This year’s CAF Gala is themed “Starry Night” and will feature, along with the art exhibition, bubbly champagne, delicious food, hip-swaying music that gets everyone dancing, and a silent auction. Founded in 1989, CAF is the largest and longest-running celebration of artists and the arts in Hudson County.

“This year’s submissions reflect the zeitgeist of these polarizing times, with images evincing anger and frustration as well as idyllic yearnings for harmony and peace,” Amy Elise de Jong says. “The exhibition will illustrate a range of human emotions in such a way that I think every guest will find a piece they can relate to.”

All artwork is for sale with a percentage of each sale going to Grace Church for operational and outreach activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, religious services and adult education, Grace Van Vorst Community Services (non-profit, 501c3) and the Grace Senior Center for Healthy Living, which provides various services to the elderly. Grace’s Breakfast Plus Program also provides hot meals on Saturday and Sunday for those who are hungry and homeless in Jersey City.

“Thirty years after launching, Cathedral Arts has fulfilled its vision of becoming a community center for worship, the arts, community organizing, outreach services, community meetings, activities and just plain enjoyment,” CAF Chairwoman Bayla Kallstrom, says.

The Cathedral Arts Festival is supported by local Jersey City businesses, which advertise in the program guide featured during the gala, and with items for the silent auction. Sponsors in the past have included Silverman, Goldman Sachs, and Provident Bank.  

“The Cathedral Arts Festival celebrates the tradition of the cathedral as the center of community life,” de Jong says. “(It’s) a place where all are welcome. Where people hungry for community can find a home.”

If you go

Sat, May 18, 7 pm

30^th Cathedral Arts Festival

Champagne Gala

39 Erie St, JC.

Tix: $50 in advance: $60 at the door

Cathedralartslive.org

For info: (201) 892-114