CALL TO ARTISTS OF ALL AGES THREE UPCOMING SHOWS

The Watchung Arts Center has several opportunities for artists of all ages and abilities to exhibit at the Watchung Arts Center. Three upcoming shows will appeal to the youth of our communities, WAC members and artists of all mediums to exhibit on the walls of the Studio and Upper Gallery. The artist’s work will be viewed by many patrons that flow through the Center during programs and regular gallery hours. Check www.watchungarts .org for specific details for each call to artist.

December 2010: 19th Annual Children’s Juried Art Exhibition
The goal of this exhibition is to recognize budding talents, creative potential and to encourage artistic development in children by providing an opportunity for the display and appreciation of their work outside home and school. The WAC therefore hopes to encourage the support of instructors, schools, and parents in our communities to promote students’ participation in this exciting event. The Opening Reception will include an awards ceremony and will take place immediately preceding the Member’s Show reception. This exhibition will run concurrently with our Members Juried Art Show, which will allow family members the unique opportunity to exhibit at the same time!


December 2010: Annual WAC Members Juried Art Exhibition
During the month of December, current WAC members are invited to display their eclectic talents in the Upper Gallery. The first place winner of the exhibition will be awarded a solo show in the Lower Gallery. This exhibition will run concurrently with our Children’s Juried Art Exhibition, which will allow family members the unique opportunity to exhibit at the same time!


March 2011: India from my Window
This is an open call to artists to be part of the exhibition celebrating the heritage of India. The content of all artwork must reflect an aspect of India such as its people, traditions, religious images, its architecture, landscape, or your own interpretation of what defines Indian. Curator for this exhibition is WAC Board of Trustee Bindia Puri

 The Watchung Arts Center’s Gallery hours are 12 - 3 PM, Wednesday - Friday, Thursday 12-5 PM, Saturday 1 – 4 PM, and Tuesday by appointment.


The Watchung Arts Center is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary arts facility that serves Watchung and the surrounding communities and the Tri-State Area. For more information visit our website at www.watchungarts.org or to place a reservation call 908-753-0190 or email at wacenter@optonline.net. The Watchung Arts Center is located at 18 Stirling Road, Watchung, NJ 07069.

Indian Classicals - A Shehnai-Vocals Evening

A Shehnai-Vocals Evening

Featuring Pt. Shailesh Bhagwat, Shri Pranab Kumar Biswas, with Shri Anil Khare and Rohan Prabhudesai

Friday, October 29, 8 p.m.

Watchung Arts Center presents the extraordinary talents of Ustad Bismillah Khan’s favorite disciple, Pt. Shailesh Bhagwat on Shehnai and Shri Pranab Kumar Biswas’s vocals. Pt. Shailesh Bhagwat was under the tutelage of Ustad Bismillah Khan for 37 years and is now his best-known disciple. This is his first trip to the US, a long-awaited, rare opportunity to listen to the haunting tone of what may be the most revered musical instrument of India. Please visit www.shehnaai.com to learn more about the shehnai and Ustad Bismillah Khan.

Shri Pranab Kimar Biswas received his musical training from, among others, Shri Dilip Roy, Ustad Rashid Khan, Ustad Nissar Husain and Pt. Rajan Sajan Mishra. His voice has a rich, soulful quality with a commanding reach and range that spans three octaves, and exhibits a unique combination of sweetness and power. More information on this wonderful singer can be found at http://pranabkumar.co.in/.
Both the artists will be supported by Shri Anil Khare on tabla and Rohan Prabhudesai on harmonium, making this a rich, memorable evening showcasing two grand forms of Indian classical music, presented by artists of the highest order.

Tickets are $20 (members $18, students $8).

Beginning soon at the Watchung Arts Center – Newly Expanded Life Drawing Program!

The Watchung Art Center is excited to announce the launch of its newly enhanced Life Drawing program offered by Artist and Instructor, Denise Karabinus Telang.
The Life Drawing Program will include Instruction in Life Drawing on Wednesdays from 7 – 9:30 pm and Open Studio in Life Drawing on Saturdays from 10 am – 12:30 pm. Each program will run for 10 sessions.

First to open will be the Wednesday night session. In this course, the fundamental skills to draw from the live model will be taught. Seeking to understand this complex form, students will be guided through a series of exercises that help them understand the underlying structures of the human form. Lessons in measurement, anatomy, line, shape and value will be presented.

Saturday’s session will allow artists of all abilities open studio time to draw from a life model. Walk-ins will be permitted for this session only.

To reserve your spot in the program please contact the Center at wacenter@otponline.net or 908-753-0190. Please include all contact information. Students age 15 – 17 must have a signed parent permission slip accompany their registration. No photography will be permitted.

Denise Karabinus Telang will be instructing the Wednesday evening class. She brings an exciting combination of professional experience and expertise. She studied at The Barnstone Studios ~ Academy of Drawing and Design, Maine College of Art and Vermont College of Fine Arts. As an Admissions counselor she reviewed over 400 portfolios for admissions consideration at National Portfolio Days and has advised students in high schools all over the United States on Portfolio Preparation. Telang is an accomplished artist in her own right and uses drawing as a primary means of communication in her professional studio practice. She has taught at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Portland Museum of Art, Institute of Contemporary Art and the Printmaking Center of New Jersey.

Stage Performance

Jennifer DiOrio’s Offsides

Friday, October 22, 8 p.m.
Saturday, October 23, 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 24, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Offsides, written by emerging playwright/screenwriter Jennifer DiOrio and directed by NY-based writer/actor/director Alberto Bonilla, is a coming-of-age melodrama set in suburban NJ in 1990. The play reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Cynosure Screenwriting Awards Competition (see www.broadmindent.com/id26.html).



Offsides is a multi-generational story that centers on Marissa DiGiacomo, a top student and star soccer player who is at a crossroads. She will lose it all if she makes the wrong decision. Her father, a role model for her on the field, has made a series of bad decisions in his own life. One of these decisions could change everything.



The story came to Ms. DiOrio in a dream in 1996. Immediately, she wrote a journal entry about it and planned to write a screenplay, but life took over and she wasn’t able to write the complete script until 2008. Eventually, several local theater directors read the script and suggested that Ms. DiOrio adapt it for the stage. And that’s what she did. This stage adaptation has something for everyone: drama, humor, uplifting moments, and romance.



Tickets are $15.

SATURDAY NIGHT JAZZ WITH BEACON HILL

THE BEACON HILL JAZZ BAND on Saturday, October 16, 8 p.m.

Marty Eigen’s Beacon Hill Jazz Band will open its sixth season at the Art Center featuring its new guitarist, the fabulous Flip Peters. Any of you who have attended one of the group’s concerts in the past, know that you are in for a treat. Those who have never been to a Beacon Hill Jazz concert have been missing an entertainment extravaganza. If you are a music lover, come and enjoy!


The band always provides a great evening of entertainment with exciting new music; as well as your favorites from past concerts. The band includes The Beacon Hill Vocal Trio with lead singer Nancy Nelson and piano great, Fred Fischer. All the rest of the dynamic crew will be there to entertain your socks off! After the concert you are welcome to mingle with the performers at the always lively “Meet-the-Musicians” Reception, hosted by WAC’s Claus Cardinal.

Tickets are $18 ($15 for WAC members, $8 for students). Concert is a wonderful night for the family. This band appeals to all ages.

Upcoming Performances

Saturday, Oct. 2, Tracy Grammer “Powerful Women of Song”
Saturday, Oct. 9, The Improvables Family Improv
Sunday, Oct. 10, Kathleen Supové: The Exploding Piano Classicals at the Circle
Saturday, Oct. 16,, Beacon Hill Jazz Band Jazz
Friday, Oct. 22; Saturday, Oct. 23; Sunday, Oct. 24; Jennifer DiOrio’s Offsides Stage Performance
Friday, Oct. 29, A Shehnai-Vocals Evening Indian Classicals

Tickets for all performances, payable by personal check or cash, are available at the door 30 minutes prior to each event. For details, visit www.watchungarts.org/Performances.htm. Reservations may be made on our secure Ticket Reservation page or by calling the Watchung Arts Center at (908) 753-0190 or by e-mailing us at wacenter@optonline.net. Please include your name, phone number, the event and the number of seats desired.