And they said print was dead: Paper sculptor Riccardo Berlingeri gives new life to yesterday’s news in an ongoing exhibit at the Monmouth Museum.
Grab your plastic tumbler of merlot, and one of those little cellophane-tipped toothpicks of cheese — today we’re going on an informally structured, yet informatively guided, “ArtWalk” in and around the storefront galleries and public spaces of the Green.
Following are two events to look into this evening — with much more where that came from, right after the break.
• THURSDAY: Paintings by Maxine Snow at JamianÂ’s. Along with the local-organic music, Jamian LaViola has augmented the cool cuisine at his eponymous Monmouth Street bistro with a featured artshow (curated by the Hopperesque Red Bank painter Travis Radcliffe) that changes monthly. Beginning with a catered reception this evening at 6p, the paintings of “renaissance woman” Maxine Snow are on the walls and above the booths, in an exhibit that continues through June 2.
• THURSDAY: Artists’ Workshop at the Red Bank Public Library. The West Front Street institution hosts a free and informal monthly gathering, at which artists can “find inspiration and motivation” in a space for creative people to draw and paint with others. No registration necessary; bring acrylics, pastels, watercolors, charcoal or pencils (no oils, please) and show up between 7 and 8:30p.
The Cohens meet the Cunninghams: Laurel Tracey Gallery hosts a travelogue of scenery interpreted by Arthur Cohen (PROVINCETOWN HARBOR, left) and Francis Cunningham (MAY APPLE BLOSSOMS, right).
• FRIDAY: ARTVENTURES at Oyster Point Hotel. The Oyster Point has always drawn oohs and aahs for its billion-dollar view of the Navesink River and Red Bank skyline, but lately those views have had some competition from a stepped-up schedule of art events and exhibitions. Beginning with a 6-8p reception on May 7 (and continuing through the months of May and June), the banquet/conference rooms and common areas of the Point host the work of the seven member, locally based artist group artVentures, a display of works in watercolor, acrylic and fiber “soft art.”
• SATURDAY: 23 PHOTOGRAPHERS at The Guild. And one solitary sculptor, as Shrewsbury’s Guild of Creative Art continues to mark its 50th anniversary in Monmouth County (an accomplishment that makes it the oldest nonprofit arts cooperative in New Jersey). This Saturday sees an opening reception for the newest group show, curated by new Guild president Laury A. Egan and featuring more than 90 images by, you guessed it, 23 area photographers (among them Pasquale Cirullo, Trudy Maran, Warner White and Egan herself). Also happening at 620 Broad Street is the solo show FIGURES & FABLE, spotlighting the work of the accomplished sculptress Mira Weinowska. Both exhibits continue during normal gallery hours through May 26.
• SATURDAY: DUAL PERSPECTIVES on Sandy Hook. Photographs and collages by local artists Vicky Culver and Bob Grunke (also represented in the Guild show) are featured in an opening reception (5:30 to 7:30p) at 84 Mercer Road in the Fort Hancock area of Sandy Hook. Exhibit continues through May 29; call (732)291-7733 for more info.
• SATURDAY: SHADES OF PINK and CHILDREN’S ART at the Art Alliance. The Art Alliance of Monmouth County hosts an opening reception at 6p for a pair of themed displays keyed in to May’s Pink Bank observance, with Donna Robatto this month’s featured window artist. Exhibit continues through the month during regular gallery hours, Tuesday thru Saturday, from 12 to 4p.
• SATURDAY: THE LANDSCAPE/ Cape Cod and the Berkshires at Laurel Tracey Gallery. White Street’s LTG artspace inaugurates a springtime display of scenic surf/turf scapes by featured painters Arthur Cohen and Francis Cunningham. All are welcome at Saturday night’s reception (running between 6:30 and 8:30p), with the exhibit continuing through May 29 during regular gallery hours (Tuesdays through Saturdays or by appointment).
Pictured at left (clockwise from top right), Susan Berke, Red Bank councilman Ed Zipprich and Marybeth Maida are the officers of the Red Bank Borough Education Foundation, presenters of a special Art Gala on May 21. At right, the assembled artists of Artventures are in the house at the Oyster Point, beginning Friday night.
• THROUGH MAY 13: FLOWERS and DOCUMENTS by Dan Schroll at McKay Imaging Gallery. Legend has it that Robert and Elisabeth Koch-McKay first met in Dan Schroll‘s classroom; the collection of recent collages and drawings from the veteran Brookdale Community College faculty member continues at the normally photographic-minded McKay Imaging Gallery as a celebration of, and tribute to, the respected educator. Check out our feature story here in redbankgreen.
• MAY 14: VISIONS & DREAMS Quilt Show at Poricy Park. It’s another in a series of events organized by Middletown-based Rebecca’s Reel Quilters. Between the hours of 10a and 4p, Poricy Park Conservancy on Oak Hill Road in Middletown hosts a display of over 150 traditional and contemporary quilts, with door prizes, refreshments, vendors and a quilt raffle. It’s $5 dollars to get in (kids under 8 admitted free), with more info at (732)842-5253.
• MAY 21: Swimming River Discoveries Art Gala at The Atrium at Navesink Harbor. The scenic seniors’ residence on Riverside Avenue is the setting for a cocktails-and-hors d’oeuvres benefit event presented by the Red Bank Borough Education Foundation, with the goal to raise funds for the creation of a nature center with outdoor classrooms on the 17 riverfront acres of the Red Bank Primary School. A $100 ticket allows attendees to select one of 100 pieces of original art offered by area creatives and collectors (including 25 Shona sculptures furnished by former Red Bank residents Eve and Stafford Thompson), with order of selection determined by lottery. Reservations and additional info for the 6-9p event from Susan Berke, (732)842-9007 or [email protected].
• MAY 29: Adult Amateur Art Show at Middletown Arts Center. The Middletown Township Cultural & Arts Council (in cahoots with the township’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department) presents the final entry in their Community Art Show series for 2010, with the exhibit continuing through June 30 during regular hours (Mondays through Saturdays) at the Middletown Arts Center, located just a hop and a step from the NJ Transit rail platform.
• THROUGH MAY 30: Paper sculptor Riccardo Berlingeri at The Monmouth Museum. There’s life yet in that old media, as it turns out — and as part of the Emerging Artists series, the Monmouth Museum (on the Lincroft campus of Brookdale Community College) spotlights the work of paper sculptor Riccardo Berlingeri. The Italian-born artist utilizes nothing more sophisticated than recycled newspapers (specifically The New York Times) and good old Elmer’s Glue (with the occasional paper clip) as his media of choice. In other words, the same materials that you employed (minus the macaroni) to craft a clumsy birthday card for your mom become, in the hands of Berlingeri, splendid symphonies in mathematical precision, dramatic sweep and the sort of breathtaking symmetry that’s usually the province of a higher power than the human hand. To top it all off, they don’t use any paint or ink other than the colors that appear on the carefully selected pages of newsprint.
