Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING GLADYS BARKER GRAUER
______
HON. DONALD M. PAYNE, JR.
of new jersey
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of
Representatives to join me as I rise to pay tribute to Gladys Barker
Grauer, the ``Mother of Newark Arts,'' after her passing on September
5, 2019.
Gladys Barker Grauer was a renowned artist, gallery owner, and arts
educator for more than 70 years. She was born Gladys Frances Barker in
Cincinnati, Ohio on August 15, 1923, to Maudie and Charles Barker. When
her family moved to Chicago, Illinois, she discovered her love of art
at Englewood High School and later studied at the Art Institute of
Chicago. In 1946, she met and married Solomon Grauer. Five years later,
they moved to Newark's South Ward, a place where she would live her
entire life.
Mrs. Grauer established herself as a true force in Newark's art scene
in 1971 when she opened the city's first African-American-owned art
gallery, the Aard Studio Gallery on Bergen Street. Her art focused on
Newark's marginalized populations with themes that included poverty,
homelessness, and urban conflict. Her art has been exhibited locally,
nationally and internationally in locations as varied as the Victoria
and Albert Museum in London; the National Museum of American Art in
Washington, D.C.; The Newark Museum and the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art
Museum at Rutgers-New Brunswick. Her most recent show, called
``Speaking Her Mind: Then and Now,'' was showcased at Gallery Aferro in
Newark just last year. In addition, she has painted five murals around
the city for current residents and visitors to enjoy.
More than an artist, she was a dedicated teacher of art. The Aard
Studio Galley was a place where young artists, particularly young
artists of color, could learn and showcase their artistic talents. They
knew that the Aard Studio provided them a rare and critical place for
mutual support and professional networking as well as a location for
exhibitions and sales of their work. Also, she taught commercial art
for the Essex County Vocational Schools from 1974 to 1989.
She was a founding member of Black Woman in Visual Perspective, New
Jersey Chapter of the National Conference of Artists, and the Newark
Arts Council. She even received the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award
from the Women's Caucus for the Arts for her contributions to the local
art scene and support for local artists.
Madam Speaker, I know my fellow members of the U.S. House of
Representatives agree that Gladys Barker Grauer deserves to be
recognized at the time of her passing for her tremendous contributions
to the international artistic community and her dedication to the
education and betterment of Newark's artists of color.
____________________
