Press Release: “Art Sale Raises Over $3,000 for Montclair’s Freed Slave House”

An art sale has raised $3,000 to preserve the future of Montclair’s James Howe House, the town’s first property owned by a former enslaved person.

The art sale on March 9th, entitled ‘Freedom is a Journey’, consisted of 35 paintings, photographs, drawings, installations and even a quilt. The work was donated by various artists and sold during an evening hosted by The Gallery at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices NJ Properties at 695 Bloomfield Avenue. Photographs from the event can be accessed here.

Work not sold on the evening remains on display at the venue until Friday after which it can be purchased by contacting the Friends of Howe House on: friendsofthehowehouse@gmail.com

The next event on the Friends of the Howe House calendar will be a Community Conversation on March 18th at 1:00 pm at the Montclair Fire House on 1 Pine Street. Participants can learn more about the work to date and help plan the future. Click here for more information.

The art sale included a portrait of what James Howe might have looked like by Mark Mangogna and a sculpture of a bust covered with nails and tacks by Richard Gaines, entitled Headgear. Artist Curtis Grayson was on hand to unveil two pieces of his work, Homeboy Swag and Golden Girl. Works involving photographic prints included Red Balloon and Excellence by Caleb Jacobs.

Aminah Toler, chair of the Friends of the Howe House, said the evening was a major success. “The Montclair community again showed their support for preserving the town’s history and the James Howe House. We had astoundingly beautiful art donated by talented artists who generously gave their time and creativity to our project. Folks turned out on the night to support these artists and to purchase their work. It has been a major success and another moment where we get to see how much our community supports our cause,” she said.

Lynne Oliver of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices NJ Properties said she was delighted to support the Friends of the Howe House. “What an inspiring evening we had: mesmerizing art, a vital theme and a community out in force to show their support. We’ve been delighted to get behind our local community and the Friends of the Howe House to ensure the art sale was a success and an evening to remember,” she said.

The Howe House was bought for over $400,000 in a dramatic bid to save the historic home in December by local community group, Friends of the Howe House. James Howe worked as an enslaved man for Major Nathanial Crane in the early 1800s. After years of slavery, Crane ended Howe’s enslavement and in his 1831 will, Crane left Howe the house, $400, and approximately six acres of land. 

Local groups involved in Friends of the Howe House include the Montclair African-American Heritage Foundation, Montclair Chapter of the NAACP, Montclair Mutual Aid, St. Marks Montclair, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair. 

Anyone keen to get involved in fund-raising, volunteering or donations in-kind are asked to reach out to friendsofthehowehouse@gmail.com.