NEW AT ACP: This work by Ben Pranger is part of “Divergent Forms,” an exhibition also featuring artists Jennifer Martin and George Taylor, on view at the Arts Council of Princeton’s Taplin Gallery January 10 through February 7. An opening reception is on January 10 from 3 to 5 p.m.
The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) has announced a three-person exhibition, “Divergent Forms,” featuring the work of artists Jennifer Martin, George Taylor, and Ben Pranger. It will be on display January 10 through February 7 in the Taplin Gallery.
“Divergent Forms” highlights different approaches to material, structure, and identity. While the work diverges in method, it intersects in intention. Each artist demonstrates a deep sensitivity to how form can carry memory, presence, and traces of lived experience.
Martin’s ceramic vessels draw from the physicality of the human body and the histories it holds. Working within and beyond traditional pottery, Martin creates human-scale forms marked by asymmetry, touch, and accumulation. Lines, impressions, and exposed clay surfaces function like records of memory, transforming the vessel from an object of use into one of reflection and embodiment.
Taylor presents slab-built ceramic bottles and panels that act as supports for figurative imagery. His work has evolved from self-portraiture toward more universal representations of the body, often depicted from the back or side. Through line, color, and geometry, Taylor’s work addresses belonging, marginalization, and visibility, asserting the figure — and the artist’s presence — within the broader cultural landscape.
Pranger’s wall-based constructions are built incrementally from wooden elements, following simple structural rules. The resulting forms range from open, linear pathways to compact, architectural configurations. Through repetition, rhythm, and the addition of color and pattern, Pranger’s work exists between sculpture and painting, mapping recursive mental and spatial processes that invite viewers to move across and through the work visually.
Together, “Divergent Forms” highlights how vessel, figure, and constructed structures can expand the possibilities of form. The exhibition offers multiple points of entry into the artists’ investigations of material, identity, and spatial thinking.
The exhibition will open with a public reception on Saturday, January 10, from 3 to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
“DIVERGENT FORMS”: Art by George Taylor, whose work is shown here, Jennifer Martin, and Ben Pranger will be on view January 10 through February 7 in the Taplin Gallery at the Arts Council of Princeton.
Also on view at ACP:
“Art for Change” by Terrance Cummings will be on display January 10 through February 7 in the Siegal Gallery. In “Art for Change,” Cummings explores the power of art to provoke contemplation, foster conversation, and inspire social transformation. His work engages themes rooted in human emotion, societal structures, ingrained belief systems, and economic marginalization. While race and class are recurring subjects, Cummings centers his practice on shared humanity, creating work that challenges perceptions and encourages introspection. Through this exhibition, he invites viewers to consider art as a catalyst for connection, community, and cultural dialogue.
The following publications featuring Cummings’s work will be available for purchase at the Arts Council throughout the duration of the exhibition: We Shall Overcome: A Song That Changed the World by Stuart Stotts, with artwork by Terrance Cummings; In Search of Color Everywhere: A Collection of African-American Poetry by Ethelbert Miller, with artwork by Terrance Cummings; and Too Hot to Cool Down by Terrance Cummings. Cummings will be on site during the opening reception on Saturday, January 10, from 3 to 5 p.m., and will be available to sign copies of these publications.
“Hands Talk” by Debbie Gibbs will be on view in the Lower Level Gallery January 10 through February 7. “Hands Talk” is a mixed media exhibition that examines the expressive and symbolic power of hands. Using paper and acrylic on stretched canvas, Gibbs explores communication through gestures, sign language, and imagery that speaks to both connection and restriction. Racially diverse hands throughout the exhibition emphasize both the beauty and complexity of communication across difference. Created during a time of increasing limitations on rights and freedoms, “Hands Talk” aims to raise awareness, encourage multicultural engagement, and remind viewers of the grace, strength, and agency found in their own hands. A gallery opening will be held on Saturday, January 10, from 3 to 5 p.m.
The Arts Council of Princeton is at 102 Witherspoon Street. For more information, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777.