The scene in South Jersey is doing more than surviving—it’s thriving.
It is said that when it comes to appreciating art, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In recent times, few things have been as beautiful as South Jersey’s ever-growing arts community. From town celebrations to one-of-a-kind museums, the local scene is expanding its reach, attracting attention from as close as Philadelphia and as far as Europe.
Thanks to the thriving arts community, there has never been a better time to explore all the creativity South Jersey has to offer. The increased interest has led to a host of new events, exhibits and festivals filling up the spring calendar and locals are eager to cure their cabin fever with some artistic adventures. Whether you prefer being a spectator or more hands-on experiences, there’s something for any distinguishable taste.
The region boasts plenty of places to find beautiful creations all year round, such as Creative Genius Art Gallery and Studio (outside art pictured) in Medford, where you’ll find works from South Jersey artists and beyond; and ABstract EXpressions Contemporary Art Gallery in Mount Holly, currently holding its spring exhibit of abstract artists through May 26.
Creative Genius gallery owner Julie Basello-Holt is constantly on the hunt at industry trade shows for new pieces of art, photography, jewelry, wood carvings and mixed media pieces for her Main Street shop. Finding work has certainly never been a problem. “I haven’t had to solicit art,” she says.
Though her gallery has hosted exhibits in the past, it’s the hands-on workshops she’s known for offering—including pottery classes, bottle slumping and making mosaics—that have attracted crowds.
“It’s a very unique place,” says Basello-Holt. “It’s got a good energy and a good vibe. I attribute that to all the interesting creations here. All of the pieces carry their energy—and artists tend to have a great energy.”
For juried exhibitions, Moorestown’s Perkins Center for the Arts plays host to several throughout the year, showcasing a broad range of artists from Maine to Virginia and an equal range of mediums. At its sister gallery in Collingswood, curated exhibitions take center stage, like the current Consuming Boundaries exhibit on view through May 12. Visitors can view the work of four fiber-based sculptors as part of the show being hosted in conjunction with FiberPhiladelphia 2012, an international and regional festival for fiber/textile art.
If your first thought was wondering how interesting fiber-based sculptures are, you’re not alone. But associate curator Karen Chigounis says you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
“Particularly with a medium like fiber, which encompasses so many materials, to see how the artists take that idea and expand on it is really amazing,” says Chigounis. “I think visitors will be surprised by the breadth of what fiber is. I think there are people coming to see weavings or quilts, very traditional concepts of fiber, and I think what they see will blow their minds. … It does what art should do; it kind of takes us out of what we expect and to the unexpected, and challenges our perceptions of things.”
Celebrate the Arts
Collingswood’s latest ad slogan says it all: “So packed with events, an excuse to come by every week.”
The borough’s popular Second Saturday events—created to promote the local arts—run all year round with live music and local artists selling their latest creations seemingly on every available spot along the sidewalk. Designed to build upon the borough’s Main Street community culture, some other popular events are already on the books, from Cruise Night (April 19) and free Mummers concerts (starting April 25) to the “granddaddy of all events”—the May Fair on May 26.
“We call it a downtown block party,” says Cass Duffey, Collingswood’s director of community development. She says the May Fair typically draws 50,000 people with unique artists and crafters displaying their wares in more than a mile stretch of Haddon Avenue. With Second Saturday moving outdoors in the warmer weather, Duffey says the curbs will be “exploding. You can’t go a block … they’re all local artists showing off what they do.”
Duffey says unlike the May Fair, Second Saturday is a low key, casual night out. “That’s why you come every week. … I think people are fundamentally interested in the arts. … It’s something for people to experience.”
Just steps down the road in Haddonfield, there’s First Friday, which follows the same concept as Collingswood’s Second Saturday. Artists, entertainers and boutique sidewalk sales line Kings Highway, but it’s the Fine Art and Crafts Festival coming up on July 14 and 15 that’s known as the borough’s premier event. Artisans will exhibit a wide range of arts and crafts including ceramics, glass, jewelry, metal, photography and more. This year’s event, in its 20th season, will draw exhibitors from as far away as Israel, further cementing just how much of an arts destination South Jersey has become.
An up-and-coming arts community is thriving in Burlington County as well, where Mill Race Village, a quaint section of Mount Holly, is made up of galleries and unique artisan shops where owners can often be found crafting their pieces in between customers.
In fact, the historic community of Mount Holly is transforming its whole downtown into an art project. There’s the Mural Arts Program, created in 2003 as a unique way to revitalize the area, which has seen eight completed works taking up entire facades. There is also Paint the Pavement, a planned project at the intersection of White and Church streets.
“Besides just making our downtown more beautiful and interesting,” says local artist and Main Street representative Lynn Lemyre, “I think that the murals, along with other public art downtown, have made us a bit of an arts destination for our area. Visual elements such as murals, gardens and other public art are signals to residents and visitors that they are in an area where people know and care about each other.”
“Mount Holly does it different,” Lemyre adds. “We don’t have the typical events or art that you find in other sleepy little downtowns. Expect the unusual.”
On the Road
By adding just a few miles on the odometer, you’ll come across two of the most unique destinations not just in South Jersey, but the entire region.
Drawing in 50,000 visitors annually and with a mission to “engage artists and audiences in an evolving exploration of creativity,” Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center in Millville is dedicated to all realms of art, but none greater than glass. Currently, Wheaton’s Museum of American Glass—the only museum in the world dedicated to American glass, regularly attracting folks from as far as Italy—is hosting an exhibit marking five decades of work by American glass pioneers.
Other exhibits, such as “Celebration: 50/Forward,” promote contemporary artists, explore experimentation and give a peak into the future of the movement with work from South Jersey’s own internationally recognized artist Paul Stankard.
And it’s not just fancy items on display either; here you can also learn firsthand how to create items like the ones you see in the museum—or at least attempt to create them. Glass demonstrations provide insight into the art form, while courses that help you “make your own” are taught by masters in the field who relay their expertise through workshops centered around designing items like paperweights and vases.
Further north in Hamilton, visitors will find Grounds For Sculpture, a 42-acre garden and arboretum complete with 270 outdoor sculptures—not to mention the five indoor galleries.
“There’s always something special to discover,” says Executive Director David Miller, “and springtime is a most beautiful time to discover it.” Miller adds this spring alone, they’re opening four new major exhibitions, including one in the soon-to-debute East Gallery.
Grounds For Sculpture seeks to make contemporary art more accessible, which it accomplishes through its outdoor garden where visitors are left to explore at their own leisure. There are some pieces you can walk through and become a part of, some that you can even touch—spanning several mediums such as granite, steel, fabricated aluminum, cast bronze, recycled materials and more.
And more pieces are added every year, making it “a continual evolution here,” says Coby Green-Rifkin, director of marketing. “No visit is ever the same. It is the kind of place where once you’ve been there, you’ll want to come back and bring everyone you know and love because you want to share it with them. Or, you’ll want to tell no one and keep it all to yourself.”
Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 1 (April, 2012).
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