental painter Nancy Bergman Pantirer. Born out of a love of color, the collection includes grand, acrylic paintings on canvas coupled by smaller giclée prints. “My champions are the abstract expressionists, the color field painters, particularly Dan Christensen,” explains Pantirer. “It’s also an extension of me and has become much more about surface and illusion, elements of painting.”

Pantirer resides in Short Hills and has a studio in Tribeca. She studied at Hartford University School of Art, Montclair State College, Tufts University Museum School, and Pratt University. SOPAC’s Herb & Milly Iris Gallery is the impetus of SOPAC Board Member Milly Iris, a South Orange resident and arts advocate. Mrs. Iris has an extensive art collection, is an art teacher, and is the former owner/director of South Orange’s Whichcraft Gallery. Along with her late husband, Herb, Milly has been a longtime supporter of SOPAC.

© 2011