SUMMER CONCERTS

 HUDSON RIVER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (HRPAC) CONCERTS ON THE HUDSON 2018, Free Concerts at Lincoln Harbor on the Weehawken Waterfront. Concerts start at 7 pm; please bring lawn chairs, blankets. Mon, Aug. 27, MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO LEONARD BERNSTEIN. Sat, Sept. 15:  RADIO JAROCHO & ZENEN ZEFERINO. For more info: HRPAC.org. (Pictured: Radio Jarocho & Zenen Zeferino.)

                                   
ARTISANS MARKET

MARKETPLACE JC @ MAGNOLIA LANDING, 136 Magnolia Ave, JC. Sat, Aug. 18, Noon-5 pm. “Marketplace JC brings 20+ artisans, crafters, chefs and vintage sellers to the neighborhood.  This monthâ€s theme is “Vegan/Vegetarian & Animal Rescue.” Come visit the newest pop-up location in the newly renovated plaza behind Journal Square PATH. Live music will be provided by RiverviewJazz.org and will feature some of Jersey Cityâ€s favorite local bands.”

AT THE GALLERIES

BASE GYM, 60 Columbus Dr, JC. (201) 332-2866; www.basenj.com. Now through September:  THE ART OF MOVEMENT, solo show featuring paintings by artist Anthony Boone of JC.  The show also includes the work of lighting engineer Morris Grey. (Pictured: Untitled by Anthony Boone.)

SILVERMAN/The Majestic Theatre Condominiums, 222 Montgomery St, JC. (201) 435-8000. www.Bfly777.com. Through Nov. 4:  FREE TO FLY, Alcohol Ink Paintings by Bryant Small. Show curated by Kristin J. DeAngelis. (Pictured:  Breakthrough by Bryant Small.)

107 Bowers Gallery & Art Space, 107 Bowers St, JC. (201) 280-4821; www.107bowersgallery.com. Through Sept.  REFLECTIONS. Group show featuring the work of Anthony Boone, Gil Grimmett, Yuka Imata, Andrea McKenna and Ibou Ndoye. Show curated by Kristin J. DeAngelis. (Pictured: (l.-to-r.) Paintings by Ibou Ndoye and Yuka Imata.)

 CLUBSCENE

BRIGHTSIDE TAVERN, 141 Bright St, JC. www.brightsidetavern.com. Mon: Jazz Jam Session; Tues & Wed: Karaoke; Thurs: Open Mic Night; Fri: Comedy, Private Parties, Dance, Karaoke, Open Mic; Sat & Sun, Brunch, Private Parties, Dance, Karaoke, Open Mic.

FOX & CROW, Bar & Restaurant, 594 Palisade Ave, JC. www.foxandcrowjc.com. Fri, Aug 24, 10-11:59 pm: JAMES GIBBS III (Brick City Soul Collective).  New season of performers begins Thurs, Sept. 20 with SPAGHETTI SESSIONS SONGWRITER SHOWCASE from 8-10 pm.  (Pictured: Tom West.)

  FOR THE KIDS

  MOVIES UNDER THE STARS, Pier “A” Park, First St. & Sinatra Drive, HOB. www.hobokennj.com. Presented by the City of Hoboken MOVIES UNDER THE STARS are shown every Wednesday night throughout the summer. Movies are at 9 pm. Come early and bring a blanket and/or lawn chair.   

LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER (LSC), Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Blvd, JC. (201) 200-1000; www.lsc.org. Now showing: One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure “Join Sesame Street friends in an out-of-this-world planetarium show!

Explore the night sky with Bird Bird, Elmo, and a friend from China named Hu Hu Zhu. In this show, you’ll learn about the Big Dipper, the North Star, the Sun and the Moon. The show is the newest feature at the JENNIFER CHALSTY PLANETARIUM AND LSC GIANT DOME THEATER at LSC, the largest and most technologically advanced planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. Only three others in the world—two in Japan and one in China—are bigger.”

IN MEMORY OF A FRIEND

NIMBUS GALLERY, 165 Newark Ave, JC.  (201) 377-0718; www.nimbusdanceworks.org. LOOKING FORWARD: REMEMBERING MEREDITH LIPPMAN. Friend and supporter of the arts and artists, Meredith Lippman of Jersey City was also an artist. On Nov. 8, 2015, Meredith passed away, and the local arts community was devatated. In her honor, Meredithâ€s daughter Morgan Steadwell and Meredithâ€s husband John Steadwell have put together an exhibition of Meredithâ€s paintings which will be on view and on auction with all proceeds going to Nimbus Dance Works and other youth scholarship funds. “My mom knew and touched the hearts of so many people in Jersey City/ Hudson County,” Morgan says. “My dad and I thought it was only right to share her art with the community she loved.” The exhibition runs Sept. 7-28; the Opening Reception/Fundraiser is scheduled for Sept. 14, 7 pm-11 pm. Tickets to the auction/fundraiser: $35. (Pictured: Untitled by Meredith Lippman.)

 SEND US YOUR ARTS LISTINGS. If you have an art opening or performances coming up including visual arts, performing arts and street arts, send an email to:  riverviewobserver@gmail.com and weâ€ll list it in ARTScene.  ALL ARTScene LISTINGS ARE FREE.

The post ArtSCENE August , 2018 first appeared on River View Observer.

 By Sally Deering

“Iâ€ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling thatâ€s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” – Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah epitomizes the achievements one woman can make after facing extreme personal and professional challenges; and here in Hudson, many women follow in Oprahâ€s successful footsteps.

March is Womenâ€s History Month, and to celebrate, the Hudson County Office of Cultural Affairs and Art House Productions in Jersey City are planning two events that pay tribute to women and their achievements.

The National Women’s History Project celebrates its 35^th anniversary with WEAVING THE STORIES OF WOMENâ€S LIVES, a theme taken on locally by the Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise, the Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Office of Cultural Affairs.

On Wed, Mar. 25 at 6 pm, DeGise and Committee Chairwoman and Freeholder Caridad Rodriguez will honor local women making a difference in their communities in an awards ceremony at the majestic Theodore Conrad Rotunda on the first floor of the Justice William Brennan Court House in Jersey City.

That same week, on Thurs, Sat and Sun, Mar. 26, 28 and 29, Art House Productions and 68 Productions in Jersey City team up for IN FULL COLOR, A Night of Theater Celebrating Womenâ€s History Month with monologues, poetry and music by 13 writers and actresses who offer a glimpse into their lives as women of color. A portion of ticket proceeds will be donated to the local non-profit WomenRising.

“This night of theater will show people there is this whole spectrum of talented actresses and writers who have hilarious, witty, touching, and inspiring things to say and who are really good at saying them,” director Summer Dawn Hortillosa says.

Hortillosa and Liliane Wolf founded the non-profit theater company 68 Productions to produce works by and for ethnically diverse people. Art House Productions, also a non-profit in Jersey City is committed to the development and presentation of performing and visual arts programs in Jersey City, and presents original theater, music events, visual arts, experimental performance, classes, video/new media and the quarterly citywide arts festival, JC Fridays.

WOMEN OF COLOR SHARE A PEEK INTO THEIR LIVES

IN FULL COLOR presents 13 women of color sharing their stories like dealing with curly hair; men with “yellow fever”; and being mistaken for a terrorist. Writers and actors include Jennifer Cendaña Armas, Karen Eilbacher, Samille Ganges (reading a piece by Alicia Wright), Inés García, Yvonne Hernandez, Amanda Levie, Nicole Miranda (reading a piece by Grisel Acosta), wendelin, Nerissa Tutiven, Shirin Terhune Vazir and Hortillosa, the showâ€s director.

“Summer Dawn Hortillosa has curated a vibrant evening of stories from women we are proud to celebrate,” Art House Productions†Executive Director Christine Goodman says. “IN FULL COLOR gives voice to women of diverse backgrounds and covers topics from the hilarious to the inspiring.”

A sampling from the show includes Shirin Terhune Vazir of Jersey Cityâ€s APPLE PIE & BAKLAVA; Samille Ganges†performance of Alicia Wrightâ€s piece MY CURLY HAIR – Wright is a founding member of Art House Productions†Board of Trustees. Yvonne Hernandez of Newark, who recently performed her one-woman show on romance at Symphony Hall in New York City will perform an excerpt from her piece, MY PUERTO RICAN MOTHER.

“My mother was a comedian who didnâ€t know it,” Hernandez says. “Itâ€s a tribute to her as a Puerto Rican woman who came here at the age of 18 and went through a lot. She had four children and she raised her children on her own because she was a widow. Everything she had to go through, people will get a glimpse into that. Shows like this are a good way for women to get their stories out.”

 Inés Garciaâ€s THE INTERVIEW and THE EXCEPTION by Hortillosa are also on the program with THAT MORNING by wendelin; HARDCORE LATINA PUNK BIRTH FRAGMENTS by Grisel Y. Acosta, performed by Nicole Miranda; and UNTITLED by Amanda Levie of Jersey City who is founder of No Peeking LLC, a blind live arts company.

Actress and director Karen Eilbacher of Brooklyn who holds a BFA with honors from New York Universityâ€s Tisch School of the Arts, will perform her piece HOWLS. Eilbacherâ€s credits include the Academy Award winning short film CURFEW where she was a dancer in a bowling alley. Eilbacher, whose piece HOWLS is about the changing relationship between a young woman and her ailing grandmother, says events like IN FULL COLOR, and the audience feedback they provide can be helpful to her as a writer.

“This show will help me get my work out there and give me the chance to see how people react to it,” Eilbacher says. “It could also help me find new avenues for my full-length script.”

Seeing performances by these women may inspire projects and opportunities for these women, Hortillosa says, both in New York and here in Jersey City.

“Weâ€re in the most diverse city in America,” Hortillosa says. “I think itâ€s really important for people to understand the people of other cultures around them. Cultures exist in different shades. I hope this show encourages tolerance, understanding and interest.”

CELEBRATING HUDSON WOMEN

2015 marks the 35th anniversary of the National Women’s History Project and Hudson Countyâ€s tribute on Wed, March 25^th, WEAVING THE STORIES OF WOMENâ€S LIVES, follows the national model. Previous themes were Celebrating Women of Character, Courage and Commitment in 2014; Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in 2013; and womenâ€s Art, Womenâ€s Vision in 2008.

“We will be honoring women from Hudson County, in a variety of categories, whose courage, strength and spirit in their respective fields and endeavors are special,” Cultural Affairs†Program Development Specialist Meredith Lippman says.

Lippman, along with William La Rosa, Administrator for the Hudson County Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism department and the rest of the cultural affairs staff curate and sponsor the annual event along with the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders and Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise.

“This event is a celebration of the outstanding achievements of women in our community,” County Executive DeGise says. “We are honored to have the opportunity each year to tell their stories, each one of them a vital thread within the tapestry of our shared local history.”

The women to be honored at the Mar. 25^th tribute all have a sense of commitment to community, Lippman says. (At press time, the honorees were still to be confirmed. Go to www.riverviewobserver.net for the complete list.)

At the ceremony, DeGise and Chairwoman Rodriguez will give out medals and certificates to the honorees. There will also be performances by vocalists from St. Dominic Academyâ€s choir and a poetry reading by Alia Oliver, a winner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts†Poetry-Out-Loud contest.

“We want to support our younger women,” Lippman says.

If you go:

 Wed, Mar. 25, 6 pm

WEAVING THE STORIES OF WOMENâ€S LIVES

Hudson Countyâ€s Tribute to Women in the Arts

Justice William Brennan Court House/Theodore Conrad Rotunda

583 Newark Ave, JC

Admission:  Free

For more info:  (201) 459-2070

www.visithudson.org

  Thurs, and Sat, Mar. 26, 28 at 8 pm; Sun, Mar. 29 at 3 p.m.

IN FULL COLOR: A Night of Theater Celebrating Womenâ€s History Month

Art House Productions

136 Magnolia, JC

(201) 915-9911

Tix: $8 in advance at www.InFullColor.brownpapertickets.com; $10 at the door.

For more info: www.arthouseproductions.org, or www.summerization.com.

The post March is Women’s History Month Local Hudson County Events Spotlight Women’s Voices first appeared on River View Observer.

 Artist Meredith Lippman seems the perfect fit for her position as Program Development Specialist for the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development. Lippman empathizes with the artists she advocates for and she works diligently to help them connect with the Hudson community and grow their careers through workshops, newsletters and updates on venues where they can exhibit works.

Hudsonâ€s Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs provides advisory services, technical assistance, grant programs, audience development initiatives, artist round tables and networking events for artists in the community. The Office also hosts tours and lectures on Hudsonâ€s history, promotes historic preservation and presents events that celebrate Hudsonâ€s cultural diversity. Joining Lippman on staff are Eileen Gaughan and Robert Kakolewski, and director William LaRosa.

 Lippman and the crew work out of well-worn offices on the first floor of the Brennan Courthouse building in Jersey City, and even though her office may date back to the 50s, Lippman, like the rest of the staff, is in the cultural loop. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, she took a break from her busy schedule to talk about her work on behalf of Hudsonâ€s artists and the eight years she has spent as Program Development Specialist.

RVO: What are your responsibilities in the cultural affairs office?

ML: Iâ€m a program development specialist. There are certain things I do that are focused on the arts and the arts community like professional development workshops. The early ones I did focused on basic business skills like how to write a write a statement about your work, and how to help your career in terms of business, or focusing on what you want your work to say; the problems of being an artist in a sense. I had a panel of museum Curators talk about what kind of packet (artists) should send them, what they look for. I had a panel of gallery managers who discussed the kinds of work they were showing, the things that interested them and how to approach them. We had a financial advisor talk to artists about how to do your taxes and set up your business.

RVO:  Do you work with other artists besides visual artists?

ML: Yes. Iâ€m interested in theater and dance groups, too, and Iâ€m always asking what can we do to help those groups? Iâ€ll take surveys and send emails asking what would you like a workshop on? What are your concerns? What can I do out of our office that will help you with your goals?

 RVO: What is your educational background?

ML:  I studied philosophy at Adelphi and I went to SUNY Purchase and was in the fine arts program. I did the final at Empire State SUNY and earned my BA. I did about a year full-time studying Public Art in their graduate program and now Iâ€m going for a Certification in Creative Placemaking out of Ohio State University. That was a program that started at Rutgers.

RVO:  Can you explain Creative Placemaking?

ML: Creative Placemaking is how to meld business and culture to help define a city, a municipality, a village, a town. Think of Red Bank, New Jersey. Red Bank was a sleepy little town, I was there in the 70s and as more arts, music and theater began to develop there, Red Bank became more known as a place to go for culture. This impacts the area economically as a plus and it helps to define it, show it as a place that has cultural activity. If youâ€re looking at public art and looking at how art and culture help a place economically, then youâ€re also talking about urban planning. If you were going to curate a county for public art, youâ€re curating it in terms of planning. What type of piece would I put where? How does it reflect the community? How does it interact with the community?  Iâ€m very excited about that. It affects how I think about my job and how I think about the community at large and what else I can bring to the art community and the public. 

RVO: As an artist, what do you bring to your position thatâ€s special or unique?

ML: The easiest answer is Iâ€ve lived the life. Iâ€ve had worked accepted and rejected from shows, Iâ€ve had money problems not earning enough. When I talk to an artist, I know what theyâ€re talking about. I came from the artist community. When I took this job, I packed up my studio. Why? Whenever I worked a job, I always wanted to be in the studio. This time, I wanted to give this job all I had. I wanted to be fully-committed to the job and I felt it was an opportunity for a new phase in my life, which it turned out to be.

 RVO: Is there anything new and exciting coming up for Hudson artists?

ML: Weâ€re excited about Superbowl 2014 coming into the county. What this means is weâ€re getting 150,000 visitors to the area. Itâ€s an opportunity for the business and cultural communities to benefit from that exposure.

For more info:

Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/ Tourism Development

www.visithudson.org

(201) 459-2070

1-800-542-7894

The post Artists’ Advocate-Meredith Lippman, Program Development Specialist for Hudson County’s Office of Cultural Affairs Bridges Artists and Community first appeared on River View Observer.

Metropolitan-area Photographers Spotlight Womenâ€s Strength and Hudson County Dignitaries Honor Women who make a Difference

Feeling rather guilty for not remembering March is Womenâ€s History Month, I began to think about all the great women I have admired. Then I realized, Womenâ€s History Month is not just about thinking nice thoughts about Eleanor Roosevelt (whom I greatly admire); itâ€s about honoring women everywhere who are out there every day contributing to the fabric of our society.

The Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, which hosts 14 arts events a year in the Brennan Gallery at the William J. Brennan Court House in Jersey City, is presenting an exhibit to remind us of the importance of Womenâ€s History Month. Meredith Lippman and Eileen Gaughan of the Cultural Affairs office curated an exhibit of 38 photographs for “In her Strength,” an exhibit by 24 photographers that illustrate womenâ€s courage, energy, tenacity and fortitude. The photos shows women in reflection, with their families, marching for equality, rock climbing, boxing and participating in all sorts of activities. Each of the photos holds a special meaning to the artist which is evident in these candid photos of women in both private and public moments.

“The amazing qualities that women possess often go unnoticed,” Lippman says. “The photographers have captured images of women from around the globe and across ethnic and racial boundaries.”

Artists featured in the exhibit are Heidi Sussman, Gloria Bernard, Tamarra Mohapatra, Debbie Guedalia, Gwen Charles, Tamara Fitzpatrick, Sharon Harvey, Beatrice Mady, Monica Holder, Mildred Kerr, Noncy Ori, Melida Rodas, Kaitlyn Chow, Leona Seufert, India Blake, Roberta Smith, Heidi Sussman, Trang Tran, Kat Wolfe, Mary Pugh Clark, Faruz Ugdah, Lydia Frank, Roslyn Rose and Heather Kurdyla. Many of the artists are professionals and some are on their way, like Heather Kurdyla, 22, of Kearny, a photography major at New Jersey City University. Kurdylaâ€s images are photographs of photos of her great-grandmother Josephine Perna juxtaposed on things she once owned.

“I found some of her belongings and these old photos of her and I wanted to document her life through her belongings,” Kurdyla says. “She was born in 1911 and I thought about all the things she lived through. I was very close to her.”

For 20 years, Robyn Rose of Hoboken was a professional printmaker and used etchings in a lot of her work. She became more involved in photography, doing Polaroid transfers and then started working with Photoshop. Her photograph, “The Suffragettes,” incorporates vintage images of Suffragettes in a time in womenâ€s history that has had a resounding affect on Rose as an artist.

“The Suffragette piece has some personal connection to me,” Rose says. “My sister lives in the Rochester area and weâ€ve gone to historical spots there where there were Suffragette meetings, protests and jailings. Iâ€ve been an ardent feminist since the 70s.”

Debbie Guedaliaâ€s two images in “In her Strength” include a photograph titled “The Bridge,” and “Letter to my Children.” Both works use photography to translate her personal psychological landscape, Guedalia says. “Letter to my Children†is a visual diary of her trip to Poland in August 2010. It contains thirteen color triptychs (three images placed next to each other to create one image) taken over six days of traveling. The triptychs attempt to map out the present-past-present visual world that hides beneath the surface of the landscapes of Krakow, Warsaw, Lubin, Aushwitz-Birkenau, Madjanek, Plaszow and the Lepudowo forest in Poland, she says. They also represent three generations of her family photographed in the memories of those environments and time-frame.

“I created a narrative space that never actually happened, but that the camera has recorded,” Guedalia says. “The image ‘The Bridge†was photographed in Krakow on the bridge that overlooks the Vistula River. All three images contain archival photographs: a sign in Krakow that reads: ‘Jews Forbidden Entryâ€; our guide holding up a book containing a picture of the bridge on which we were standing; and a third image of a girl on the bridge carrying a chair that must be a family heirloom during the evacuation of the Jews. I created these works in an attempt to understand what happened over sixty years ago; and yet, today I still find incomprehensible.”

Feminism abounds in the photographs featured in the “In her Strength” show, which runs through March 25th. Women photographers ranging in age from early 20s to early 90s are represented and the exhibit is a great way to introduce your budding feminists to women who have made a difference.

Our History is Our Strength

Once a year, Hudson County rolls out the red carpet to pay tribute to local women who make an amazing contribution to the quality of life here in Hudson. This yearâ€s program is called “Our History is our Strength” and will spotlight local activists who are usually behind the scenes. It will be held on Tuesday, March 22 at 6:30 pm, in the Theodore Conrad Rotunda and is dedicated to the memory of the late Honorable Shirley Tolentino, JSC, who served on the bench in the Justice William Brennan Court House.
Twenty-five women will be honored for their community service, commitment to social activism and contribution to the quality-of life of all the people who make this side of the Hudson their home. They are: Bernice Lord, senior citizen activist; Cathy Macchi of the Hudson County Office on Aging; Maureen Walliser of Hudson County Enterprises; Rosalyn A. Browne, community activist; Monique Smith-Andrews, community activist for women cancer survivors; Dr. Ofelia Garcia, community activist; Alfa Demmeliash, Executive Director of Rising Tides Capital; and Joan Rosen for career service to the Bayonne Public Schools.
Also being honored are Bali Macchio of the Windmill Alliance; Christina Ellis, Educator, Holy Family Academy; Joyce Adams, health care activist; Netta Meltzer, community activist; Rose Gunther, community activist; Eleanor Mueller, activist for St. Josephâ€s School for the Blind; Jeanette Peña, Union City Educator ; Catharina S. Wolf of the Wrap 4 A Smile foundation; Dr. Madeline Zak, community activist; Rose Marie Evaristo, community activist; Jaclyn Cherubini, Director of the Hoboken Shelter; Shirley M. Dennis, community activist; Rosemary McFadden, Jersey City Deputy Mayor; Carol Kravitz, artist and teacher; Jennifer Cullen, community activist; Elaine Nicoliello, community activist; and Elizabeth Irmia-Ferrer, West New York educator.
The programâ€s MC will be Freeholder Doreen McAndrew DiDomenico, who also chairs the Womenâ€s History Month committee. The St. Dominick Academy Dominoes under the musical direction of Joseph Napoli will sing and special presentations will be given by Ana Tolentino, who will reflect on the influence her late mother had on her life and career; Alisa Reid, a student at P.S. No. 40 in Jersey City who will give a recitation on Sojourner Truth; and Dr. Carmela Karnoutsos, a retired Professor of History at New Jersey City University who will highlight the lives of local women leaders of the past.

“This is a way for us to honor the contribution women have made to the Hudson County community,” say Bill LaRosa, Director of Hudson County Cultural & Heritage Affairs. “Women are doing tremendous things here.”

The Brennan Gallery
Justice William Brennan Court House
583 Newark Avenue
Jersey City
201-459-2070
Contacts: Eileen Gaughan: egaughan@hcnj.us
Meredith Lippman: mlippman@hcnj.us

The post Women Take a Bow- In Her Strenght- Photography Exhibit Now to March 25th -Jersey City’s Brennan Court House first appeared on River View Observer.

 Pictured above William La Rosa, Administrator- Hudson County Cultural Affairs & Heritage Affairs/ Tourism Development; Artist Virginia Kamenitzer(who exhibited two photos),and Meredith Lippman; Program Development Specialist, and Eilleen Gaughan; Assistant Administratorboth Ms. Lippman and Ms. Gaughan are  the curators of the exhibit.

The Exhibit will be held from March 2nd- March 26th

For more photos

Photograher Roberta C. Scott standing near one of her photos in exhibit.

 

 

 

 

Artisit – Photographer and Writer Melida Rodas smiles in front of one of her photos on display.

 

 

Photographer Beatrice Meady poses proudly by one of her photographs on display until March 26th at the William J. Brennan Court House in Jersey City.

 

 

 

The post Opening Reception for “HERSTORY” at Justice William J. Brennan Court House, Theodore Conrad Rotunda, Jersey City first appeared on River View Observer.

Howard Pyle, the “Father of American Illustration,” was also famous for painting historic murals like “The Landing at Carteret” which hangs in the Essex County Court House in Newark and other works collected by the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Delaware Art Museum and the Brandywine River Museum. But you don’t have to hop a plane to Frisco or a train to Delaware to see Pyle’s paintings up close. Four murals depicting the history of Hudson County hang in the beautifully restored, Beaux Arts landmark Justice William J. Brennan Court House in Jersey City, where people from all walks of life can view Pyle’s majestic and historic paintings.  

Adorning public buildings with historic art by contemporary artists was a popular concept at the Turn-of-the 20^th century and Pyle’s murals were hung at the Brennan (then called the Hudson County Court House,) soon after it opened on September 10, 1910 (this is the building’s centennial year.) Pyle’s murals are cherished commodities and respectfully maintained by the Hudson County Cultural & Heritage Affairs Tourism Development office housed on the first floor of the building where the department’s administrator Bill LaRosa and his talented staff – some of whom are artists, performers and writers themselves – carry on Pyle’s legacy:

Every month, the staff transforms the first floor’s Theodore Conrad Rotunda into the Brennan Gallery, a public art space that gives local artists a venue to show their work and the local community a chance to experience art up close and personal.  To LaRosa, his staff and the man in charge, Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise, art is for the people and by the people.

 “The arts community is an important and growing part of our population,” DeGise says from his wood-paneled office on the first floor of the court house. “Ten percent of our capital projects go to public art. The Brennan was built 100 years ago and it’s still very beautiful and useful. There’s a lesson there. Do it right and with an eye toward the future.” 

And while Pyle, a master artist and illustrator of his time chose to look back in Hudson County’s history as the inspiration for the murals he created, LaRosa and the Cultural Affairs crew concentrate their efforts on artists who create contemporary works in all genres of the visual and performing arts.

 “We have some of the greatest murals of the 20^th century on our walls,” LaRosa says from his first floor office steps away from the marble-floored rotunda. “Why shouldn’t contemporary artists have the privilege of being seen here? The court house is an ideal location to showcase art work.”

To respect the dignity of the Brennan which is on the National Register of Historic Places, LaRosa and his crew stage the Brennan Gallery with the clever use of portable walls and strategic lighting.

 “I remember seeing the gallery when it was completed, it was just beautiful,” LaRosa says. “The paintings were up, the lights were on – the rotunda was made for it.”

Because the court house is a government building, the work is seen by a wide-range of people, from the high-ranking government official to the local citizen on their way to jury duty. Seeing everyday people appreciate the art gives LaRosa great pleasure, he says.

  “I’ll see jurors, sheriff’s officers and county employees looking at the art work and that makes me feel good because that’s what it’s designed to do,” LaRosa says. “Art is for everyone.  A public building shouldn’t be cut and dry. If it can serve a higher purpose, then why not?”

Looking back to the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Hudson County was home to many art galleries exhibiting local artists’ work, but times changed when storefront galleries became real estate gold. These days, local art galleries are practically nonexistent and many artists look for alternative venues to show their work like restaurants, office buildings, even city halls.

“There are very few galleries in Hudson County because of property values and lack of accessible public spaces,” LaRosa says. “The Brennan Gallery is one of the few.”

This week, the Cultural Affairs team is preparing for a special exhibit for Women’s History Month called “Herstory” curated by Assistant Administrator Eileen Gaughan and Program Development Specialist Meredith Lippman. The show opens March 2^nd and runs through March 26^th and features black-and-white photographs taken by local women photographers who were asked to go out into the community and photograph other women at work.  

“We thought what better way to celebrate Women’s History Month than with an exhibit of women photographing women working in unconventional roles in fields like architecture and mathematics,” Gaughan says. “Who knows a woman better than another woman and who can celebrate women better than her peers?”

 For the past two years, the Women’s History Month exhibition has given women artists like So Yoon Lym, a photographer and painter, the opportunity to have their work shown. Prior to having her work chosen for the 2009 show, Lym’s work was picked for the February “African Americana” exhibit.

  “For the African-Americana show, the artists had to be of African-American ancestry,” Lym says. “What a revolutionary and contemporary concept – that all Americans are in some way connected to this month and could be through their art work. I have always looked to New York City as the center of the art world and though this is true, it’s great to know that there are venues in Jersey City that showcase and promote contemporary artists.” 

Along with professional artists and photographers who exhibit at the Brennan, LaRosa and his staff present shows by senior citizens, teenagers, even patients from a local hospital. Lippman recalls a group show by students at St. Dominic’s Academy, a Catholic High School in Jersey City, who expressed their artistry in a series of painted wooden chairs.

“It was a knockout of an exhibit,” Lippman says.

As Program Development Specialist, Lippman also runs a workshop series to help artists manage their careers. An artist herself, she understands the problems they face trying to handle their careers while creating their art. So, she assembles panels of professionals who discuss important issues like writing artist statements, knowing what museum curators look for when producing shows, copyrights and other matters.

 “I email the artist community and ask them, ‘What do you need?  Give me an idea of what we can do to help you,'” Lippman says.

Along with the Brennan Gallery, LaRosa and his staff host the Brennan Coffee House, a once-a-month, Friday night hootenanny where the rotunda gets transformed again, this time as an intimate bistro with café tables and chairs. Local folksingers and musicians – some with a national following – perform on a portable stage and the acoustics are just right for folk music.  A pet project of County Executive DeGise who’s a real fan of folk legends like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, the coffee house has become a popular night of entertainment for local music lovers and within the historic setting of the court house, songs of protest and peace seem to resound with a deeper meaning.

In September, DeGise will host a special celebration honoring the Brennan’s centennial year. It’s been a hundred years since Pyle’s murals were hung in the court house, but the concept of giving art justice still holds true today through the work of DeGise, LaRosa and the Cultural Affairs staff.  Providing a public forum for art exhibitions not only nurtures an ever-growing artist population, it nourishes a community’s quality-of-life.

As County Executive DeGise says, “There’s a lesson there.”

 Sally Deering is a freelance writer on art and culture.

For more information, email SallyDeer@gmail.com

 

 

The post The Art of Justice: Howard Pyle’s Legacy Prevails at the Brennan Court House first appeared on River View Observer.