GOSPEL NIGHT AT WAC...

GOSPEL NIGHT AT THE CENTER Featuring TROY BRIGHT of the Kurt Carr Singers Saturday, February 19, 8 p.m Tickets:  $18, $16 members, and $8 students Come experience a night of inspiration with gospel vocalist Troy Bright of the Kurt Carr singers, accompanied by his six-member choir and four-piece band. Troy Bright is a New Jersey native by way of Chicago, Illinois. For many years, he served as Minister of Music at Faith Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, where his father was the Pastor and founder. Since then, Troy has operated as musical director for many music ministries and groups. Troy is a member of the epic ensemble, the Kurt Carr Singers, and is a featured soloist on Kurt Carr’s most recent CDs, “Awesome Wonder,” “One Church” and “Just the Beginning.” His talent has afforded him the opportunity to sing for and record with other music greats, including Donnie McKlurkin, Donald Lawrence, Karen Clark Sheard, Tramaine Hawkins, Bishop Paul Morton, Marvin Sapp, J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise, Celine Dion and Kenny Lattimore. Link to my website The Center which has been presenting a wide-variety of art exhibitions, classes and performances is open to members and the general public. Tickets can be purchased in advance online or by check (made payable to Watchung Arts Center) and mailed to the Center with your name and number of tickets. Tickets can also be purchased at the door by check or cash however seating is limited.

Come in out of the cold...

COME IN OUT OF THE COLD...attend a show or visit the galleries and warm your soul with the arts!

The Nields

Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $18 online, $23 at the door

Nerissa and Katryna Nields have been the darlings of the coffeehouse/festival scene since 1991, with tunes ranging from off-the-hook idiosyncratic to kicking to heartbreaking. “Our parents were total folkies,” says Nerissa. “Their first date was a Pete Seeger concert and their second was a Harry Bellefonte...We grew up on simple folk songs.”

The rhythm section from the Nields’ former eponymous five-piece band remains the same, with Dave Chalfant on bass and Dave Hower on drums. Now, the hot electric guitar leads and the folk-rock attitude are replaced with banjos, accordions, mandolins and a more refined sensibility. Beautiful voices weaving through muse inspired songs will leave the audience feeling like a kid at the campfire — young, easy, and trouble-free.

The Studio

Hidden Worlds

Upper Gallery

Wednesday, February 2 - Saturday, February 26

Opening Reception:

Sunday, February 6 from 1 - 4 p.m.

The Studio Group from Montclair consists of eight serious artists working in all different media — painting, printmaking, fiber, collage, sculpture, ceramic, encaustic, and photography. The exhibition features the works of artists Susanna Baker, Rachel Leibman, Yvette Lucas, Keely McCool, Rayna Gillman, Susan Lisbin, Leona Mahler-Sussman, and Lisa G. Westheimer.

In Hidden Worlds, we explore ideas of obscuring and revealing, through abstract, metaphorical and literal works, “other” worlds are perceived through the individual visions of the artists in our group.

Mare Vacaro

Reflected Body: A Solo Exhibition of Works

Wednesday, February 2 - Saturday, February 26

Opening Reception:

Sunday, February 6 from 1 - 4 p.m.

Waiting for Oliver 2_MareReflect is defined as giving back or exhibiting as an image, likeness or outline. This exhibition creates a dialogue between the images that reflect the standards of femininity as they relate to societal expectations and seeks to question whether beauty can be redefined currently.

Mare Vaccaro photographs herself in domestic settings that depict beauty and adornments from past eras. Her work asks the viewer to reflect on the standards of femininity, the societal definition of beauty and the art of masking as a means of questioning what is real and what is not.

Upcoming February Events

* Sunday, February 13 at 3 p.m.  - Classicals-at-the-Circle:Min Kwon and Friends

* Saturday, February 19 at 8 p.m. - A Night of Gospel with Troy Bright of the Kurt Carr Singers

* Sunday, February 27 at 3 p.m. - Paul Nagle's Regency Ragtimers

Check out our website www.watchungarts.org for more information, to purchase tickets online, or become a member! Support the Center and keep the arts alive!


The Watchung Arts Center
18 Stirling Road
Watchung, New Jersey 07069
US

To the Patrons and Members of the Arts Center,

May you have a Healthy and Happy Holiday Season!

Warmest wishes for a wonderful New Year,

The Staff and Board of Trustees of WAC

JANUARY BRINGS TWO EXCITING PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITIONS

Upper Gallery – Heinz Otto – “My Creative Images”

Heinz W. Otto is a self-taught Creative Photographer who has gained International recognition because of his unique process of Experimental, Manipulation in printing his pictures. He has been using a camera since he was 16 years old. Heinz has been exhibiting since 1975 and has had exhibitions at Lever House in NYC, The Eastman House in Rochester, NY, Taipei, Taiwan, Manila in the Philippines, Austria and Germany, and an 8 month Kodak exhibit in Disneyland, CA. He has had pictures published in Austria, Belgium, Germany, and in the industrial publication Iron Works.

Heinz has entered International Exhibitions and accumulated acceptances and honors worldwide. For many years his standing was Third in North America, and Seventh Worldwide. In the star rating system of Photographic Society of America in monochrome prints, he is the only photographer to achieve the level of Sapphire star, which is 1600 acceptances.

Although he has retired from active exhibiting at the age of 90, he is still currently taking pictures and working in his darkroom.

The Watchung Arts Center is proud to present a retrospective of Mr. Otto’s extensive body of work. Heinz Otto has served for many years as a dynamic force on the Board of Trustees of WAC, including serving as President, and continues to be a strong advocate for the arts.

Lower Gallery – Joe Guerriero- “CUBA: Streets, Struggle, and Spirits (“Calles, Lucha, y Espíritu”)”

A country that is as complex in culture, history, and politics as Cuba seems to beg an outsider to view it in a way that attempts to make sense. A well-known Cuban ex-patriot once told me, “You will never understand the Cuban people.” My response is, “How I see it is how I understand it.”

In my many visits to Cuba, I have photographed what I perceive to be three domains of life there:

The streets: life played out in music, camaraderie, and the sounds of neighbor calling to neighbor; dark allies at night and playful squeals in the day. The peeling paint on the buildings seems to form a lively backdrop to the gestures of athletic movement.

The struggle: sculpted onto the faces of a strong and patient people whose use of the word “lucha” (struggle) is heard to my outsider’s ears more frequently than even they seem to realize.

The spirit: found in the religion of Santeria, which is the calm eye of the storm that is the struggle itself. Music abounds in this spirit with a blessed beat.

It is easy to see how these three domains are interrelated. It is evident in the very co-existence of the Cubanos themselves as neighbors and as compañeros. Time has made Cuba what it is today, as it has been for 48 years: a beguiling and continuing mystery for Americans and other foreigners. I was told by another who herself has been drawn back again and again to the island, “People find their own Cuba,” and this work is a testament to that truth. No doubt the coming years will bring significant change to Cuba. But whatever happens, the country’s essence, however tempered by change and commercialization, will, as always, be danced passionately in the streets.

Sunday, January 9, 1 - 4 p.m., free of charge

Artist Reception – Upper and Lower Gallery

Please remember that while the facility is on break the Center is accepting enrollment in all adult and youth art and dance workshops and classes. In addition, the Summer Art Camp for Children has opened for registration and all tickets to upcoming performances can be puchased online or by check mailed to the Center.

ENTER NOW DEADLINES EXTENDED FOR ART EXHIBITIONS AT WAC!

ARTISTS RECEPTION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7 FROM 1 - 4 PM

ART EXHIBITIONS WILL RUN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER

Wednesday, November 3 – Saturday, November 27

Lower Gallery – Lorraine Glessner– "Rows"

The ‘Rows’ series focuses specifically on the marks of walls of in the urban environment. Walls, and what we choose to display on them, whether interior or exterior, have always played a critical role in shaping the identities of the inhabitants of which they embrace. Most cities don’t eliminate, they only get bigger as they build upon and incorporate existing infrastructure. When a row home has been demolished, one can still see the outlines of staircases and rooms along the existing walls between which it once stood. Traces of the lives lived there are reflected in the wallpaper, paint, mirrors and marks of life still left on those walls. Death is just as clearly evidenced through other marked walls by way of sidewalk memorials and written messages to those who have died there. Decorative patterns, marks and messages traced from these walls are combined with found papers and materials through the use of layers of encaustic paint. Through a continuous process of accrual and removal, concealment and exposure, life, death, hope and the determination for renewal is revealed.



Upper Gallery – New Jersey Photography Forum - “ 16th Annual Juried Exhibition”


The New Jersey Photography Forum will be holding its 16th annual juried exhibit at the Watchung Arts Center The opening reception will feature the recognition of awards to individual arttists including   Awards of Excellence and Merit. Admission is free, open to the public and offers an opportunity to meet many of the fine art photographers whose work will be on display. Approximately 50 photographs will be selected from the membership of the New Jersey Photography Forum and public submissions by three judges.
The jurors are: Stephen McKenzie: Manager, Newark Museum Arts Workshop; MFA, Rutgers University; Mason; Mason Gross School of the Arts, Inventor of Mega-Print printing process. Ken Hubbard: Advertising, training for new products and technology, and Trade Show Supervisor for Tamron USA, Inc.; portrait and fine art photographer. Ellen Denuto: Professional photographer in Portraiture, Fashion and Products and exhibiting fine artist.

The exhibit will be curated by Nancy Ori of Berkeley Heights, who is the founder of the New Jersey Photography Forum with assistance by Ann Merten from Bridgewater. These annual exhibits contain a variety of photographic processes representing the current breadth of expertise in New Jersey fine art photography. Many historic processes will be shown along with the best in digital photography.

The New Jersey Photography Forum is dedicated to furthering the interests of professional and serious photographers. The group is now in its 16th year of development and has become the largest and most recognized group of fine art photographers in New Jersey. The monthly meetings at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey in Summit, NJ encourage attendees to share expertise and advance their skills. The meetings provide access to current creative and technical information for use with film and digital.
You can get information about entering the show and learn more about the New Jersey Photography Forum by visiting their web site at www.njphotoforum.com or by contacting Nancy Ori at nancyori@comcast.net.

ZOE MULFORD TO PERFORM SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6 at 8 PM AS PART OF THE POWERFUL WOMEN OF SONG SERIES AT WAC

Zoë Mulford, an award-winning transatlantic singer-songwriter, guitarist and banjo picker, grew up near Philadelphia but has lived in Manchester, England for the past several years. She has been described as “a brilliant, highly original songwriter who delivers her music with warmth, sincerity and a bit of a twinkle” by Rich Warren, host of “Midnight Special” and “FolkStage” on Chicago’s WFMT-FM.

Mulford pens short story-like songs that are evocative, well-crafted and endlessly varied. Whether focusing on a doomed polar expedition, drivers on I-95, wayward ghosts, practitioners of love against the odds, or the contents of her own refrigerator, Mulford’s vivid storytelling, engaging stage presence and down-to-earth humor promise listeners an enjoyable evening. Her lyrics are “intelligent, thought-provoking, and so warm that they demand that you get to know this person better” says Bob Gramann, host of the Fredericksburg Songwriters Showcase in Virginia. Backing her clear voice with acoustic guitar or claw hammer banjo, Mulford intersperses her own songs with selections from the music that inspires them — American and British folk ballads, old-time banjo tunes, and the work of songwriters ranging from George Gershwin to Richard Thompson.

As Phil Shapiro, host of “Bound for Glory” on WVBR-FM in Ithaca, NY, puts it, “Zoe’s a fine and whimsical singer-songwriter, alternatively powerful and funny… You’ll find her to be just plain delightful.”

Tickets are $16 online at zoemulford.eventbrite.com, $21 at the door.

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.