WEST ORANGE, NJ — Most family members have a lot in common — a striking resemblance, similar mannerisms, a distinctive laugh — but Jan and Jann Carden’s familial connection goes much deeper. Indeed, the West Orange husband and wife both come from long lines of talented artists who left behind a rich history of paintings, drawings and other creative works dating back to the early 1900s.
It is an unusual legacy for sure, made even more unique by the fact that the Cardens have actually saved the diverse range of art that their loved ones produced during the past several generations. Now, for the first time, they are displaying their collection publicly in the new exhibit “The Cardens: One Hundred Years of a Family’s Art” at the West Orange Arts Council gallery through Aug. 27. And the couple hopes residents will check out the show, even if it is only to experience the rare feat of a century’s worth of art from one combined lineage.
“The older I get, the more I’m in awe of the fact that this is something that’s so incredibly special,” Mrs. Jann Carden, who has created art for major department stores, the U.S. Navy and “Sesame Street,” told the West Orange Chronicle in a July 21 phone interview. “It’s out of the ordinary. You don’t often have whole families for generations doing the same thing and something that’s beautiful and something that’s creative.”
The exhibit consists of approximately 60 pieces spanning the landscapes of Mr. Jan Carden’s great aunt Virginia Harr to the children’s book covers designed by Margery Brown, Mrs. Carden’s mother, to the couple’s own works. Yet the gallery show represents only half the Cardens’ complete collection, which typically hangs on the walls of their house. In fact, the Carden home is so bursting with art that they did not even realize they had some of the pieces now hanging in the WOAC center. While moving an easel in her studio, Mrs. Carden, for instance, stumbled across a portfolio of art by her husband’s mother, brother and grandfather.
“People sometimes say that our house is like a museum,” she joked before adding that her rooms now appear bare without the art that until recently adorned them. “I looked around this morning and said to Jan, ‘It looks like we’re moving.’ And I thought ‘OK, well I’ll get out some of those 60 to 80 other pieces and put them up until the show comes down.’”
This fascination with art — one that has been handed down through the generations — certainly may seem atypical to most. But to Mr. Carden, being surrounded by creative works was never an unusual experience. On the contrary, he said growing up around such artistry always felt “natural” to him, inspiring him to pursue his own creativity as a painter, singer, actor and art teacher at Newark’s prestigious Arts High School. And that pursuit led him to meet his wife, whom he first encountered as a student at the Philadelphia College of Art; they were married a few years later in 1963.
From there the Cardens had children of their own, and just as their own relatives did for them, they made sure to immerse their children in the arts. More than that, they supported them in their creative endeavors. Mrs. Carden said this was a hallmark of their family dynamic: a shared interest in the art world brought drew them together. At the very least, she said, there was always something to talk about.
And for the Cardens’ daughter, Stephanie Battle, that support meant the world. Speaking with the Chronicle at the exhibit opening July 23, Battle said her parents fostered her interest in dance from the time she was 6 years old, even if meant making sacrifices to cover costs. When she was diagnosed with scoliosis, she said they still encouraged her to pursue her dreams. So she did, eventually joining the cast of “The Lion King” on Broadway and touring Europe as a dancer and singer.
Battle said she will always be grateful for her parents’ support, especially considering that many people do not have the same “open-mindedness” in their own families.
“I remember, growing up, one of my friends saying, ‘I really want to be a writer, but my parents are sending me to law school,’” Battle said. “You get so many people saying ‘I wish I had’ or ‘I never had a chance to do that.’ And one of the greatest things (my parents did for me) is that I never have to say that.”
Battle’s brother, Christopher Carden, who recently wrote and directed the award-winning short film “Redemption,” agreed that the support he received from his mother and father instilled a “fearlessness” in him to try anything that interested him. In addition, coming from a legacy of artists on both sides of his family gave him insight into his own creativity, he said.
“It explains a lot about your own artistic desires — why you feel like you have to create,” Christopher Carden told the Chronicle at the opening. “It’s literally embedded in our DNA. I come from a long line of artists, and it’s comforting to be in the presence of so many spirits who’ve gone before you.”
Christopher Carden added that he is happy the West Orange community now has the opportunity to see the family art that has always been a presence in his life. But township residents were not the only ones in attendance at the exhibit’s opening last week. Bonnie Bacich, a fellow artist who has known the Cardens for more than 20 years, traveled all the way from Philadelphia to experience the show. And although she has seen most of the works before, she said she is glad to see such beautiful art and such wonderful people as Jan and Jann Carden receiving the recognition they deserve.
Ken Mandel, another longtime family friend and fellow WOAC member, said he was “blown away” by the works in the exhibit. Mandel said the sheer talent on display took his breath away, and the fact that one family could produce such a wide range of art is impressive. The show is truly a “gift” to West Orange, he said.
Most interesting to Mandel, however, was having the chance to learn more about the Cardens’ origins. Though he has known the Cardens for a few decades, the WOAC member said he had never realized how little he knew about their family history until seeing their relatives’ art so lovingly displayed. And he hopes more residents will see the significance of the works.
“Through the artwork you can see family history right in front of your eyes,” Mandel told the Chronicle before admiring a 1909 drawing by Mr. Carden’s grandfather, Samuel Eldred Johnson. “You can learn so much about what the world was like when they grew up and what made (the Cardens) the kind of people they are. It’s a very unique exhibition.”
The WOAC board members are certainly pleased the Cardens were willing to share their collection for a council show, according to Chairwoman Carol Lemon. Lemon told the Chronicle that the exhibit is not anything you would typically find at a gallery, which speaks to the quality of programming at the WOAC center. It also echoes the council’s mission of promoting art across all generations, she said.
“This is the past and the present,” Lemon said. “And we hope (this reflects) the future of the arts in our community.”
Photos by Sean Quinn
Exhibit shows that art is a family affair for W.O.’s Cardens added by Sean Quinn on
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