call for Greenville art, greenville project

Hope you have all been having a very good summer!  I'm excited to invite you to participate in our next group show which will be featured

during the September JC Fridays weekend (Sept 6th & 7th) as well as on display during the Jersey City Artists Studio Tour weekend (October

5th & 6th).

The theme of the show is simple:   I  GREENVILLE

We are seeking visual art of all styles (paintings, photographs, collage, drawings, sculpture etc) made by people living in Greenville

or depicting Greenville in some way.  So if you live (or lived) here you get free rein!  You have earned it and it will be my pleasure to

provide a space in the neighborhood to share and display your work pertaining to anything you like.  If you live in a different neighborhood but

would like to participate just make sure that your work somehow pertains to Greenville....use it as an excuse to visit and take pictures or make sketches,

learn more about our neighborhood at the library (we have a beautiful branch on Kennedy Blvd which also houses the Afro-American Historical Society Museum)

or online and create a collage or an essay or a timeline....or some other neat Greenville inspired projects : )

Also, in the hopes of adding another dimension to the mix, we are looking for MUSIC this time as well!  Bands, singer/song writers, poets

and rappers are encouraged to get in touch with me as I would love to schedule at least one audio element as a main event for each of the

days in question.  So if you are reading this and are involved with music, please write...either with a description of your own music or with

ideas on folks to contact who might be interested in performing.

As always there will be light refreshments from some of our nearby neighborhood businesses as well as a great exhibit to check out!

From a promotional point of view, any spreading of the word is much appreciated....post on your facebook page or tell your friends and

neighbors who might like to participate or come visit!  I will have flyers and postcards to hand out myself but to also share with any

of you who would be able to spread them around the city at local businesses, libraries, churches and other neighborhood spots for info.

And of course for those of you who participate to invite your friends and family with.

Speaking of which many of you have become MY friends (and my Jersey City Family : ) and I would love to be able to mail you a postcard,

with a stamp and everything, so please let me know your mailing address if you would enjoy receiving some old-fashion, tangible mail.

Hoping to create a nice map for the show with pushpins for people to show where in Greenville they either live, have lived or have

possibly depicted in their work, think it would be a neat interactive feature : )

Ideally it would be great to have everyone's work by August 31st, but as always I'd rather be flexible and have a great varied show

if people need a little extra time...just make arrangements with me.  But let's just say, for arguments sake, DEADLINE AUGUST 31ST.

email to elizabeth deegan

from home to heartbreak and back, Bojana Coklyat solo exhibit

From partially losing her sight to type 1 diabetes to having her heart broken, Jersey City Heights artist Bojana Coklyat has been through her share of trials.

Next week, the 34-year-old will share paintings born from her personal journey in her solo show “From Home to Heartbreak and Back” at restaurant, bar and art gallery LITM.

The past five years have been a wild ride for Coklyat. In 2008, she became legally blind when diabetes caused blood vessels in her eyes to burst. In 2011, she received a kidney and pancreas transplant that changed her life, allowing her to live without dialysis and insulin injections as well as allowing her to keep some of her sight.

Other adventures include teaching art at St. Joseph’s School for the Blind, going back to study fine arts at New Jersey City University (she hopes to eventually be an art therapist) and a few relationships, good and bad.

“My health has improved, I’ve adjusted to my vision, I’m back in school which has been a huge goal for years, I’m in a happy, healthy relationship…all these things are coming together,” says Coklyat. “And I’ve noticed that in the past year, my work has a similar feel to my stuff from the past couple years but there’s definitely a lighter feel.”

Before, Coklyat’s female figures, rendered in her signature bold, moody lines, often cast their eyes down. Now, they look viewers square in the eye.

“To me it signifies more of a comfortable confidence,” she says. “There’s something different going on. A lot of my stuff in the past couple months are much lighter, sweeter. Even my color palette is lighter with pastel blues and white…I’m letting go a little bit more, letting myself be looser with the brushstrokes and lines…there’s more joyful energy.”

Alongside her happier paintings, the artist is also going to show some of her “hurt” paintings, dark works that she says actually have helped her find hope and healing.

“The show spans from 2009 to now and in that time I’ve had two relationships and two break-ups. One happened after my transplant, which was really hard, devastating and crushing. It’s funny because I felt it should be the happiest time of my life but I was just crying all over Jersey City!” she says with a laugh.

“The paintings I do out of catharsis, they’re so dark. I was looking at them recently and I thought, ‘I don’t need to keep these hurt paintings anymore.’ I have some from 10 years ago and I thought, ‘I’m not carrying this around anymore!’ And I painted over them. I painted funny, happy, sexy paintings.

“I am taking all the old hurt and changing it around. I am molding these paintings into something more current with how I feel now. All those paintings and experiences are part of me and make me who I am now but I am able to transcend them and turn them into something positive,” she says.

Earlier this year, Coklyat’s ability to overcome adversity (and a tip from LITM curator Andrea Morin) got her a spot in an art show that was videotaped for “Girls Interrupted,” a reality show pilot that might find its way onto Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network.

At the show in New York City, which was organized by You Are a Warrior, which aims to help people connect socially to find healing, Coklyat and several others shared their stories about overcoming things like Hurricane Sandy, cancer or being transgender.

Coklyat also works with visually impaired kids ages 3 to 21 at St. Joseph’s, which will have a juried art show for high schoolers in Hudson County next year. She is also helping to curate a show for the Jersey City Artists Studio Tour at the school in October.

“From Home to Heartbreak and Back” opens Tuesday, Aug. 6 with a reception at 7 pm at LITM, 140 Newark Ave. For more information, visit Coklyat’s website.

article by Summer Hortillosa for the Jersey City Independent

J City Theater call for theater production participants

We here at J CITY Theater, continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy.  We had hoped to be able to see you this Spring - but many factors led us to make the hard decision that continued recovery was needed.  Our standards for excellence are very high - and when we feel that we can't meet them - it is better to wait.
That being said, we are using this rare down time to build a stronger foundation.  J CITY  has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years and it is time to expand our team to grow along with our audiences.
Over the summer we will be looking for people who are in love with theater and want to participate in this exciting time of renewal.  Open positions are:
Technical Director
Lighting designer
Publicity Director
Community Development Expert
Volunteer Coordinator
Stage Manager
Also - we are looking for Board Members - those who would be interested in having a greater investment in the growth and success of J CITY.  So please get in touch with us if you want to be a part of our exciting coming season.
We'll be back!
www.jcity.org

Floody groovey Creative Grove artist market

Big after storm floody moody creative market and show down on the plaza:
the community comes together with even more joy,
new  ideas and initiatives being brewed,

the spark for wind and solar power, pedal power will get us to showcase ideas and
demos of local manufacturers of such devices soon.

DJ Pastiche on the decks with his Berlin trophys in electronic treasures,


Chill out with our independence charme and
hunger for innovation:
CREATIVE GROVE artist & designer market JERSEY CITY !!

Grove Street PATH plaza,
our central community square downtown

fridays, 3  - 9 pm, all year.
rain, shine, hurricanes, heat, or economic crashes,
we hold down the fort.. through art

Gaia art Gala at City Hall

October 19th, 2012 City Hall 280 Grove Street Jersey City, NJ 3rd Floor

A night of food, drink, music and ART. Please help us continue to serve our cultural community by donating a work of art for this benefit. 100% of the sale of all artworks will go towards _gaia programming. _gaia has been creating programs for artists in the Jersey City community for 10 years. We are celebrating this milestone with our first ever Gala Fundraiser. Your support will allow us to continue to carry out our mission for the advancement, visibility, and development of emerging artists. Our Gala will be held on Friday, October 19, 2012, at City Hall in Jersey City, NJ. There will be a reception at 6pm and a running silent auction until 10 pm. Free admission.

gallery reopens, Hudson Reporter, Jersey City

Locomotion Cara Christopher art show closing reception

"Midnight Locomotion" closing party @ Pianoland/Morgan junction (196 Morgan Street)

Cara Christopher will be displaying her original pieces in the Backroom Gallery. All of Cara's artworks and hand-painted shoes, are for sale and will help benefit the gallery.


... We're bringing you a front room reception (9 - 12)
and an after hours dance party (12 - close)
with:

"Pony Boy" Marco and his buddy Epona

"PiBBeR" aka Tater Salad


as always, ALL AGES and NO BYOB
as always, ALL AGES and NO BYOB
as always, ALL AGES and NO BYOB
.
.
Gallery and Very Vintage hours:
Friday 5pm - close
Sat & Sun 11am - 10pm

Please contact carachristopherstudio@gmail.com for more info or to schedule an appointment.

sus stain, fundraiser party with music

SUS-STAIN
Fundraiser for the Creative Grove Artist & Designer Market,
JC bands slam,

March 24, 2012, at Boca Grande Cantina Mexicana, Pavonia Newport, 564 Washington Blvd
    10pm - 2 am

The artist market needs the community to keep the fabulous programs, music and awesomeness WEEKLY, let's chip in and party at the same time!
We will be showcasing three excellent bands at Boca Grande
564 Washington Blvd., Jersey City, Pavonia Newport
...
THOMAS FRANCIS TAKES HIS CHANCES
THE AUDIOBODIES
OMEGA PLEASE

all JC favorites, homegrown music, supporting our
weekly public platform for the artists and creatives

Special guest DJ to be announced.

Funky City Baby Animal hat give-a-ways (for Big Babies..), gift bags

More details to come. Its going to be an extraordinary event.

"Digital Weavings." Woolpunk studios, 298 Newark Ave

three local artists, including gallery owner Michelle Vitale Loughlin's large-scale embroidery.
"I shoot sites, mostly in Jersey City and I embroider into them," said Loughlin. "I capture sites of communal or social interest - a lot of times they're not pretty. I call them 'city urban weavings,' because it felt like i was telling a tale."
The exhibit will also feature collages and sculpture by Pat Lay. Loughlin compared Lay's work to woven rugs.
"She looks at digital media as a beautiful aesthetic and makes great collages from it," said Loughlin. "She takes a motherboard, scans the imagery into a computer, they look almost like Aztec weavings."
Jewelry maker Kate Stillings will also show her work at the show, Loughlin said, adding that Woolpunk aims to help craftspeople display their work.

Opening reception jan 26, 2012,  6 to 8 p.m. at Woolpunk Studios, 298 Newark Ave., Jersey City. Wine and cheese will be served. The exhibition will run through Feb. 28. For more information, visit WoolpunkStudios.com.

Most of who We Are, solo exhibit, opening reception

MOST OF WHO WE ARE
august 29 - sept 25   at made with love bakery and cafe, 530 Jersey Ave

a new solo show by Wendy Weber Eaton

"An exploration of emotions that make up most of who we are, personally and universally. This visual art series spans two years of the artist’s life and captures the evolution of her mind and spirit."

Musical Guest Glen Coleman on guitar!

opening reception  sept 8,  7- 10 pm

Hey Chill(i)town!

So the weather outside IS frightful...
but 4th Street's bringing you an event that will surely be dElightful
...and delicious :)
...
The 2nd Annual 4th Street Arts Chili-Cook-off

$5 to fill your belly with chili goodness from the best resident chefs and local restaurants Jersey City has to offer, plus music, booze, and fun!

Parlay Studios
2nd street x Provost, Powerhouse Arts district
march 6,   2 - 6.30 pm

Creative Grove canceled today

The sweet, glamorous, special, artsy, indie community event is not open today,
due to the heavy winds they announced for the afternoon. 50 mph are just too much to withstand,  we are gathering double strength for next week's JC Fridays!

Brush with the East

A three-artist exhibit of works by Peter Arakawa, Rita Cohen and Kathryn Klanderman, all of whom use the brush with an asian flair.
The show will be open during restaurant hours from now until the end of April.
 Artists' Reception March 1, 2011, from 6pm-8pm

Sawadee Thai Restaurant
137 Newark Ave.
Jersey City, NJ 07302

open M-F 11am-3pm, 5pm-11pm, Sat. 5pm-11pm, closed sundays