Fai Do Do at the Boatworks

We have a special treat coming up at the Boatworks in May. The BAC is hosting a Cajun Fai Do Do and File Gumbo cooking class on Tuesday, May 15th, beginning at 6:00 pm. Traci Orsi of Belmar's Ragin' Cajun restaurant will host and share some classic cajun recipes. Then everyone enjoys a cajun feast. In addition, there will be live musical entertainment from Rockin' Randy. Traci will also sign copies of her new cookbook, Sittin' Bayou Makes Me Hot! Tickets are $40 for BAC members, $50 for non-members. Spaces for this event are limited, so get your tickets soon. Click on the above flier to enlarge it, or click here for more details and to purchase tickets.

New Music Series at the Boatworks

Yesterday we had the Boatworks full of visitors to check out our annual Juried Art Show, but in coming weeks we expect crowds coming in to see music. Check out the line up above (click to enlarge) of great local musical acts that are scheduled to play the Boatworks in the near future. Details about each will be posted on our main website as each date gets closer. So mark your calendar and look for announcements about each performance. And come early, as seating is limited.

Jersey Shore JAS8 Opening Reception

We had a beautiful spring afternoon for today's opening reception for the 8th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show. Every year this is the Belmar Arts Council's biggest and most competitive show, which always results in a high quality and very diverse exhibition. Today was no exception.

As the crowd started to fill the building, our own Tim McCorry was on hand to provide live entertainment. Before long the building was packed, with perhaps close to 200 visitors coming through over the course of the reception.

This year's annual exhibition includes 71 works, representing such media as painting (oils, acrylics), watercolors, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture (wood, stone), photography, digital graphics, drawing, fabric, mixed media, and even sugar. The show spreads out over all three rooms in the Boatworks.

This year's juror, the distinguished New Jersey painter Gary Erbe, chose winners in five categories, and an additional nine honorable mentions. The winners are shown below.

Best In Show

Paul Bonelli

The Floating World: Wheel Game

hand colored woodcut

First Prize, Painting

Guido Guazzoni

Upper Hudson Valley

oil painting

First Prize, Sculpture & Fine Crafts

Carol Gleason

Fish Sculpture

clay

First Prize, Photography & Graphic Media

Rick Alvarado

Checkmate

graphic arts

First Prize, Mixed Media

Beverly Hertler

Composition

composition batik on silk

Honorable Mention

Donna Arvelo

Be Careful Deer

oil painting

Honorable Mention

Buren Gilpin

Attraction of Opposites

wood

Honorable Mention

Carol Guteri

Untitled II

poster paint

Honorable Mention

Olympia Hostler

Spring

mixed media

Honorable Mention

Pat Hutchinson

A Good Nose

oil painting

Honorable Mention

Bill Ross

Religiosity

charcoal

Honorable Mention

Lizzie Schippert

Bread and Cherries

oil painting

Honorable Mention

Gerrie Vergona

Sweet Peace

Sugar

Honorable Mention

Joan Wallace

Shy Hannah

watercolor

The 8th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show will remain on display at the Boatworks through May 4, 2012. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 1 to 5 pm. Admission is free.

8th Annual Juried Art Show to Open

The 8th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show will open with a reception on Saturday, April 7th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Once again we had a very large number of entries for the limited spots on the walls of the Boatworks, representing a wide variety of artistic media. The reception will include the usual refreshments, live music, and the awarding of prizes in five categories. As always, admission is free.

Mud Mural Spring Update

It's been about 3 months since the last posted update on the BAC Mud Mural, completed last summer. When we last posted it here, a photo of the whole wall showed it still looking very much like it did last August, despite being exposed to the elements and made from nothing but sticks, straw, and clay. We had a fairly mild winter (compared to the last few anyway), and as of this week the wall (shown above) still looks pretty much about the same.

A close up view shows that natural deterioration is progressing, however slowly. That big crack between the B and the A has gotten a little bigger since January, and more mud has worn off the top of the wall, revealing more of the straw that was under it. Still, the wall is largely intact and should still be by this summer, when we may give it a new surface. Next time you are at the Boatworks, such as to view the 8th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show, take a moment to walk across our parking lot and inspect it for yourself.