Artist Spotlight: Moss Freedman, Art In Motion
In continuing the Maplewood Division of Arts & Culture mission of ensuring inclusive and accessible art for all, this week’s featured artist is Moss Freedman with Art In Motion and the Maplewood Arts Council. Residents can safely enjoy public art while outdoors, maintaining physical distance.
Ants at a Picnic, Acylic Paint on Board, Art In Motion Project
Location: Maplewood Train Station Tunnel Underpass
“This work (‘Ants at a Picnic’) is a surrealist nod to Maplewood’s 1930s beginnings, when it was known as a country hamlet, and escape from the hustle and bustle of New York City.”
”As contemporary Maplewoodians walk by the piece, they’re reminded that weekend fun and relaxation is a funky picnic basket away.”
—Moss Freedman
Trout 2020, acrylic on hardboard, 16x20
“My current artwork is a departure from the surreal illustrative style of ‘Ants at a Picnic.’ While still entrenched in story, my recent paintings explore the theme of memory and the sensory experiences conveyed during a memory. They are fictitious still lifes that depict obscure photorealistic vintage objects representing past sights, sounds, music, patterns, textures, and even smells from my life.” — Moss Freedman
Moss Freedman was born in Chicago, IL. He studied Fine Art at Kenyon College and went on to earn an M.F.A. in Sculpture from Washington University in St. Louis. For nearly two decades, Moss lived and worked in New York City as an Animation Designer for a Disney-affiliated studio and as an Art Director for major advertising companies. Moss is currently an adjunct Fine Arts professor at Seton Hall University, South Orange NJ.
Moss shares his experience on working with Art In Motion and the Maplewood Arts Council: “It has been fantastic to work alongside the Maplewood Arts Council and a joy to share my painting with so many neighbors. Also, for any concerned citizens out there, the small scratch on my ants mural will be touched up as soon as the Covid pandemic is over and it’s safe to spend time in tight spaces.”
RCA 2020
acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20
Isolation = provocation 2020
acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30
Eat your words 2020
acrylic on hardboard, 20x16
A Righteous Mixtape 2020
acrylic on canvas, 20x30
Concept for an album cover 2020, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24
Moss Freedman at work on ‘Ants at a Picnic’ for the Art In Motion Project
Moss Freedman
Photo by Steve Rosenthal
@moss.deluxe
Art In Motion, presented by the Maplewood Arts Council (MAC), is a collection of eight paintings that hang on the tunnel walls of the Maplewood Train Station underpass. MAC received 100 applications solicited from artists living along the Morris and Essex train line. 100% of donations for Art In Motion went to paying the artists for their work, and for the installation and maintenance of the paintings. Major sponsors for Art In Motion: The Able Baker, [words] Bookstore, Pollock Properties Group, and Michael Choy & Shannon Moffet. Big thanks to NJ Transit, and Maplewood’s Department of Public Works.