John Ruddy: Celebrating a life well lived
John Ruddy: Celebrating a life well lived
Curated by Andrea Morin
Dates: April 03- April 30, 2022
Reception: Sunday, April 3, 1- 4pm
Location: ART150 Gallery, 150 Bay St, 2nd Floor, Jersey City, NJ, elevator entrance and wheelchair ramps at the corner of Provost and First Streets.
Gallery hours: Saturdays - Sundays 1 - 4 PM
________________
ProArts is honored to present the works of John Ruddy. Curated by Andrea Artemis Morin, this posthumous exhibit celebrates Ruddy’s rich and vibrant life through a selection of his works inspired by his world travels, beloved family, and extensive background in the arts. Characterized by bright colors, bold compositions, and glittering details, these works offer a glimpse into the mind of an artist who will be greatly missed by all those who knew him and the entire community.
Curators Statement:
On first impression, John Ruddy seemed to be an unassuming, soft-spoken man. His artwork, however, is anything but. Bold lines, bright colors, and striking compositions dominate his pieces. His work catches the eye from across a room and draws the viewer in to further explore the complexity and details layered within.
Those fortunate enough to have met Ruddy, discovered similar layers of complexity in the artist himself. Despite his quiet demeanor, Ruddy was a warm, open man, kind-hearted and quick to laugh, who loved to tell a good story. And he certainly had some. He was an avid traveler, who studied multiple languages to better understand the cultures he was experiencing. He had an intense curiosity about various aesthetics, mythologies, and spiritual practices. He brought all of those elements into his work, sharing his love of the world through his artistic expression.
While being a world traveler, Ruddy was also firmly grounded in his own roots. He followed in his father’s footsteps as a Jersey City Fire Department Battalion Chief where he proudly served the community he loved. He was deeply dedicated to his family, especially his beloved daughter and wife, who helped make this exhibition possible. His importance to the local arts here is undeniable. He created multiple murals, helped develop 660 Studios, worked with the Jersey City Art & Studio Tours, and showed at numerous galleries, including 58 Gallery, Grassroots, The Raven, Art House Productions, and many more. I had the absolute honor of featuring his work in the gallery at LITM on multiple occasions.
While the loss of John Ruddy at a far too young age has been devastating, the exhibit is not about mourning what could have been, but about celebrating what was. Celebrating a life well lived.
About the Curator:
Andrea Artemis Morin is a curator based in Jersey City, NJ. She graduated from Fordham University in 2001 with a BA in Visual Arts. She worked for several art galleries in NYC during her college years, including Shakespeare’s Fulcrum in SOHO and CBGB’s 313 Gallery in the East Village. From 2007 to 2020 Morin was the curator of LITM, an art focussed lounge in downtown Jersey City, featuring hundreds of emerging and established artists. She has also curated many exhibitions both independently and working with organizations such as The Jersey City Arts & Studio Tour and ProArts. In 2018 she received the inaugural Visual Arts Award from the Jersey City Arts Council for her curatorial work at LITM.