Blue Opening in Belmar

So why a "blue" show?  Exhibitions often have a theme, and one of the first thoughts that was considered was starting with a color.  Of course, besides being a hue, blue also has many other connotations, such as in that piece just below.

Put out a call for "blue" art and you give artists a lot of possibilities.  This is our 3rd Annual Youth Art show, and in the end we had 73 pieces submitted, representing around 20 schools, plus individuals.  Most of the art came from the shore region, but we had art come from some far parts of the state as well, thanks to word of mouth and publicity on social media.

Fitting the theme, the sky was crying all day, a major rain storm, the kind that can sometimes keep a crowd from showing up to an opening.  But not today- we officially counted over 130 in attendance by the time of the award ceremony, and more were coming.

No specific subject or medium for this show, so we had a wide variety.  Turns out that blue can be used in a lot of different ways- painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, ceramics, etc.

When it was time to announce the award winners, the back gallery was packed wall to wall.  The full list will be added soon.  The show was sponsored by contributions from Blazing Visuals, the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh, Hal Khan, and local bakery Sweet!, whose cake was devoured by our crowd.  The following awards were announced during the reception:

Best of Show

Nicole Smalley

Manchester 

Eye See You

1st Ribbon Bluest of Blues

Ria Manghani

Bergen Tech High School

Moment of Silence

2nd Ribbon Bluest of Blues

Alex Vincent

Brick Memorial High School

Blue Skies

3rd Ribbon Bluest of Blues

Alexa Petersen

Point Boro High School

Vi Et Anino

Blue Ribbon Award 1st Ribbon

Kylie Wintle

Jackson Liberty

Tattoo Design

Blue Ribbon Award 2nd Ribbon

Doris Fon

St Rose High School

I'm Blue

Blue Ribbon Award 3rd Ribbon

Erin Lynch

Howell

Blue Horse

Hal Kahn Award of Merit

Morgan DiMicco

Brick Memorial High School

Submersion

Teacher Membership Awards:

Jude Harzer, Brick Memorial

Michele Russo, Deal

Luisa Corichi, Rugby School

Our Blue art show will remain on display through June 1, 2017, during regular gallery hours.  Admission is free.

BelmarArts on the Road Again

Sometimes Belmar area artists produce more art than the town can handle.  We fill the gallery, set up on sidewalks, paint murals on the sides of buildings.  Last December we organized a show for a big space in nearby Spring Lake.  And this week we filled another space in Wall Township.

This time it's at NJ Resources, an energy company, not far off Route 34.  Entries were from members only, and the show was juried by an in house committee.  The location is in the company's 2nd Floor Cafe, open to the public Monday through Friday, with no admission fee.  The room is spacious and well lit, and the work represents the various mediums and subjects common to our members.

The show remains on display through May 25, 2017.  The building is located at 1415 Wyckoff Rd.