The Nightingale Sings: Ukrainian Artists in New Jersey Red Bank Exhibition Highlights Ukrainian Artists

The Art Alliance of Monmouth County will launch 2026 with an exhibition highlighting the work of three Ukrainian artists living in New Jersey. The show will open on Saturday, January 10 and run through Tuesday, February 3, 2026. There will be an artists’ reception and panel discussion on January 10 from 6 to 8 pm. The show will feature art by Nathalie Halbout, Elena Samarsky, and Melanka Coppola.
Nathalie Halbout grew up in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, steeped in her country’s art, architecture and poetry. Today in the US, she creates delicate floral sculptures in porcelain and hand-felted fiber hangings colored with dyes from plants in her garden. Also trained as a nurse, Halbout recently returned from Ukraine where she spent 5 months as a medical volunteer, ministering to wounded soldiers. This work is financed by the sale of her art. She currently lives and works in Red Bank, NJ.
Elena Samarsky came of age in Ukraine where she was exposed to Eastern European avant-garde art that continues to influence her abstract paintings. Working in acrylic, she builds many layers of texture modified by dents, bulges, gouges, and scratches, seeking a balance between movement and stillness. Samarsky currently lives and works in West New York, NJ.
Melanka Coppola grew up in the US under the influence of four Ukrainian grandparents. She learned Ukrainian dance and cooking and developed an appreciation for vyshyvanka (Ukrainian embroidery) and other traditional art forms. These traditions inform her abstract, acrylic paintings, as evidenced by their strong graphic sense, vibrant color selection, and use of pattern. Coppola lives and works in Howell, NJ.
Eileen Kennedy, curator of the exhibition, said, “Each January, the Art Alliance mounts an invitational exhibition designed to amplify the voice of an under-recognized artistic group.” She continued, “As the war in Ukraine continues, we wanted to shine a light on artists here in New Jersey who may be impacted.”
This exhibition is free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays, from noon to 4 pm, at the Art Alliance of Monmouth County, 33 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701.
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 $50 per year, $25 for students with id. Benefits of membership include reduced entry fee for all exhibits ($10 per piece for up to 3 pieces for members; $15 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.