Trenton, NJ - The New Jersey State Museum is pleased to present a new exhibition in the New Jersey Artists Series, “Caroline Burton: Way Finding.” The exhibition opens September 23 in the Riverside Gallery on the Museum’s second floor and will be on view through March 31, 2024.

In her process-driven canvases, Jersey City-based artist Caroline Burton draws on architectural and agricultural forms, nature, and elements of chance for inspiration. Her often experimental painting practice includes the rejoining of torn canvas with thread, as well as the use of discarded afghan blankets and scarfs as matrices for printing directly on canvas. According to Sarah Vogelman, Assistant Curator of Fine Art at the State Museum, “The unique and enigmatic patterns left behind by these handwoven knits capture the gestural traces of the original maker, whom Burton considers a silent collaborator. Each work is a delightful and unanticipated chance encounter between canvas, paint, and textile, between Burton and an unknown artistic partner.”

“Wayfinding” is a term used for informational systems, like maps or signage, that help people navigate through the physical environment of public spaces like this museum. It has also been used to describe the ways in which humans and animals orient themselves and find their way from place to place in nature. Caroline Burton learned of this term only after completing many of the works in this exhibition, but found it useful when describing the process of both creating and reflecting upon her oeuvre. Separated into two words, way finding conveys an active approach to navigation that more accurately describes Burton’s practice.

This exhibition features some of Burton’s most recent work, from 2020 to the present, including a series based on the mid-century architecture of the State Museum building. An exhibition catalog will be available for purchase in the Museum Shop.

The New Jersey Artists Series highlights artists living and working in the state, and since 1984 has established New Jersey State Museum’s crucial involvement with the world of contemporary art in New Jersey and beyond.

The New Jersey State Museum is open Tuesday - Sunday, 9:00 am to 4:45 pm; closed on all State holidays. General admission is free. For additional information visit www.statemuseum.nj.gov, like the Museum’s Facebook page (@NJStateMuseum), and follow us on Twitter (njstatemuseum), Instagram (nj_statemuseum) and YouTube (@newjerseystatemuseum1895).

About the New Jersey State Museum

Located at 205 West State Street in Trenton, the New Jersey State Museum, a division of the New Jersey Department of State, encompasses three buildings including a state-of-the-art Planetarium and holds over 2 million artifacts in its collections in Archaeology/Ethnography, Cultural History, Fine Art and Natural History. The New Jersey State Museum is a center for the exploration of science, history and the arts. We preserve and share stories that inspire curiosity and creativity for the enrichment of our communities.

About the New Jersey State Museum Foundation

The New Jersey State Museum Foundation was founded in 1968 as a non-government, non-profit 501(c)(3) to support the Museum's collections, exhibitions and programs through fundraising, volunteerism, and advocacy. In recent years, the Foundation has received generous support from the PNC Foundation, NJM Insurance Group, Department of State/New Jersey Historical Commission, New Jersey Council for the Humanities, The Henry Luce Foundation, The Capstone Foundation and Princeton Area Community Foundation. The Foundation also operates the Museum membership program, as well as the Museum Shop which sells merchandise related to the Museum's exhibitions and collections, and New Jersey history and culture. Proceeds support the New Jersey State Museum's collections, exhibitions and programs.