What Interests You?

The Boatworks is a very busy place.  Pick any handful of days on the calendar and you are likely to find an ongoing art exhibition, musical performances, classes teaching art related skills (in fact we had all three of those in a 24 hour period last weekend), member meetings, and special events.  Another kind of scheduled activity that has been going on there for years are the shared interest groups.  These are groups of members sharing a specific creative interest, who meet regularly to share information and discuss their related activities.  Less intense than a class, but still a great place to learn about something that might interest you or to develop that interest further.  Groups sharing interests in figure drawing, photography, and writing have been around us for years.  The newest BelmarArts shared interest group shares their interest in fiber based artwork, such as weaving, sewing, quilting, or probably anything else you can think of that works primarily with cloth as a medium.  Paper and book arts, too.  Welcome to Fiber Fridays.

On Friday March 7th, ten fiber artists gathered for the 2nd ever Fiber Friday meeting.  A brief introduction period was followed by a show and tell of the different types of fiber artwork from each member, and announcements about the upcoming Fibers, Fabric, and Paper Art show planned for late August.  Supplies for a t-shirt challenge to be displayed at that show by the members of the Fiber Friday group were distributed.

Group moderator Deb Stanley demonstrated Angelina fibers and their many uses.  BelmarArts members Tiffany Musser, Beverly Hertler, and Nicole Vincenti discussed the works they have currently hanging in the 10th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show right there in the Boatworks.  Paper weaving projects were constructed.  The next meeting will be Friday, May 9, 2014 from 11 to 1, at which Lise Garrison Hill will demonstrate felting.

BelmarArts shared interest group meetings are free to all members, though material and activity fees may apply in some cases.  To learn more about our shared interest groups, check out the general shared interest group page on our website or the individual pages there for each group.  If you have an interest not represented there, let us know. or even consider starting a group of your own.

photographs and information provided by Rebecca Szabo

JAS10 Opening Reception

Tonight the Boatworks hosted the opening reception for the 10th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show.  Exhibition juror Margaret O'Reilly from the NJ State Museum in Trenton selected 82 artworks, a mix of photography, painting, drawing, mixed media, printmaking, fiber art, and sculpture,  from the almost 180 pieces that were submitted to the show.

The exhibition was hung in all three rooms of the building.  We estimate that around 300 people came through over the course of the two hour reception.  Our newly painted floors got quite a workout.

The BAC had put out a request for people in attendance to bring something for the refreshment tables, and quite a few dishes came through the front door.  Local artist Keith Calmes provided a lovely musical background to the event.

The juror chose six pieces in the show to receive awards.

Best in Show

Gary Dates

Monopoly

Award in Painting

Ken Stetz

Heading Home

Award in 3-D

Freya Gervasi

Morning Glory

Award in Drawing and Graphic Media

Paul Bonelli

Tenpins the Old Fashioned Way

Award in Mixed Media

Beverly Hertler

Mangrove Thicket

Award in Photography

Richard Salls

Tensile Tenacity

Our 10th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show will remain on display through April 11, 2014.  The gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday, from 1 to 5 pm.  Admission is free.

Fresh Paint for Spring

Although we were lucky enough to get through the past 12 months without a hurricane, keeping the Boatworks in gallery shape is a constant effort.  Between exhibitions, classes, interest groups, musical performances, and organizational functions, the building sees thousands of visitors every year.  That's a lot of feet on our floor.  And though there was no hurricane, construction around the building led to flooding that required us to rebuild the stage, which is now up and running.  The same flooding resulted in damage to our painted floor in both front and back rooms.  (see above) We took advantage of a gap between shows to fix up the interior before our big 10th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show.  Hutch assembled his usual suspects, first last weekend to repaint all the walls inside the building, and then again today to repaint the floors.

We use a durable epoxy based paint for this job.  With extension rollers and a lot of effort the job was finished relatively quickly.  Started in the back, and then the painters gradually worked their way up front.

Before the paint dries, the decorative multicolor flakes are added.  Some favor a simple sprinkle technique (above), while others favor a more energetic flinging (below).

With the task done, the building was locked up to let the paint cure.  It will be ready for meetings and classes next week, not to mention our reception for the JAS10 next Saturday from 5 to 7 pm.