“Barns” by Louise Palagyi
During the month of April, the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury will host a watercolor exhibit entitled the “Four Seasons” by Louise Palagyi. The show will run from April 3 through April 26 and will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Palagyi is a local artist, gallery board member, and Cranbury resident. more
Now through April 23, Peddler’s Village presents the 4th Annual PEEPS in the Village, an event that showcases the creative talents of regional residents — and the longstanding allure of the colorful candies. Guests will see more than 100 marshmallow masterpieces carefully crafted with bright bunnies and chicks in inspired, inventive settings. more
Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) is partnering with Madhusmita Bora, a folk and traditional artist, teacher, and trained journalist, as she gathers oral histories to present a wide range of diverse and uniquely personal stories within the Indian American community in “Local Voices: Memories, Stories, and Portraits,” opening April 23. more
The Philadelphia Art Museum will be offering free admission on February 25 in honor of a month-long celebration of Black history, culture, and art. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., a series of programs and activities will be offered to engage visitors of all ages in the work of Black artists and revolutionary thinkers. more
On view through April 2, the after-hours, multi-sensory light and sound exhibit “Night Forms: Infinite Wave” is back for a second season.
Designed to engage and highlight the horticultural collections at Grounds For Sculpture, “Night Forms” uses lighting, sound, video, and projection mapping, a process which artistic group Klip Collective pioneered. Building on the success of the first season, some popular works, such as Frog Head Rainbow have returned. The Main Loop path leads visitors through the grounds as more than a dozen installations punctuate the dark. Patterns of light are syncopated to original soundtracks while glitches appear out of the corner of the eye, reminding us that behind every dreamlike visual is an invisible array of computer code. In this way, visitors will be able to analyze what they truly see in unique ways. more
Philadelphia Zoo now presents Lumi Nature — a celebration of plants, animals, and the natural world highlighted by more than a million twinkling lights across 14 illuminated zones throughout the Zoo grounds, on view through January 7. Recognized as the brightest holiday show in the greater Philadelphia area, the Lumi Nature event takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. on select days. more
Walk among the dinosaurs on December 17 and 18 when Jurassic Quest, North America’s most popular dinosaur show, stomps through the Pennsylvania Convention Center. This show will excite the whole family with life-like dinosaurs, some of the largest rideable dinosaurs in North America, live dinosaur shows, interactive science and art activities including a fossil dig and real fossils like T-Rex teeth, a triceratops horn, a life-size dinosaur skull, a “Triceratots” soft play area for the littlest explorers, bounce houses, and photo opportunities. more
This holiday season, the Monmouth Museum Train Display will make its much anticipated return, brought to the public by Hackensack Meridian Health – Jersey Shore University Medical Center. The nostalgic display opens November 19 and runs through January 8. It features four Lionel trains winding through an over 30 foot exhibit of towns, mountains, cities, and more. Alongside the trains, the Main Gallery hosts the 20-foot holiday tree and Pat Brentano’s show, “Consider the Trees.” The Nilson Gallery will showcase artwork available for purchase from museum members. more
On Saturday, November 19 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, November 20 at 2 p.m., join a guided walking tour of the campus collections with a Princeton University Art Museum guide and discover a variety of artworks by modern and contemporary sculptors, from Henry Moore to Maya Lin. Learn about materials and techniques and explore elements of design and balance. more
The Philadelphia Museum of Art now presents “Matisse in the 1930s,” on view through January 29, 2023.
This colorful exhibit explores changes in the artist’s work across multiple formats, including easel and decorative painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and the illustrated book. The artwork also addresses the methods of working that renewed Matisse’s style, as well as his modern renderings of mythological themes from antiquity, his depictions of female models in the studio, and his partnership with his studio manager and model, Lydia Delectorskaya. more
Founded by the Monmouth County Arts Council in 1979, the “Annual Juried Art Exhibition” has been presented at the Monmouth Museum since its inception. In 2011, the museum assumed complete sponsorship of this annual exhibition. That year, it opened the call for entries to an international audience. As a result, the “Annual Juried Art Exhibition” has become an exceptional representation of the creative talent and contemporary art trends across the United States and the world. more
Vibrancy and imagination abound at the Chrysanthemum Festival at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa. On view through November 13, visitors will observe thousands of carefully nurtured and trained flowers in Longwood Gardens’ Conservatory, including the Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum, a single plant bearing more than 1,000 fiery colored blooms on a single stem. more
Tyler Park Center for the Arts, located at 10 Stable Mill Trail in Richboro, Pa., will host the Crafts in the Meadow Juried Invitational Fine Art and Crafts Show on October 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and October 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $10 (free for members and children under age 12). Pets are not allowed. This event will take place rain or shine. more
The Phillips’ Mill Community Association celebrates its 93rd Juried Art Show at Phillips’ Mill, the landmark 18th-century grist mill on River Road just north of New Hope, from September 24 through October 30.
Considered the birthplace of Pennsylvania Impressionism, the organization was founded in 1929 by William Lathrop and artist friends of the New Hope School including Daniel Garber, Edward Redfield, Fern Coppedge, John Folinsbee, and Mary Elizabeth Price. Their organization was devoted to exhibiting the works of their day, just as today’s juried show is devoted to the artistic spirit of today. more
On Thursday, August 3 at 6:30 p.m., join Monmouth University Professor and former U.S. Army Fort Monmouth Command Historian Melissa Ziobro for a talk on how the U.S. Army Signal Corps employed women as telephone switchboard operators during WWI. The “Hello Girls” worked long hours to ensure battlefield communications. Their chief operator, Grace Banker, hailed from New Jersey. After the war, the women fought for veteran status, and they are being considered for a Congressional Gold Medal today. more
Confronting the rising tide of plastic waste, Susan Hockaday and her family fill the world with music, art, design, adventure, and good chemistry
By Ilene Dube | Photography by Andrew Wilkinson
Several years ago, artist Susan Hockaday was invited by First Lady Tammy Murphy to exhibit her fine art photographs of plastic detritus at Drumthwacket, the official residence of the governor of New Jersey. Hockaday has photographed the non-biodegradable remains of our civilization from all vantage points: flying overhead with a pilot friend; weaving in and out of old ship skeletons in a boat graveyard in Arthur Kill, the tidal strait between Staten Island and New Jersey (“I never had more fun, it was like being 16 years old,” she said); under water at Cape Breton Island; and on tabletop tableaus in her studio.
“Soft petaled flowers, weathered branches, polished stones, and shells blend with man-made objects,” Murphy wrote in the accompanying exhibition catalog. “Yet, upon closer inspection, a menacing struggle disrupts the ostensibly harmonious scene. Plastic containers, twisted bits of rope, and nets slowly entwine and strangle their organic counterparts.”
Why is the artist obsessed with plastic waste?
“Plastic has now bonded with biology,” Hockaday writes on her website, referring to the Great Garbage Patches of plastics in our oceans. “Plastic has become my symbol of climate change, of a planet being overwhelmed by millions of destructive changes in the rhythms of nature.” Whether working in drawing, etching, photograms, papermaking, or photography, she has, over the decades, focused on the unruliness in nature.
While putting together the show for the Princeton-based Drumthwacket Foundation, Hockaday welcomed the curator on a studio visit to her Hopewell home, a refurbished barn that — in contrast to unruly nature — is elegantly appointed with a George Nakashima dining table, Hans Wegner chairs, Eero Saarinen chaise, Charles Webb sofa, and George Nelson lamps. As the two were chatting, Hockaday observed a snake clinging to the stone fireplace surround.
Ever resourceful, she donned a pair of rubber gloves, seized the reptile, heaved it outside into the woods, and shut the door. “Barns are notoriously permeable,” Hockaday calmly stated during a recent interview. “Animals are continuously trying to get back inside and sometimes succeed. I took off the gloves, and we never talked about it. She was a really nice person. We felt a teeny bit embarrassed.”
The story illustrates both the artist’s embrace of the natural world, its unruliness, and her fortitude in dealing with its intrusions. more
As part of the Arts Council of Princeton’s new ART OF series, the organization presents Art of Horticulture: Exploring the Landscape at Grounds For Sculpture on Sunday, September 18 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
From collecting art to tasting wine, this series will introduce participants to the endless creativity and innovation within the greater Princeton community. Created by locals, for locals, these all-inclusive experiences require no supplies and no commitment. Just call your friends and the Arts Council will do the rest. more
On view through September 5, 2022, at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, “The Pigeon Comes to Jersey City!” celebrates the art and characters of beloved children’s book author and illustrator Mo Willems. This young learner exhibition features best-friend duo Elephant and Piggie, faithful companion Knuffle Bunny, and The Pigeon, the wiley city bird best known for his antics in Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! more
The annual Borough of Glass Art Walk and Night Market will take place on Saturday, July 16 in Glassboro Town Square from 5 to 10 p.m. This is a free, family fun event and there is something for any art enthusiast or casual observer to enjoy. Food vendors will be on-site selling food and non-alcoholic beverages. There is ample free parking and signage. This is a rain or shine event. Live entertainment includes glassblowing and circus performances, among others. more
Image Source: https://www.zuzu-gallery.com
Located in the heart of historic downtown Lawrenceville, Zuzu Gallery will host a summer opening to celebrate the works of award-winning artist Sherri Andrews on Saturday, July 2 from 2 to 6 p.m. Stop in for food, drinks, chat with the artist and view her mixed media paintings and collages.
Located at 23 Phillips Avenue (next to Vidalia Restaurant), Zuzu Gallery occupies a charming cedar storefront originally built in 1890. The location plays host to invited artists working in a variety of media, such as painting, pottery, sculpture, and photography. more
