Last night my mom and I attended an opening art gallery reception at The College of New Jersey. My mom has been an art department faculty member at TCNJ, formerly Trenton State College, for many years. I remember playing with Barbie dolls in her office on my days off from elementary school. Now, I appreciate spending time with her at more “grown-up” functions. The opening reception was to celebrate the gallery’s current exhibit, Raymond Pettibon: Early Drawings. The exhibit features more than 40 never-before-exhibited works from the artist. The drawings were primarily done in ink, with some watercolor. Pettibon tackles a variety of themes in his work, each relating to American culture: aggression, youth, politics, sports, transportation, love, celebrity, punk rock and religion. Most of the pieces include text, borrowed from literature or written by Pettibon, to reflect these themes. My mom and I laughed out loud at several pieces and were moved by others, signs of a good show. Open to the public, the show runs through Feb. 29. If you are in the Ewing area, I highly recommend visiting the show.

After perusing the drawings and a short video by Pettibon, my mom and I stayed for the awards portion of the reception. Three art students were given awards for their outstanding work. Faculty voted on these works and purchased one to keep in the department’s permanent collection.

I always feel inspired after attending gallery shows, museums and performances. While my mother is the most artistically inclined member of my family, I, at the very least, feel inspired to seek out future art shows.

— Katie Skrzek, advertising and editorial coordinator, eFlyer USA editor