Pop Surrealism: From the James and Maureen Dorment Collection
2026-01-20 10:00 - 2026-03-27 17:00 (America/New_York) | DiMattio Gallery at Rechnitz Hall
Please note: The Gallery Reception has been rescheduled to March 12 from 7–9pm.
Pop Surrealism (or Lowbrow Art) is a contemporary art movement blending surrealism’s dreamlike, unconscious themes with pop art’s imagery from popular culture, cartoons, comics, and kitsch, characterized by high technical skill, satirical commentary, and roots in underground scenes like hot-rod culture and punk rock, often featuring fantastical characters and exploring social themes with dark humor and whimsy with magazines like Juxtapoz popularizing the style. The exhibition features key artists from this movement including Mark Ryden, Camille Rose Garcia, Ana Bagayan, Swoon, Neckface, Barnaby Whitfield, John John Jessie, Tim Biskup, Liz McGrath, Mark Ryden, Aaron Johnson, Camille Rose Garcia, R. Crumb, and many more.

Exhibition on Screen – Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman
2026-03-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Pollak Theatre
Mary Cassatt made a career painting the lives of the women around her. Her radical images showed them as intellectual, curious and engaging. This was a major shift in the way women appeared in art.
MARY CASSATT: PAINTING THE MODERN WOMAN follows the progression of Cassatt’s work, her meticulous study of the Old Masters and traditional techniques while also exposing her frustration at not finding a style that truly expressed her desire to be modern until she discovered the Impressionists.
This film tells a riveting tale of great social and cultural change at a time when women were fighting for their rights and the language of art was being completely re-written.
Mary Cassatt and her modern women were at the heart of it all.
Professor Kenneth Womack will offer pre-film commentary about Cassatt’s groundbreaking Modern Woman project. After the screening, he will lead a discussion about the film and Cassatt’s enduring artistry. He will also be on hand to sign copies of The Time Diaries, his novel about Cassatt’s relationship with fellow impressionist Edgar Degas.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase at cost for $20.

Taylor Jenkins Reed, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
2026-03-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual
Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack, each month we’ll explore a different novel. All you have to do is Zoom in and join the discussion! This week’s book is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reed.
Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as four other novels. Her next novel, Atmosphere, will be published in June 2025. She lives in Los Angeles.
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Artist Talk: Jake Yuzna
2026-03-11 16:30 - 17:30 | Pozycki Lecture Hall
Jake Yuzna (Filmmaker and Monmouth University Assistant Professor)
Artist Talk
March 11, 2026, 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Pozycki Hall, Lecture Hall 115

Join us as we welcome the Department of Communication’s newest faculty member to campus, Assistant Professor Jake Yuzna, who will share an artist talk and selects from their creative practice. Yuzna is a filmmaker, artist, and curator whose work often explores evolving identities, subculture, and genre. Their films have been presented at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, London Film Festival, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Walker Art Center, and the British Film Institute, among others. In addition, their work has been distributed by NetFlix, Hulu, PBS, and Arté Television, among others. Yuzna is the first American feature director to win the Teddy Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival and has received additional grants and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Capital Foundation, Frameline Foundation, McKnight Foundation, IFP MN, FilmNorth, as well as a Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award in Directing from the American Film Institute. Yuzna has also curated projects and exhibitions for the Walker Art Center, Performa: The NYC Biennial of Performance Art, the Moscow Biennial of Contemporary Art, the City of Los Angeles, and SCCA-Center for Contemporary Art–Ljubljana. Their scholarship has been collected by Yale and New York Universities and they have been a contributor to Artforum Magazine since 2020.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact ArtNOW’s chair, Prof. Dickie Cox.

The Fifth Step
2026-03-12 19:00 - 22:00 | Pollak Theatre
The Fifth Step
by David Ireland | directed by Finn den Hertog

Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk) is joined by Emmy and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, The Responder) in the critically acclaimed and subversively funny new play by David Ireland.

After years in the 12-step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous, James becomes a sponsor to newcomer Luka. The pair bond over black coffee, trade stories and build a fragile friendship out of their shared experiences. But as Luka approaches step five – the moment of confession – dangerous truths emerge, threatening the trust on which both of their recoveries depend.

Finn den Hertog directs the provocative and entertaining production filmed live from @sohoplace on London’s West End.
