ART ALLIANCE: COFFEE SACK AND SHORE ART

The Art Alliance of Monmouth County will present the work of Monica McCall in their windows for the month of May. McCall started painting on burlap coffee sacks in early 2000 as a means of making signs for her Coffee house. She fell in love with the texture and remembered Guaguin painted on burlap so she tried it with own work. She related that it is not easy to prep the coffee sacks for painting. The sacks need to be deconstructed and cleaned. No two are alike. They can be made of very course jute and loosely woven or smooth and tightly woven. They are rough and uneven with knots or holes. It’s a labor of love to prepare but she embraces the process. The subject matter is usually figurative combining imagined and real-life scenarios with sincere attempts to point from her heart. She said she thinks about Van Gogh a lot when Ishe paints. She sees his paintings as exuding joy and love for nature and humanity. She aspires to that. Van Gogh painted on burlap once but didn’t like the coarse texture and only painted his ‘Portrait of Gauguin’ on burlap. Probably as an homage.

In the main gallery space McCall will jury work by members on the theme Down the Shore. Hoofs and Heartbeats, work by students from the Hackensack Meridian Autism Program, will also be presented in the gallery.

An Artists’ Reception will be held Saturday, June 7th from 6-8 PM. The public is invited to attend. The exhibition is on view until April 2nd, Tuesday – Saturday, 12-4 PM. Free of charge. Art Alliance of Monmouth County, 33 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ

For more information about the exhibit, visit our website www.artallianceofmonmouth.org, or visit or call the gallery during operating hours, (732) 842-9403. Founded in 1978, the Art Alliance of Monmouth County is dedicated to promoting the advancement of the visual arts and providing exhibition, studio, and classroom space to local artists. New members are always welcome.

Membership in the Art Alliance is open to visual artists at any skill level and to art lovers. Membership fee is $40 per year, $25 for students with id. Benefits of membership include reduced entry fee for all exhibits ($5 per piece for up to 3 pieces for members; $10 per piece for non-members); affordable studio space; diverse classes and workshops; networking opportunities; the possibility of mounting an independent exhibit during the summer. In addition, the Art Alliance maintains a website, a bi-monthly newsletter, and a Facebook page.

Programming at the Art Alliance is made possible in part by Monmouth Arts through funding from the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the New Jersey State Council on the arts.