Read what is happening at jcast this weekend!

 JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop, the Jersey City Municipal Council, and the Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs present the 2014 Jersey City Art & Studio Tour, a FREE self-guided tour featuring more than a 130 galleries, artist studios and pop-up exhibition spaces. The tour will take place from 12 pm to 6:00 pm throughout the city on Saturday, October 18th and Sunday, October 19th.

The 24th Annual Jersey City Art & Studio Tour is a weekend celebration of Jersey Cityâ€s diverse and burgeoning art scene that features over 600 artists and venues that include galleries, studios, public art, live music and performances, food, drink and parties. This year’s exhibitions include visual art, multimedia, film, music, performance and everything in-between.

Every year the tour attracts thousands of visitors during its two-day run. The Jersey City Art & Studio Tour is New Jerseyâ€s premier art and cultural event, and is free and open to the public. 

“Jersey City has one of the most vibrant arts communities in the region and the Annual Studio Tour is a way for residents and visitors to view the art, meet artists, purchase artwork and support our growing arts community,” said Mayor Fulop.  “In addition to dozens of new sites throughout the city, the tour this year also includes an interactive website with a geolocation feature and mobile apps.”

The Jersey City Art & Studio Tour Kick-Off Party is open to the public and will be held from 6 pm to 10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17th on J. Owen Grundy Park at Exchange Place, featuring opera by Roland Burks, dance performance by Your Move: New Jersey’s Modern Dance Festival, and live music with Manouche Bag,Sylvana Joyce & The Moment, the Milwaukees, and Cecilia Celeste.

The Village neighborhood in Downtown Jersey City has flourished over the past year and will be bustling with events over the JCAST weekend, including “The Whiskey Rebellion” at Village West Gallery, The Original Fifty8 Reunion Show at Mary Benson Gallery, and The Raven Galleryâ€s Group Exhibition “Nesting.”

The Bergen/Lafayette and Greenville neighborhoods have also expanded their participation with more than 15 separate exhibitions that include an afternoon of visual art and music in Ummiâ€s Living Village Community Garden at 612 Communipaw on Saturday, Raku and Pottery Throwing demos at Evening Star Studios, and a “Glass Jam” at the glass art studio of Larry Feldman.

This yearâ€s Jersey City Art & Studio Tour features a personalized online guide at www.thejcast.com that makes it easier than ever to find clusters of activated arts areas in all major neighborhoods. Visitors can find events nearby with an advanced geolocation feature that pin-points your neighborhood and offers event suggestions in your radius with walking and driving directions.  Visitors can search by artist, venue, and neighborhood with the advanced search tool and get up to date details on what’s happening.

Printed Tour Maps can be obtained from our Tour Welcome Tents at the Grove Street PATH Plaza, City Hall and various locations around Jersey City during the weekend. Complimentary upgraded shuttle busses will run in 15 minute intervals on the following routes:

Route 1:
– Grove Street PATH
– 150 Bay Street
– Erie Street & Pavonia Avenue
– 500 Palisade Avenue
– Perishing Field (the Heights)
– Newark Ave / Brunswick St

Route 2:
– Grove Street PATH
– Newark Avenue & Brunswick Street
– 399 Halladay Street
– 11 Monitor Street
– 612 Communipaw Avenue
– 660 Grand Street

Route 3:
– Grove Street PATH
– 136 Magnolia Street / Art House Productions
– 888 Newark Avenue / Mana Contemporary (Saturday Only)
-  50 Dey Street / Canco Lofts
– 2039 Kennedy Blvd. / NJCU Galleries
– 128 Winfield Avenue / Project Greenville
– 140 MLK Drive / Bethune Center

Tour Highlights:

Bergen/Lafayette:
The Shua Group - http://thejcast.com/item/shua-group-performance/ – World famous percussionists STEPHAN GARIN (France) and SAM SOWRYDA (New York) and dancer/choreographer TZVETA KASSABOVA join Shua Group (Jersey City) for a performance of live percussion, dance and light. Audiences move through an environment of immersive drumming on steel beams, hand held spotlights and ghostly movement. Set in a former metal working garage in Jersey City and the space of artist Elaine Hansen.

The Heights:

500 Palisade – Community exhibition featuring over 50 participating artists, including the curated show “Don’t Play With Fire.”

126 Sherman Avenue - http://thejcast.com/item/bojana-coklyat/ – Artists Bojana Coklyat and Michael DiFeo met over a year ago at an art show in Jersey City and are now living together, creating new works in their “artnest” in the Heights! Come over and help them celebrate new inspiration and a collaborative vision.

Journal Square:

Mana Contemporary – 2nd, 4th, 5th Floors – Saturday only, 12-6

136 Magnolia Avenue, Art House Productions - http://thejcast.com/item/art-house-productions-obsolescence/ – Inaugural visual art show at Art House Production’s new location: How do contemporary artists engage with obsolete ideas, materials, processes or technology? Do they infuse the obsolete with something new, or embrace it on its own terms. Is there something to be had from mining what might seem passé? The artists of Obsolescence present alternatives and opinions if not answers to that quandary.

150 Dey Street, Canco Lofts – Group exhibition and multimedia displays.

Downtown:

Dylan Egon at Marco & Pepe – “22” - http://thejcast.com/item/dylan-egon/

The Drawing Rooms – 180 Grand Street – 2 full floors of group exhibition.

Alley Cat Gallery – Alley on Coles between 4th & 5th, featuring Beth Achenbach and The Silver Sculptor
114 Brunswick – Iris Records Presents Michael Ambrose

29 McWilliams Place – Community exhibition featuring mural artist Mark Samsonovich, Reviv JC, The Farm Mechanic and more

247 10th Street – Bar Luca: Community exhibition “Book Arts & Literary Wonders” with Instigatorzine, Lucy Rovetto, and more.

The Mayorâ€s Office, Jersey City Municipal Council and the Office of Cultural Affairs are grateful for the support of our generous JCAST 2014 Sponsors, Bank of America and SILVERMAN.

 Photo of Mural by Finlain Magee-Remembering Clouds 

The post 2014 Jersey City Art & Studio Tour East Coast’s Fastest Growing Art Scene Features Hundreds of Artists and Exhibitions, Galleries, and Live Entertainment first appeared on River View Observer.