Gladys Grauer Expresses Political and Social Issues Through Art!

Gladys Barker Grauer (born in Cincinnati, Ohio in1923), is an artist, teacher, and activist. Prior to completing high school she and her family moved to the Chicago. After completing high school Gladys attended the Art Institute of Chicago. She then moved to New York and worked as a freelance artist, became involved in civil rights and political movements, and met and married Solomon Grauer. They moved to Newark, New Jersey’s Clinton Hill section in 1951. While raising a family Gladys and Solomon continued their community involvement. They were among the founding members of the Clinton Hill Neighborhood Council. In 1972 Gladys Grauer opened the Aard Studio Gallery on Bergen Street in Newark. Gladys Grauer’s entire accomplishments, and contributions to the Newark community are too extensive to list here. She helped launch the careers and critical evaluation of numerous black and brown artists. Her gallery addressed the needs of artists of color by providing a forum for mutual support, professional networking, exhibition and selling of their art. Gladys Grauer was one of the founding members of Black Woman In Visual Perspective, an organization of African-American women artists. She served on the Boards of Theater of Universal Images; City Without Walls; and the Newark Arts Council, and mentored young art students through Art Reach. Gladys’ artwork has been exhibited locally, nationally and internationally: from the Newark Museum to Dakar, Senegal. Her works are included in the permanent collections of the Newark, Montclair and Morris and New Jersey State Museums. She has completed three murals in Newark. Gladys continues to inspire the next generation of artists, and to creatively express through visual discord, her social, political and personal views. On Thursday March 17, 2010 at 6:00 PM, we are honored to have the remarkable Gladys Barker Grauer as our guest.