In this retrospective, the Montclair-raised artist gives the viewer a look at an artistic language that continues to evolve and shed layers to reveal its essence.
MONTCLAIR, New Jersey — A famous line from Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel Things Fall Apart is, “If you don’t like my story, write your own.” That sentiment is particularly poignant for artist Nanette Carter, who used the book’s title for one of her earliest works, which she created while attending graduate school at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. The piece is currently on display in her retrospective at the Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey. Walking through the layered exhibition, you can see how she internalized those words.
Carter’s history with Montclair is deep. Her father was the town’s first Black city councilor, and later mayor, in the 1960s, and in the 1980s he would become the Montclair Museum’s first Black board member. Montclair, for those not familiar with the New York City area, is known as a very liberal, multicultural, and sophisticated hub that has given rise to high-quality arts and educational institutions in addition to a lively culinary culture and architecturally significant houses. It was also home to many artists in the 19th century, including George Inness, a lineage that Carter and others continue by maintaining local connections, even if she crossed the Hudson River decades ago to settle in Manhattan.
It’s rare nowadays to find an art museum that nurtures local artists, particularly those who grew up nearby; most institutions tend to recycle the same darlings of auctions and galleries. Thankfully, the Montclair Art Museum is an exception, and they are even working with a curator who has extensively curated local talents.
— Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic
May 5, 2025
