The post River View Observer August 1-August 15 2025 La Festa Italiana is coming first appeared on River View Observer.

  La Festa Italiana 2017 Rocks On in JC

  Holy Rosary Church Celebrates Great Food, Fab Drinks, and Live Music

By Sally Deering

 At every turn youâ€ll see a familiar face at La Festa Italiana Jersey City 2017, Holy Rosary Churchâ€s 114^th 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.)

The entertainment roster is a Whoâ€s Who of talent that gets the hips swaying and the heart thumping. Groups like The B-Street Band, The Cameos and Total Soul know how to get Festa-goers dancing in the streets. Callahanâ€s Hot Dogs, Delenioâ€s pizza, Giaâ€s Gelato and Pure & Simple Flatbreads†brick oven pizzas are just a few of the vendors offering delicious food & libations.

As the countdown to Aug. 9th begins, Holy Rosary parishioners are busily preparing their special La Festa treats like home-made Rice Balls (Arancini) and lemony Limoncello made by The Assunta Wine Girls who, this year, will also be serving Lemon-Limecello and Grapefruitcello. On the 5^th and final day of La Festa (Sunday) Pastor Jurek Zaslona will pick the winner of the “Super 50/50” Raffle. (Tickets for the Super 50/50 can be purchased throughout La Festa.) Last yearâ€s winning ticket-holder won $9,079!

132-YEAR HISTORY

 Founded in 1885, Holy Rosary Church is the first Italian Roman Catholic Parish in New Jersey. Pastor of Holy Rosary Church, the Rev. Jerzy (Jurek) Zaslona, says La Festa Italiana pays tribute to the Churchâ€s 132-year history and strengthens community ties. 

“Traditions and customs define us as a community and La Festa gives us the opportunity to become a more integrated community,” Rev. Zaslona says. “When people come to La Festa, they come for the music and the food, but they also come for the fellowship, to see friends and create happy memories for their children. As a church, we are here to serve the people of Jersey City.”

Entertainment this year has some real standouts for music lovers.

Wed, Aug 9                     DJ Dan E Ariazza

                                             Elio Scaccio

Thurs, Aug 10               DJ Mike Greco

Fri, Aug 11                      The B-Street Band

Sat, Aug 12                     DJ Jude Luongo

                                             The Cameos

Sun, Aug 13    DJ Dan Drake

                                             Total Soul

The B-Street Band (Bruce Springsteen Cover Band) Plays Friday Night

Total Soul, the 9-piece band that plays popular tunes from Motown to Bruno Mars takes the stage Sunday night. This is their sixth year back and two of its members, guitarist Jack Broad and lead singer Derrick Dupree hail from Jersey City. Trombone player Jeff Deitrle says the band enjoys playing La Festa Italiana because it loves to get the crowds dancing in the street.

“We get everybody dancing,” Deitrle says. “Everyone knows our songs because we play the best of the best.”

HOT ZEPPOLES, ITALIAN SAUSAGE & MORE!

La Festa Italiana will be a “Foodieâ€s Paradise” with vendors like Maglioneâ€s Italian Ices; Mozzareppa; VEGBAR Juice+Grub specializing in fresh vegan juices, smoothies, salads, wraps & tacos; mouth-watering Italian sausage sandwiches, Greek specialties, and delicious desserts like home-made Cannolis on sale at Caffe Italiano in Holy Rosaryâ€s backyard.

Callahanâ€s Hot Dogs food truck, which sells those big, crunchy hot dogs smothered in sauerkraut and onions, will also be back. Many locals remember Callahanâ€s roadside hotdog haven that Leonard Castrianni opened back in 1950 in Fort Lee. Castrianniâ€s grandson, Daniel DeMiglio now runs the business and will be manning Callahanâ€s big yellow truck all five nights of La Festa. DeMiglio plans to sell Callahanâ€s famous hotdogs and award-winning hamburgers, and to visit his dad Ronald DeMiglioâ€s old “Village” neighborhood.

“Itâ€s an incredible experience to be at La Festa Italiana and be back where my dad grew up,” Daniel DeMiglio says. “It means a lot to me to be there. This year, our big yellow Callahanâ€s truck will be at La Festa all five nights and weâ€ll be doing classic dogs and fries.”

Other ‘stars†of La Festa are the Seafood Bar serving fresh clams & oysters, and the White Star Bar which offers craft beers & specialty cocktails. The Hourly 50/50s will be on sale throughout the five-day feast with prizes every hour. The popular Money Wheel is back in its original location in Caffe Italiano, located behind the church.

TRIDUUM & PROCESSIONS

Religious traditions are an integral aspect of La Festa Italiana, which honors the veneration of Maria SS. Dellâ€Assunta & San Rocco. A Triduum from Sat, Aug 12 through Tues, Aug. 15 will be celebrated in veneration of Our Lady of the Assumption and in honor of St. Rocco. On Tues., Aug. 15, at 11 am, the Feast Day Mass in veneration of Maria SS. Dellâ€Assunta, a holy day of obligation, will be celebrated by Joseph W. Cardinal Tobin, C.Ss.R., D.D., Archbishop of Newark. A traditional Street Procession will follow.

On Wed., Aug 16, at 11 am, a Feast of Saint Rocco Healing Mass with the Anointing of the Sick will be celebrated followed by a traditional Street Procession.

La Festa Italianaâ€s financial support comes from local sponsorship like Gold Sponsor Star Industries, and Silver Sponsors GothamWest, Monteleoneâ€s Bakery, The Brunswick School, Nicholas J. Grillo, and Commonwealth Trucking/Fleetwood Forwarding. Diamond Sponsors are Catholic Cemeteries, Sorrentino Electric, and Yelp. Riotto Funeral Home is the Silver-Super 50/50 Raffle Sponsor.

“Holy Rosary Church and La Festa Italiana have been pillars of the Italian American Community of Jersey City,” Manager Richard J. Riotto says. â€œIt is a testimony to the organizers and volunteers that have worked tirelessly for generations to preserve their heritage.”

La Festa Italiana is Holy Rosary Churchâ€s special way of saying thank you to its parishioners and neighbors, as it celebrates 132 years of serving the spiritual needs of its parish and the Historic Downtown Jersey City community.

 For many years, La Festa Italiana has been the churchâ€s biggest fundraiser for the restoration and upkeep of the church. During La Festa Italiana 2017, the Church will be open for visitors to see up close the magnificent beauty that is Holy Rosary Church. Visitors are also welcome to donate a 7-day Memorial Candle in memory of a loved-one.

If you go

Wed, Aug. 9-Sun, Aug. 13

(Wed-Fri, 5-11 pm; Sat & Sun, 3-11 pm)

LA FESTA ITALIANA 2017

344 Sixth St, JC

(201) 795-0120

www.lafestaitalianajc.com

www.Facebook.com/lafestaitalianajc

The post ZEPPOLES, RAFFLES, DANCING— LA FESTA IS BACK!!!   first appeared on River View Observer.

Band Returns for a Swinging Night of Tom Waits & Original Tunes

 By Sally Deering

Girl groups are a rare breed of women doing their own thing in the male-dominated music world; they create their own unique sound and groove just as cool as the boys.

Vicki Kristina Barcelona fits those stilettos perfectly – a girl group with its own style, doing music their way. The three singer/songwriter/musicians – Amanda Homi (percussion), Rachelle Garniez (accordion/guitar) and Terry Radigan (guitar) – sing original tunes they wrote and a Tom Waits†repertoire. They perform throughout the Metropolitan area and are returning to the back parlour at Fox & Crow on Thursday, June 22 at 8 oâ€clock for another show.  

And we lucky to have them back in Jersey City.

Along with the Brooklyn-based bandâ€s original tunes, VKB will devote most of the evening to Tom Waits†songs the band has deconstructed and reinvented in their own style. For instance, their rendition of “Temptation” is a sexy, hip-swiveling snake dance of seduction. Waits would be proud.

They are terrific musicians, too. Radigan is an intense, high voltage guitarist and Garniez strums a ukulele-banjo, blows a kazoo and a deftly handles a big-ass accordion so beautifully, she could make a dove cry. Homi, the dark-haired percussionist and a highly-trained vocalist plays lots of interesting percussive instruments throughout the show including a Washboard Tie.

On a recent Monday, Homi took a moment from a rehearsal where she was learning a new instrument – the Gnibri – to talk about how the band hooked-up and what their future plans are.

RVO: How did you get the name VKB? Are you all fans of Woody Allenâ€s movie?

AH: I have to admit; it was my idea originally. I was tossing around a lot of names. For an eclectic female trio, you think of so many names. It seemed to fit.

 RVO:  There seems to be a true camaraderie on stage. Are you friends offstage?

AH: Yes. We get along great. Our last excursion upstate, we were even laughing in the grocery store. Terry and Rachelle are both fantastic women – talented, funny and smart.

RVO: You are a terrific percussionist. I bet you can make beats out of anything. Whatâ€s the weirdest instrument youâ€ve ever played?

AH: Weirdest instrument? Iâ€m learning a new one as we speak. It has three strings and itâ€s a fretless instrument. I wish I knew the correct name for this. (The Gnibri).  I bought it in Morocco, which has some wonderful instruments. I do study percussion and instruments all over the world. I like to be authentic as much as possible.

RVO: How do you collaborate? Do you rehearse often?

AH: We meet up as often as we can. Everyone travels and has different agendas. Weâ€ll meet more often if we have an upcoming gig. I think collectively, itâ€s such a huge repertoire, weâ€ve kind of honed ones we really like to do the most. When a song is not getting there, weâ€ll try to make it work. A lot of arrangements get changed. Some of the songs, we really like it. We do Chicago, but it never felt right, and recently we hit on the right groove and feel. I think at this point, the ones that we stick with, and keep in the set are the ones we constantly want to do.

RVO:  Will you be putting out a CD soon?

AH: We have yet to officially put out a CD. This configuration with Terry and Rachelle, weâ€re only together for over a year. Weâ€re recording very soon.

RVO:  Can you talk about how you mesh your originals with Mr. Waits†tunes?

AH: At this point, it depends on the length of the show. Weâ€ll do two originals each, but focus on the Tom Waits material.

RVO: Do you prefer intimate venues like Fox & Crow?

AH: We feel very comfortable in an intimate setting. Part of performing in a theater setting is to make the audience feel as if itâ€s intimate.

Terry Radigan

 RVO: You have a great singing voice; are you professionally trained?

AH: Actually, I am a professional singer. The percussion thing, I donâ€t consider myself a professional percussionist.

RVO: How would you describe the VKB sound?

AH: I would say weâ€re eclectic. I think thereâ€s a looseness which I really like: always keep a groove and an arrangement. That looseness; itâ€s like falling off a cliff and catching yourself. You want to be confined to your arrangements and you carefully worked them out, but when you perform it, you want to be able to veer a little way off that. Iâ€m a fan of gypsy music. Thereâ€s a very high skill-level musically, but at the same time you have passion and a danger-be-damned, devil-may-care feeling. Collectively, when we tap into that, I think weâ€re at our best.

If you go

Thurs, June 22, 8-10 pm

Vicki Kristina Barcelona band

Fox & Crow/In the Parlour

594 Palisade Ave, JC

(201) 984-2775

www.foxandcrowjc.com

 For info on the VKB band:

vickikristinabarcelonaband@gmail.com

The post GIRL GROUP GROOVES first appeared on River View Observer.

  Film Premieres in Bayonne at Frank Theatres, Friday, May 12

 â€œSometimes life is like a movie; sometimes its better,” – Chuck Wepner as portrayed by Liev Schreiber in the new film, CHUCK

By Sally Deering

Like the Rocky character Sylvester Stallone created based on Chuck Wepnerâ€s 1976 loss in the ring to Muhammad Ali, Chuck Wepnerâ€s match with Ali has been a huge part of his life. Five years ago, the documentary The Real Rocky aired on PBS and coming up on Fri, May 12, CHUCK starring Liev Schreiber premieres at the Frank Theatres at South Cove Commons in Bayonne. Directed by Philippe Falardeau, the film follows Wepnerâ€s life before and after his March 24, 1975 fight with Muhammad Ali. MAD MEN star Elizabeth Moss, Naomi Watts, and Ron Perlman co-star; and according to IMDB, CHUCKâ€s writing credits go to Jeff Feuerzeig, Jerry Stahl, Michael Cristofer and Liev Schreiber.

Live Schreiber as Chuck Wepner in the new

film CHUCK

Bruce Dillin, Wepnerâ€s PR man and owner of Dillinâ€s Tires in Bayonne, where he installed a museum of memorabilia from Wepnerâ€s career, and where Wepner sometimes gives press conferences, says the upcoming film premiere on May 12 is going to rock Bayonneâ€s world.

“Itâ€s the biggest thing to happen to Bayonne, ever,” Dillin says. “Over the years, Chuck was known as the real Rocky, but he never got the acknowledgement for that. He went to court and was given his acknowledgement from Warner Brothers studios that he is the real life Rocky. People were interested in the story, it eventually developed into a documentary, then a movie.”

These days, Wepner is swept away in TV appearances and speaking engagements to promote the show, Dillin says. He has done several talk shows with star Live Schreiber, director Faiardeau, and other members of the cast. Dillin attended the North American Premiere of CHUCK in Toronto, in September, and last Friday, Dillin, Wepner and Wepnerâ€s wife Linda attended the Tribeca Film Festival where the movie was premiering in New York. Meanwhile, Wepner, at 77, continues to stay in shape, especially for the filmâ€s busy PR campaign.

“He works out every day,” Dillin says.

Wepner had a 35-14-2 lifetime record in a 14-year career that ended in 1978. It was March 24, 1975, when Wepner boxed 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali and lost with a broken nose, cuts over his eyes and a bruised ego. But what the Bayonne boxer didnâ€t know was that an unknown named Sylvester Stallone was watching the fight on his TV set and three days later would write the screenplay to ROCKY based on Wepner. The film would become a major hit in 1976 and win three Academy Awards, earning Stallone fame and fortune. Yo! Letâ€s not forget the sequels, too.

More than 20 years later, Wepner sued Stallone over the use of his life story, and the case was settled out-of-court for an undisclosed sum. Since then, the boxer and the actor have been on good terms, Wepner said.

In 2011, Wepnerâ€s life was the subject of The Real Rocky an ESPN documentary on Wepnerâ€s championship boxing career and the backstory behind his bout with Ali. The one-hour documentary was directed by CHUCK screenwriter Jeff Feuerzeig, an award-winning director whose feature film The Devil and Daniel Johnston won top documentary directing honors at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.  On ESPN.go.com, Feuerzeig, who grew up in New Jersey, explained his inspiration for making the Wepner documentary.

“Iâ€ve been a Chuck Wepner fan ever since 1975, when I was 10 years old and my father took my brother and me to Sports Night at the Raritan High School gymnasium in Hazlet to see Chuck, aka ‘The Bayonne Bleeder,†just months before he was set to go up against Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title,” Feuerzeig told ESPN. “There were no figures who loomed larger in this 10 year-oldâ€s imagination than Evel Knievel, Andre the Giant and, especially, Muhammad Ali – “The Greatest” – and here was a 6-foot-5 behemoth (Wepner) in a full-length fur coat…and a ridiculous amount of jewelry leading us in a chant of ‘Whoâ€s gonna beat Ali? WEPNER!†And in that instant, Chuck Wepner became a real-life mythological figure — as real to me as the Jersey Devil that haunted the local Pine Barrens.”

These days, Wepner, the former New Jersey State Heavyweight Boxing Champion who was christened “The Bayonne Bleeder” for the hits he took boxing Sonny Liston, and Linda, Wepnerâ€s wife of more than 20 years, are riding high from the renewed interest in Wepnerâ€s career and the anticipated success of the film.  

One reviewer on IMDB.com, wrote: “Director Falardeau exquisitely turns what might easily have been another boxing movie into a relationship piece illuminating Wepner’s most difficult moments outside the ring. He depicts the 1970’s much like Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver – seedy, wild women, drugs, booze – along with exceptional highs and disastrous lows.”

On Sunday, May 7, Wepner and his wife Linda will enjoy another great success for the heavyweight champ. Thatâ€s the day he will be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame at the historic Convention Center in Asbury Park. A milestone in the champâ€s career and another opportunity for Wepner to get the recognition he deserves.

If you go

Fri, May 12

NJ Premiere of the film CHUCK

Frank Theaters

South Cove Commons

191 LeFante Way, BAY

(201) 437-6600

Fri, May 7, 7 pm

Chuck Wepner is Inducted into

The NJ Hall of Fame

For Tix: www.njhalloffame.org

The post ROCKY STAR Former Heavyweight Champ Chuck Wepner’s Life Now a Major Motion Picture first appeared on River View Observer.

Chuck starring Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts
Chuck is the real life story of Bayonne’s Chuck Wepner,

The post Chuck Wepner’s New Movie “Chuck”, Our cover story for May 1st first appeared on River View Observer.

   A New Home (TBA) to Set the Stage for Popular Arts Center

 By Sally Deering

Stepping inside Art House Productions†performance space behind One PATH Plaza in Jersey City, Meredith Burns tiptoes through rows of stage lights, piles of discarded scenery and the ghosts of plays, musicals, art exhibits and dress-up fundraisers that took place within its walls all these years. But the past is the past and Art House Productions is about to take up residence in a new space with Burns as its new executive director. Thereâ€s still lots to be done and some big shoes to fill.

Those shoes belong to Christine Goodman, who served as Executive Director of Art House since the non-profit first opened its doors 15 years ago on McWilliams place near Hamilton Park, then moved to bigger digs on Magnolia Street near Journal Square. As Art Houseâ€s executive director, Goodman – who is leaving to spend more time with family – directed most of Art Houseâ€s plays, oversaw the INKubator writers†workshop and STAGES! program for kids ‘bitten by the acting bug.â€

Changing of the guard:

Christine Goodman, Meredith Burns,

and a young fan.

 â€œMeredith is exactly the kind of visionary we need to bring us into this next phase of growth,” Goodman says. “Our Board of Trustees did a thoughtful, in-depth search to find the best fit for our organization, and I believe they found the right person. I have always believed in succession planning as a hallmark of an organization’s long-term success. It is truly an exciting new day at Art House.”

As the new Executive Director, Burns brings to the table her experience as both an actress and arts administrator. She holds a BFA in Acting from SUNY Purchase, and performs regularly in New York. Sheâ€s done several seasons of Shakespeare in Washington D.C. and belongs to a sketch comedy troupe in Manhattan.

Although plans are underway for Art House to move into its new space, Burns says the landlords of the new space are busy ironing out the details before making the formal announcement, so for now, Art Houseâ€s new residence is under wraps. Besides, thereâ€s still so much to do before the show goes on, so to speak.

During her busy first week on the job, Burns took a break to share her plans for Art House Productions future as a venue for theater, visual arts, music, spoken word, comedy, arts classes and, of course, those costumed-fundraisers that support the non-profitâ€s arts programming.

RVO:  Meredith, you just came on board last week; where were you before Art House?

MB:  Since 2013, I ran an after-school arts program at the New Voices Middle School in New York.

RVO:  Where did you grow up?

MB:  I was born and raised in Essex Fells, New Jersey a little town next to Montclair. My dad and mom grew up in The Heights in Jersey City. My grandmother went to Dickinson High School. I was coming here all the time as a kid. When my parents divorced, my dad moved back. He was a Jersey City firefighter.

RVO:  Youâ€re an actress as well as an arts administrator?

MB: Iâ€m on a sketch comedy team called The Executives out of the Magnet Theater on 29^th & 8^th Avenue in New York. I guess you would say Iâ€m a sketch comedienne. Itâ€s a great little team. We were on Monday nights and now weâ€re the weekend team. I only started doing comedy the past 2-3 years. Before this, I worked at Pregones Theater in The Bronx and the PR Traveling Theater Company in Manhattan. I was managing director and founding member of the Glass Bandits Theater Company in Brooklyn where we did living room readings and, out of that, produced new work.  I also worked at the Shakespeare Theater of D.C. It was a great experience, I learned a lot.

RVO:  As Art House Productions†new executive director, what are your long-term goals?

MB: My goal for Art House is to keep the lights on seven days a week. I love the theater. I love thereâ€s an art gallery. Iâ€d like to do more mixed-media, maybe a web-series, pilots, more comedy, more dance, spoken-word and poetry. The written-word is super important.

RVO:  Will you continue programs that Christine Goodman put in place?

Yes. We have the Inkubator series, a monthly writers†workshop where playwrights and screenwriters get together and read their work. I want to produce work that comes out of there. JC Fridays will continue and so will the annual Snow Ball fundraiser. In the spring weâ€re having a wine-tasting at Harborside, and an Octo-beer-fest. Our Stages! program for kids will also continue. Itâ€s on hold until we move into the new space.

 RVO: Can you share when you think Art House will be in its new home?

MB: Weâ€re hoping by April. The people running the space want to make the announcement.

RVO:  Has Christine been showing you the ropes for the transition of leadership?

MB: Christine is one of the most gracious people Iâ€ve ever met. She is excited for this organization. She understands it needs fresh eyes, new energies. Everything she built is sound. The programs she created are sound. Sheâ€s given me a blank canvas. This is the dream Iâ€ve always had.

RVO:  You dreamed of being an arts administrator?

MB: This is such a dream! When I was acting, I loved performing, but I needed to produce something. I like producing.

 RVO:  How will you let your audience know when the curtain goes up at the new space?

MB:  Weâ€ll keep everyone updated on the website (arthouseproductions.org). Weâ€ll probably have a “Welcome to the Neighborhood!” performance, show people what we can do.

RVO:  Thereâ€s seems to be a threat to end funding for the National Endowment looming like a storm cloud over the arts. As an artist and arts administrator, can you share why you think the arts are important?

MB:  Now more than ever, the arts connect us to humanity, and help us explore what it means to be a human being.

The post LEADING LADY Meredith Burns takes on the role of Art House Productions’ Executive Director first appeared on River View Observer.

Paintings by the late Elmira Wood and photographs by Mickey Mathis on view at Galleria Hudson in Jersey City.

By Sally Deering

Downtown Jersey City, on the corner where Jersey and Newark Avenues meet, Galleria Hudson frame shop just got a little more interesting. John and MaryJean Frohling and MaryJeanâ€s son Henry Greenfield took over Galleria Hudson just a few months ago and made some changes. Along with framing services, and large-format photo-printing, Galleria Hudson now offers local artists a venue to show their work.

February is Black History Month, and the Frohlings and Greenfield are spotlighting local photographer Mickey Mathis, a Jersey City resident who can be seen, camera in hand, strolling through local neighborhoods capturing light as it spills onto buildings, and freeze-framing moments in time. Mathis has been chronicling Jersey Cityâ€s neighborhoods for more than 20 years. He made his mark as a New York photographer taking pictures of celebrities and big events like the Ali-Frasier fight.

“As a street photographer, you tune into the area youâ€re at,” Mathis says. “You have to get in there without someone saying ‘get outâ€. I allow the image to happen. I donâ€t push my images. At the decisive moment in time, it only exists that second.”

“I like the fact heâ€s not afraid to go to all out,” MaryJean Frohling says. “Looking at this beautiful winter scene, you realize he was standing in a snowstorm. But it was worth the shot.”

“You can tell from his work, heâ€s been around Jersey City,” Greenfield adds. “He knows Jersey City. He showed me his portfolio and we chose which pictures we liked that showed a range of Jersey City, images that people are inclined to buy. The showâ€s only been up one week and we already sold one piece.”

On view with Mathisâ€s work are paintings by the late Elmira Wood (1941-2013) an impressionist painter who captured scenes of country life – a man with a donkey, a girl playing among colorful butterflies. Born in Philadelphia, Wood spent much of her life as a social worker and moved to Jersey City where she lived more than 40 years. Her paintings have been compared to those of Grandma Moses, and like Moses, Wood discovered she had a passion for painting while in her 60s. It happened during a 3 am bout of insomnia.

“I often wake up in the middle of the night and begin painting the images I see in my dreams,” Wood once said. “I never quite know how the final work will turn out.”

“Elmiraâ€s paintings fuse dozens of colors to produce abstract scenes and figures in rural and small town settings typical of African-American society,” Greenfield says.

One fan describes what he feels after seeing Woodâ€s work: “You feel happy and come away with an uplifted feeling of peacefulness.”

 FRAMES FOR ART; WALLS FOR ARTISTS

 â€œGallerie Hudson was always a frame shop,” Frohling says as customers come and go on a chilly Monday afternoon. “Back in October, the previous owners were going to sell the business. MaryJean and I decided to buy it. Henry came to help out and found he had an interest and a talent.”

Greenfield, a math teacher, says he gets his talent for framing from growing up with a creative mom.

John Frohling, MaryJean Frohling & Henry Greenfield outside their new gallery & frame shop GALLERIA HUDSON

“Sheâ€s specific in describing something when it comes to color, style,” Greenfield says. “I grew up with that and its second nature to me. When it comes to framing, I can see whether the style of the frame fits the mood of the piece, I know how to pay attention to all the things happening in a piece of art.”

The main framer, Jessica Tirado of Jersey City, has been at Gallerie Hudson for several years. Frohling says: “We like her very much. She does a great job.”

The Frohlings and Greenfield say they feel very strongly about making Gallerie Hudson a venue for local artists to show their work. They want the gallery to be more interactive with the community, Greenfield says. A hub for special events. Theyâ€re already planning a JC Fridays happening at the store on June. The team is also offering artists and local businesses discounts.

“Weâ€re civic-minded,” Frohling, a lawyer and founding member of the JC Landmarks Conservancy says. Heâ€s also Founding President of the Victory Hall Cultural Center. “We want to get involved in the local arts community, and be a successful small business in Jersey City.”

 
If you go

February: Mickey Mathis & Elmira Wood

Gallerie Hudson

197 Newark Ave, JC

(201) 434-1010

www.galleriehudson.com

Hours: Tues-Fri, 11 am-7 pm

Sat, 10 am-6 pm

Mickey Mathis Photography

The post ART MATTERS Galleria Hudson Jersey City Celebrates Black History Month first appeared on River View Observer.

 

By Sally Deering

 Photos by Fermín Mendoza

You can see it from Rt. 139 feeding into the Holland Tunnel or catch it from downtown Jersey City as you head into Hoboken. David Bowieâ€s image 18-stories high on the side of the Cast Iron Lofts in Jersey City, painted by international muralist Eduardo Kobra.  Bowie passed-away January 10^th of this year, but his music and artistry live on throughout the world; and Kobraâ€s mural is now part of the Jersey City landscape, an urban landmark and the latest addition to the Jersey City Mural Arts Program.

On Fri, Nov. 4, Mayor Steven M. Fulop, members of the City Council, local real estate developers, and local artists welcomed Kobra to Jersey City and thanked him for painting the dazzling, eye-catching image of David Bowie. Mayor Fulop held the press conference on the buildingâ€s 5^th floor deck where visitors could get an up-close look at the mural, and meet and take pictures with Kobra who spent the past few weeks painting from a scaffold hanging 180-feet off the side of the Cast Iron Lofts hi-rise on Jersey Avenue.  

The Mural Arts Program which links established and emerging local, national and international mural artists with property owners city-wide is part of a beautification project to reduce graffiti and engage local residents. Murals are painted on walls throughout Jersey City, turning Jersey City into a public art gallery. According to Mayor Fulop, public art is a shared experience.

“Iâ€m a believer in public art,” Mayor Fulop told the crowd. “If you look at every period of time, public art is a reflection of whatâ€s happening during that time. Itâ€s symbolic of the times we live in. Iâ€m proud of what weâ€re doing. Jersey City is a thriving art community, and a welcoming community.”

Real estate developer Paul Silverman of Silverman Properties in Jersey City, attended the event. Silverman, who owns several properties in Jersey City, said having artists paint murals on buildings enhances the aesthetics of Jersey Cityâ€s architecture and brightens up the vibes in the neighborhood.

“A mural brings attention and discussion,” Silverman said. “It improves the buildingâ€s value and it helps make people proud. It changes your feelings about a neighborhood.”

 “I think itâ€s awesome,” local muralist 4Sakn of Jersey City said. “The scale and the colors. The geometric shapes mixed with realism.”

4Sakn sees the mural of David Bowie as a tribute to Bowieâ€s influence on the music industry. He said, “Itâ€s a memorial to Bowie and all the music he created.”

Kobraâ€s fame as a mural artist is as international as his mural projects. He just earned entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for the “largest spray paint mural by a team” for his “Ethnicities” mural featuring five faces from five continents painted outside the Rio 2016 Olympic stadium. Working with a four-person crew, Kobraâ€s murals enhance the landscape of many major cities throughout the world including London, Athens, Lyon, Los Angeles and New York.

Kobra, who is Brazilian and spoke through an interpreter, was asked why he chose an image of David Bowie to paint on the Cast Iron Lofts.

“I wanted to paint David Bowie because he is an icon and I wanted to represent his life to all of his fans,” Kobra told the assembled guests. He mentioned how thrilled he was to be in Jersey City and how an early visit to New York City when he was a boy helped shape his love of art.

“When I was 12, I was inspired by New York artists,” Kobra said. “Thatâ€s what made me who I am today. I have enjoyed working on this project. Itâ€s been a privilege and honor to be here.”

Artists John Ruddy and John Falcon are the curators of the Jersey City Artist Studio Tourâ€s gallery on the first floor of the Cast Iron Lofts building. Ruddy said Kobraâ€s mural of David Bowie stretches the limits of identity and creativity.

“An icon like David Bowie is a local hero in the spiritual sense,” Ruddy said.

“Itâ€s timely,” Falcon said, “and to have someone on the level of Kobra is great. Heâ€s painted one of the biggest murals in the world.”

Falcon said the Murals Project has established Jersey City as an art city.

“Art helps maintain Jersey City as an art-centric city,” Falcon said. “I hope a lot of other developers finance and pay local and international artists to work.”

Anne Novado, who is soon opening the Novado Gallery on Morgan Street in Jersey City, compared the mural to one of the ancient wonders of the world.

 “Its great energy,” Novado said. “Itâ€s a wonderful interpretation of David Bowie. By the scale of the piece, I would compare it to the Pyramids of Egypt.”

For more info on the

Mural Arts Project, go to

www.jerseycityculture.org

 

For more info on Kobra, go to

www.eduardokobra.com

 

 

The post KOBRA & BOWIE Int’l Muralist KOBRA paints 18-story David Bowie in Jersey City first appeared on River View Observer.