Art Expressing Heartbreak, Healing, and Hope

Now on view at the Boatworks is an exhibition featuring artwork from the Children's Art Therapy program at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ. The works were created by children who are dealing with varied chronic or terminal illnesses or death in their families.

The Art Therapy program provides groups free of charge for children 41/2 to 13 years old, in a safe space for children and their families to receive support, education, and healing. The work in this show ranges from puppet families to expressive self portraits and moving clay sculptures.

The show hopes to raise awareness of the power of creativity to heal as well as to offer insight into the needs of children and families who are dealing with loss. This work will remain on display in our front room gallery during regular hours through June 3, 2011.

La Joie de Couleur

For the next couple of weeks our new addition has been transformed into a small gallery hosting an exhibition called La Joie de Couleur or Color Joy. The art was all created by the clients of the LADACIN Network, a non-profit agency whose mission is to provide education, therapeutic, social, residential, and support services for people with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities. LADACIN serves all ages in their various programs. Much of the art shown above was created by younger children (through grade 5) employing finger painting techniques. Most of the art shown in the photos below was created by older children (through grade 12) and adults using a variety of processes. The artists were allowed to choose the size and shape of their canvas, colors, and method of applying paint. Some had specific goals, while others took a more experimental approach to creating their works.

A reception for the exhibition was held this afternoon, which drew a mix of people from LADACIN (including a few of the artists) and Belmar art fans.

The photos don't do justice to the more than 50 brightly colored works in this show. If you feel like your life is lacking a little color, make sure to stop by the show before its closing on June 3rd, and get yourself a little color joy.

The Power of Color Coming Soon

Coming up in early June will be the next juried exhibition at the Boatworks, this one devoted specifically to photography. Framed photographic works will be received on Friday, June 3rd from 5:00 to 7:00 pm and Saturday, June 4th from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Entry fee is $10/piece for BAC members and $15/piece for non-members, with a maximum of two entries per person. Acceptance is not guaranteed. Work will be juried by Pat Hutchinson and Michael S. Miller. Specific submission guidelines and entry form are available on the BAC main website.

There will be an opening reception for this exhibition on Saturday, June 11, 2011 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The show will remain on display during regular gallery hours through July 8, 2011.

Noble Prose Meets in May

Sandy Cook reports that the BAC Noble Prose writers group held their most recent meeting on May 10th. As part of a creative writing exercise, a woman wore a costume and mask that hid her identity. Without dialogue or explanation, she acted out a sequence of events involving simple props, leaving interpretation up to the imaginations of the writers.

The writers created many different original and creative tales in their journals and notepads, and the photographers collaborated to produce story telling images and writing. The preliminary work was shared at the meeting and finished works will be presented at next month's session on June 14th.

For those who are interested in learning more about the Noble Prose group, information can be found on the BAC main website.

BAC Dedicates Our New Addition

At a gala dedication party on Friday, May 13th, BAC members and donors celebrated the opening of their new "wing", a 480 square foot addition containing a new workspace/gallery and a greatly enlarged storage area, at the Boatworks. Mayor Matt Doherty cut the ribbon, officially christening the new space.

The BAC's programs have continued to grow over the past four years since the group took up residence in the former Connolly boat engine repair garage, a derelict building scheduled for demolition. With assistance from the borough, BAC volunteers restored the building to a habitable state, then went on to create the fun and funky arts center that we call the Boatworks. By 2010, demand for new classes and programs convinced BAC trustees of the need for more space.

Funding for the new addition was raised from donations to the BAC's building campaign and proceeds from a fall fundraiser at Spring Lake Community Theatre. While many members stopped by over the the eight months of construction, a small core of volunteers gave consistently of their time and talents. A plaque noting the contributions of John Hutchinson, Dave Taylor, Tom Volker, Neil Scheck, Joe Villa, Michael Miller, Mike Carroll, and Jim Fitzmaurice was presented during a short ceremony following the ribbon cutting. Tom Volker paid special tribute to John Hutchinson for his design of the addition (assisted by architect Tim McCorry) and management of the project.

Refreshments for the evening were provided by Belmar restaurants Ragin' Cajun, D'Jais, 10th Avenue Burrito, Tulipanos, and Jersey Shore BBQ, as well as the Melting Pot in Red Bank, while BAC member and musician Matt Brown and his friends, folk/Americana band "Thomas Wesley Stern" entertained the enthusiastic crowd. The event, which raised funds for the completion of the building campaign and for new children's programming, also served as a closing reception for our recent 7th Annual Juried Art Show.

JAS7 Opening Reception

People lining up outside to get into the new Jersey Shore Juried Art Show at the Boatworks? Not quite, but it almost seemed that way. This is always one of our more popular shows, and tonight was no exception. At least 200 people came through the building during the reception, and close to 300 would not be an unreasonable estimate.

Before the people arrived we had the whole building full of art- 90 works in such mediums as painting, ceramics, photography, pastel, printmaking, glass, watercolor, fibers, ink, sculpture, and mixed media. For the first time, we used all 3 rooms at the Boatworks to display the art selected for this juried show.

Three of the walls of the new addition displayed various works art (see above), although almost as popular was the cupcake table (below), refilled frequently with delicious and artistic sweet treats.

The first visitors stared trickling in just a few minutes before 5:00, and then just kept on coming for the next couple of hours.

In addition to art and cupcakes, our many visitors enjoyed live music by Clint Bloodgood.

Jurors Robert Pillsbury and Mame Green not only had the challenge of selecting the 90 works for this show, but the further challenge of choosing individual prize winners. Those winners are shown below:

Best In Show

Ebb Tide

Beverly Golembeski

First Place in Painting

Watching the Sun Collapse

Matthew Donofrio

First Place in Sculpture & Fine Crafts

Mad Allegory

Stephen Harrison

First Place in Photography and Graphic Media

Fight for the Finish

Susan Guadagnino

First Place in Mixed Media

Scream

Donna D'Amico

In addition to the above, the jurors decided that the quality and variety of artwork within each of the award categories called for further recognition, and chose another six works to receive Honorable Mentions.

The Floating World: Boardwalk Food

Hand Colored Woodcut

Paul Bonelli

Mr. Rogers

Pen & Ink

Henry Homza

Ballet

Pastel

Jean Malizia

In the Groove

Photography

Trudy Maran

Bar De La Marine, Cassis

Oil

John Richter

Whoo

Watercolor

Bonnie Smith

The 7th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show will remain on display at the Boatworks through May 13, 2011. The gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday, 1 to 5 pm, and admission is free.

However, the party isn't over yet. Our jurors chose another 25 worthy works to be part of a second exhibition, just down the block at the Central Jersey Bank. The Salon exhibition will have an opening reception on Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 11 am to 1 pm. This exhibition will also remain on display through May 13th, open during regular business hours at the bank, on the corner of 7th Avenue and Main Street in Belmar.

Two Shows Opening Soon in Belmar

The Belmar Arts Council has two shows opening over the next 7 days, both worth checking out.

On Sunday, April 10th will be the opening reception for the 7th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show. Out of well over 200 submissions, the jurors chose 88 artworks to be part of the exhibition. The reception is from 5 to 7 pm at the Boatworks, home of the BAC.

Then on Saturday, April 16th there will be a public reception from 11 am to 1 pm for the Salon Exhibition, an additional 25 works selected by the JAS7 jurors. The Salon Exhibition is at the Central Jersey Bank, on the corner of Main and 7th Ave in Belmar, just one block from the Boatworks.

Both receptions are free and open to the public.

JAS7 Intake Weekend

It's been a busy couple of days around the Boatworks. Thanks to the help of many BAC volunteers, hundreds of artworks found their way in, all entries for this year's Jersey Shore Juried Art Show. Exhibition jurors Robert Pillsbury and Mame Green will have the difficult task of choosing the best paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculptures, etc, for the upcoming show.

The 7th Annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show opens with a reception from 5 to 7 pm on Sunday April 10, 2011 and will remain on display during regular gallery hours through May 13, 2011.

Jersey Shore JAS7 Coming Soon

The Belmar Arts Council will be holding their annual Jersey Shore Juried Art Show in early April, but the intake of art submissions is Friday March 25th (5 to 8 pm) and Saturday March 26th, (10 am to 1 pm). Artists may submit a maximum of 2 artworks in any medium, though acceptance into the exhibition is not guaranteed. Show dates are April 9 to May 13, 2011.

Noble Prose at the BAC

Current and potential Belmar Arts Council members with writing backgrounds participated last week in the first meeting of Noble Prose, our new writers group. The interactive presentation covered aspects of the group's direction, including creative coaching, on-line critique, small group workshops, networking, future guest speakers, and more. Led by experienced writer and teacher Rachel Zantarski, group members, including Terri Faugno (shown in the last photo), shared samples of their writing. In the gallery, Sandy Cook discussed visual art collaborations with creative writers, seeking feedback on future workshops. The first meeting revealed the fact that many visual artists may also be poets and writers. Besides those mentioned above, also in attendance that night were Neil Schenk, Irene Maran, Joe Coviello, Harvey Rothman, and Andrew Cohen.

The Noble Prose group meets from 7 to 9 pm on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. There is no fee for BAC members to join, but interested writers must apply and qualify. More information can be found on the BAC main website.

New Faces and Classic Art

Here are a few photos courtesy of Pat Hutchinson of some of the visitors to this past weekend's Humor show reception lending their faces to some art classics. I'm told that these will remain at the Boatworks for a while, so stop by some time and try it for yourself.

Humor Reception

Is this a swampy African plain? Or an American safari park? No, it's the Belmar Arts Council, where this large mixed media piece (from Bob Mataranglo) was on hand to greet all visitors to the new Humor & The Lighter Side of Life exhibition. The Hippo is one of 56 artworks in the show, which includes a variety of sculpture, photographs, paintings (oil, acrylic, and watercolor), prints (woodcut, silkscreen), pastels, pencils, and video.

Several dozen people turned up for our opening reception, to check out the art in the front room and fun stuff in the back.

Today was our first time using our new addition to the Boatworks. We set up our food table back there (above) and had a couple of photo cut-outs of famous artworks (below) for people to pose in. We'll try to get some photos of the results up on this blog soon.

Meanwhile, our back room was set up with tables where people could enjoy the refreshments along with a little live music.

As you can see, participants brought in an impressive variety of art that fit within the exhibition theme. Over the length of the opening reception visitors could vote for a people's choice award. The winning piece (shown below) was Opening Day, a pastel from Jean Maliza.

The Humor exhibition remains on display at the Boatworks during gallery hours through March 25, 2011.