JCs Cathedral Arts Festival to Host “Big
3-0” Gala, Sat, May 18
Artists, Friends & Grace Church Community
to Come Out & Celebrate
By Sally Deering
Gentrification Towers by Fermin Mendoza will be on view at CAF
It’s probably the hippest church
in Hudson County: a congregation of people from all walks of life, where artists
are not only welcomed, they’re celebrated.
On Sat, May 8, beginning at 7 pm,
Grace Church Van Vorst on Erie Street in Jersey City will host its 30th
Anniversary celebration of the CATHEDRAL
ARTS FESTIVAL (CAF), a gala of friends and community members coming together
to support the church’s outreach and regale in artworks by local artists. This
year, five curators have put together an exhibition of eclectic art that will dazzle
and inspire. Beth Achenbach, Cat Hecht, Robinson Holloway, Andrea Morin
and Amy Elise de Jong.
Hoboken’s Mile Square
Theatre Presents Big Bunny Laughs
Kids Will Love This Popular Children’s Musical Based on the Best-Selling Book
What happens when a family unknowingly brings home a vampire
bunny much to the dismay of the family’s cat and dog who must save the family
from this “wascally-wabbit”?
“On a dark and stormy
night, the Monroe family decides to go see a movie. Their pets Chester (the
cat) and Harold (the dog) patiently await their return. When they finally come
home, they come bearing a surprise: they have found a bunny in the movie
theatre. However, this is no ordinary rabbit…this is the extraordinary
Bunnicula! When the family’s produce starts losing its juice, Chester thinks he
knows what is causing the fantastic phenomenon: Bunnicula is a vampire who
sucks the color out of the vegetables! Or maybe Chester’s imagination is
getting the better of him. Singing and dancing their way through this hilarious
mystery, the furry friends find room in their hearts, and in their home, for
one very unique bunny.”
Bring the kids to solve the hilarious mystery of BUNNICULA,
now showing at Mile Square Theatre, Hoboken’s resident professional theatre
company. This family musical runs through May
5 at the company’s 14th Street theater; and, the plot goes
something like this:
The children’s musical was written by Jon Klein and Chris Jeffries; Jillian Carucci
directs. Bunnicula brings back some recognizable artists to the MST
stage, too, like Joelle Zazz, who played Violet in MST’s recent It’s a
Wonderful Life as Chester, and Cameron Blankenship who played Rikki
in The Garden of Rikki Tikki Tavi returns as Harold. Rachel
Eddy, who delighted audiences as Lucy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie
Brown plays Toby Monroe, and Andrew Baldwin (Core Values, 12th Night,
Rikki Tikki Tavi) will employ his puppetry skills as Bunnicula.
The creative team includes resident scenic designer Jennifer Price Fick, costume
designer Stefanie Genda,
resident lighting designer Matthew
J. Fick, resident scenic painter and prop designer by Emmett Grosland, and puppet
designer Mary Gragen Rogers.
Estimated run time: 1 hour and 20 minutes.Recommended
for ages 5+.
“I encountered this extremely entertaining young audience
play about 25 years ago when I was working with Seattle Children’s Theatre,”
MST Artistic Director Chris O’Connor says. “It’s funny, engaging, entertaining,
and wonderfully adapted from the well-known book by Deborah and James Howe.
It’s another great example of theater for young audiences that goes from the
page to the stage. I love how plays like this ignite the imagination of young
people and also get them enthusiastic about reading the source material. This
will be a great show for school groups and for families looking for a rich
family experience.”
Mollie Thonneson, President of Pro Art JC, with one of her colorful hanging sculptures at Art Fair 14 C
Art Fair 14C Created Had Big Turnout at The Hyatt
in Jersey City
Two Floors of Art and Hundreds of Art Loving
Guests Attended
By Sally Deering
Imagine a high-end hotel
transformed into an art gallery with mobiles hanging in entranceways, sculptures
grouped on end tables, and paintings draped on easels made of bed pillows.
Creativity and artistry practically bounced off the walls at the Hyatt Regency
in Jersey City, last weekend, when artists exhibited their works, and networked
with other artists and art-lovers.
On
Friday March 15 and running through Sunday, March 17, the Hyatt Regency on the Jersey
City waterfront was where 50 galleries booked rooms on two floors of the hotel,
hung original art on the walls and flung open the doors to art-lovers. Guests
had the opportunity to roam the hotel’s 8th & 9th
floor and visit the galleries that exhibited some terrific paintings,
sculpture, mixed-media and more in their respective hotel rooms.
Penguins by Barbara Fiore
There was the group of “Penguins”
by sculptor Barbara Fiore; the true-to-life “Red Fan” by Christopher Stott, and
alcohol art paintings by Bryant Small. Members
of Pro Arts in Jersey City, including president Mollie Thonneson, showed their
work including Thonneson’s colorful hanging sculptures that fluttered
gracefully when someone walked by.
Linda Streicher, Bryant Small, Mollie Thonneson and Christine Barney of Pro Arts at Art Fair 14C
As groups of art lovers strolled through
Pro Arts exhibition, Thonneson said that her experience at Art Fair 14C was
extremely positive. She was joined by artists Linda Streicher, Bryant Small and
Christine Barney.
Red Fan by Christopher Stott
The
event was sponsored by the Jersey City Arts Council and curated by volunteer Executive
Director Robinson Holloway, the founding Chair of the Board of Trustees of the
Jersey City Arts Council who stepped down in January 2019 to run Art Fair 14C. Holloway
created and runs two non-profit art galleries – the Gallery at 350 Bleecker in
New York City, and Village West Gallery on Newark Ave in Jersey City.
Jersey
City artist Theda Sandiford exhibited collages like her “Foxy Brown for
President” piece.
Foxy Brown for President Theda Sandiford Jersey city
David Barnett, who creates 2D-and-3D
collages and sculptures exhibited several works including a dog with mechanical
parts he created as an homage to his pup, Oscar; and a mechanized man in a hat.
Sculpture by David Barnett
“I like
merging the idea of humanity and technology,” Barnett said. “Where one begins,
the other ends.”
Only in Nohu’s Founders Glenda Guevara, Cindy Rodriguez and Javiera Rodriguez
What happens when a North Hudson artist, writer and marketing specialist get together? They meld their passions for art & culture and become the founders of Only in Nohu, a grassroots online newsletter that highlights happenings in North Hudson.
SMUSH GALLERY, 340 Summit Ave, JC. www.smushgallery.com. Opens June 15 (Opening Reception 6-9 pm) and runs through Fri, July 6, (Closing Reception 6-9 pm): MODERN LIFE: paintings by Tom Wolf. “The opening reception will feature a performance by The Prom Dates.” Performance at 7:30 pm.
FRAGMENTED IDENTITY, 389 Washington, St, JC. Opening Reception Fri, June 8, 7-9 pm. (The show runs through July.) Solo show by Theda Sandiford, a self-taught installation and mixed-media artist based in Jersey City. “Theda began exploring her artistry by transforming collected materials into mixed-media works, photographing her process and then digitally manipulating these images to extend the narrative as part of her personal mythology.”
NOVADO GALLERY, 110 Morgan St, JC. (201) 744-6713; novadogallery.com. Through Sat, June 23: PERMUTATIONS OF VULNERABILITY. The International Sculpture Center presents an exhibition of artists in ISCs residency program at Mana Contemporary. Artists in the show are Carole Halle, Jessica Taylor-Hale, Christina Dietz and Dominic Sansone.
MANA CONTEMPORARY, 888 Newark Ave, JC. www.manacontemporary.org. Through Aug 1 on the 1st & 5th Floors: PLEASE TOUCH: BODY BOUNDARIES. “The show is an exhibition of more than 50 artists who reference the body to illuminate conceptions of identity, femininity, and the gaze.”
A life in art, that’s exactly what William La Rosa set out to do in his 30-year tenure as Director of the Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs. Before retiring in September 2017, La Rosa facilitated programs that helped local visual and performing artists. He founded the Local Arts Program (LAP) grants that, over the years, provided thousands of dollars to local artists and arts organizations.
Pulitzer Prize Play Resonates in These Turbulent Times
By Sally Deering
A three-hander – a play featuring three actors – can be an intimate theater experience, especially when its performed in Mile Square Theatre’s gem of a performance space on Clinton Street in Hoboken. In this case, the three-hander is the Pulitzer Prize winning play Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry, the story of an aging Southern Belle, Daisy Werthan, and her aging African-American chauffeur, Hoke Colburn. During the course of the play, these two seniors, with a lot of history behind them, cover 25 years of a relationship that begins as a thorny dance between two strangers and develops into a deep love between two friends.
Count Stovall, Barbara Broughton, Matthew Lawler star in “Driving Miss Daisy” at MST in Hoboken
Driving Miss Daisy opens Wed., Jan. 31, and runs through Sun., Feb. 25, and features Barbara Broughton, Count Stovall and Matthew Lawler. Broughton, who plays Daisy, was recently seen on Broadway in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. Stovall, who plays Hoke, was in Broadway’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Lawler, who plays Daisy’s son Boolie was in MST’s Betrayal and has been seen in ABC’s The Family. Continue reading A FINE ROMANCE Mile Square Theatre’s Driving Miss Daisy opens Jan. 31→
Many things happening these last few weeks of September and our River View Observer September 15-September 30, 2017 issue has the information you need to go out and have a great time as we move into fall. Check out our latest issue with plenty of things to see and do-Enjoy!
Holy Rosary Church Celebrates Great Food, Fab Drinks, and Live Music
By Sally Deering
At every turn you’ll see a familiar face at La Festa Italiana Jersey City 2017, Holy Rosary Church’s 114th annual “Old World” Italian Street Festival to be held in Downtown Jersey City. For five consecutive days and nights, from Wed, Aug. 9th through Sun, Aug. 13th, Sixth & Brunswick Streets will be rockin’ with live bands, swinging soloists, fabulous foods, thirst-quenching drinks and frolicking fun for the kids. (Hours are Wed-Fri, 5 pm-11 pm; Sat & Sun, 3 pm-11 pm.) Continue reading ZEPPOLES, RAFFLES, DANCING— LA FESTA IS BACK!!! →
Rustic Hip Sets the Tone at Gringo’s in Jersey City
By Sally Deering
Photos by Fermin Mendoza
Gringo’s Jersey City,It’s the only restaurant in town with a sawed-off milk truck in the dining room. Gringo’s, the new Mexican eatery that just opened a few weeks ago in Downtown Jersey City features a sawed-in-half milk truck where Chef Rick Truocchio and his crew prepare dishes like Holy Mole tacos and Guac. Continue reading GRINGO’s JERSEY CITY -FOUR ‘GRINGOS’ & A TACO→
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