Tag Archives: Beth Achenbach

A Solo Exhibition by Beth Achenbach

Beth Achenbach-Peace

Curated by Catherine Hecht
Part of the Jersey City Art & Studio Tour (JCAST 2025)                                                     

October 4 & 5, 2025 — Alley Cat Gallery, Jersey City, NJ

Beth Achenbach Cancel Culture-Crushed

In what may be her final participation in the Jersey City Art & Studio Tour, artist Beth Achenbach presents One More for the Road, a two-day solo exhibition of her photographic and digital work in the intimate setting of Alley Cat Gallery. Unlike years past, when she shared exhibition walls, this year’s event is a full takeover: every wall, every image, every gaze is devoted to her creative vision.

One More for the Road-Group Image

For more than two decades, Achenbach has made JCAST weekend a homecoming of sorts — greeting friends and neighbors, meeting new art collectors, and sharing her evolving bodies of work. This October, she leans into both celebration and reflection: the show is a mark of gratitude, a moment of closure, and an invitation for viewers to journey with her through the images she has created and the stories she has told.

“For me, JCAST has always been about connection—welcoming people into the space, sharing stories, and finding beauty in unexpected places,” says Achenbach. “This show feels like a love letter to the community that has supported me since 2002. It’s both a celebration and a goodbye.”

Achenbach is also partnering with two special guest makers, who will host tables during the show:

Each guest artist brings their own creative energy, offering works that echo or contrast with Achenbach’s themes. Their presence is also a nod to the collaborative spirit of the arts community she’s been part of for so long.

About Beth Achenbach

Beth Achenbach has been an active voice in Jersey City’s arts community for more than 20 years, participating in JCAST since 2002. She was the first visual artist ever featured at Art House Productions, her art was included in “Vital Voices”, the first ever LGBTQ+ group show in JCAST, and she has been recognized as a Jersey City Cultural Leader by the city. Known for transforming everyday objects into striking compositions. Achenbach’s visual language hovers between fragility and resilience, which is seen in her ongoing exploration of discarded objects, still life, and textured surfaces. From her acclaimed Crushed series, in which discarded cans become poetic forms, to more recent explorations of still life and layered textures, Achenbach’s art is grounded in the act of seeing differently. Art House Productions, Inc.+1

Her exhibitions at Alley Cat Gallery have become annual touchpoints for visitors returning year after year, eager to see how her work evolves. Through her practice, Achenbach has not only shared images but also fostered dialogue—about art, community, and the stories embedded in the overlooked corners of life.

Join Beth Achenbach for One More for the Road—a singular exhibition that honors more than two decades of creativity, community, and connection in Jersey City.                                                                                                                                        

art gala’s ‘big 3-0’

   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.

25th Cathedral Arts Festival to be held Apr. 18th in Downtown Jersey City

River View Observer Cathedreal Arts Festival
2013 Cathedral Arts Festival, Grace Van Vort Church by Steve A. Mack

Grace Church Van Vorst celebrates Art and Community

 By Sally Deering

Bronze+Sculpture+by+Seth+Alexander
Bronze Sculpture by
Seth Alexander

Back in the late 1980s and early 90s, many considered downtown Jersey City a tough and gritty place for off-the-grid artists and blue-collar workers. It was during that time Grace Church Van Vorst, an Episcopalian parish in downtown Jersey City opened its big red doors on Erie Street, and welcomed local residents, many of them artists, to participate in the Cathedral Arts Festival.

On Sat, April 18, Grace Church’s big red

Painting for 2015 Cathedral Arts Festival
By Kathyrn Mecca

doors will open once again, this time for the 25th anniversary of the Cathedral Arts Festival beckoning local residents and friends to once again enjoy a gala of art, entertainment, food and drink. Under the leadership of Reverend Laurie Jean Wurm and congregants Bayla Kallstrom as chairwoman, Amy Elise as head art curator and other dedicated artists and residents, the Cathedral Arts Festival will once again bridge art and community in this neighborhood parish.

Continue reading 25th Cathedral Arts Festival to be held Apr. 18th in Downtown Jersey City

Candy Crush; New Works by Photographer Beth Achenbach Capture the Joy of Sweets  

By Sally Deering

 Girl with Bubble Beth AchenbachGood n’ Plenty, Pixy Stix, Zots, Necco Wafers – these are just some of the candies kids snacked on back in the day and that still evoke childhood memories in adults of all ages. People seem to connect through the shared experience of reminiscing about candy; everyone knows someone who can wax poetic about wax lips.

PixyStix by Beth Achenbach in NOSTALGIA  River View Observer  Double Bubble Bubble Gum, Bon-o-mo Turkish Taffy, Lemonheads, Dots, Pop Rocks, Candy Buttons – the candy list is endless – and photographer Beth Achenbach of Jersey City believes her photographs of candy will help people make happy connections at her upcoming exhibit NOSTALGIA at the Mary Benson Gallery in Jersey City. Continue reading Candy Crush; New Works by Photographer Beth Achenbach Capture the Joy of Sweets Â