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Showing posts with label Firehouse Gallery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Firehouse Gallery. Show all posts
Friday, June 7, 2013
June in the Valley
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
ValleyArts Presents: Hat City Streets Festival, June 15, 11am-9PM
Hat City Streets Festival, Saturday, June 15, 11am - 9pm, will Animate New Jersey's Orange Valley with Music, Art, Family Activities, Food, and More!
ORANGE NJ --- The inaugural Hat City Streets Festival on Saturday, June 15 from 11am to 9pm, is a day-long cavalcade of music, arts exhibitions, family activities, delicious food, and non-stop fun that reflects the spirit and diversity of the region and celebrates the creativity of Orange. The Festival is free and open to the public.
Produced by ValleyArts and hosted by volunteers of Creative Orange, the Festival is centered at the corner of Forest and Tompkins Streets, which will be closed for the occasion, and on the grounds of the International Central Gospel Church (438 Valley Street, Orange NJ). Festival programs will also take place at the Firehouse Gallery, Hat City Kitchen, Ironworks Community Art Center, Yema Gallery, Arts Unbound, and other nearby spaces in the Valley Arts District. Free parking is available at nearby churches, and on the streets.
The Hat City Streets Festival will feature concert headliners that range from Brazilian reggae to contemporary gospel; appearances by marching bands, choirs, dance ensembles, and a step team; arts exhibitions by professional artists from around the region; and a variety of arts activities for children and families, including hat-making workshops that evoke the neighborhood's past as the hat-making center of the world.
"Our Festival will be something akin to a great church picnic and art show that transforms itself into a professional concert stage," said Richard T. Bryant, ValleyArts executive director and co-chair of Creative Orange. "In addition to a full day of music, art, food, and fun, festivalgoers will also experience the extraordinary hospitality of the people of Orange."
Opening at 11am, the "Family Stage" will feature performances by professional bands and dance ensembles, and appearances by award-winning vocal and instrumental performers from Orange High School, including the marching band.
Heralding the afternoon opening of "The Mainstage" will be 100 Voices of Hillside, the acclaimed children's choir directed by Troy Bell. Next up is Kiwi, the fast-rising New Jersey band that performs Brazilian music and jazz with influences of Jamaican reggae, ska, rocksteady, American folk, soul, and R&B. Also featured is Wincey Terry, the gifted storyteller and powerful singer whose songs of life and faith are propelled by a tght band that includes brass and winds. At the dinner hour, one of the New York area's most popular Salsa bands, Ray Rodriquez and Swing Sabrosa, will launch a big, brassy celebration of Latin music that will have you dancing. Capping the evening will be High and Mighty Brass Band, the fiercely entertaining group that channels the energy of a New Orleans second line into a brassy explosion of Funk, R&B , Afro-Beat, Hip Hop, and more!
Visual art on display will include the ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery exhibition by Afro-Cuban artist Eduardo Roca (known as Choco), "Retrazos del Sol (Traces of the Sun)." Choco, who lives and works in Havana, is one of Cuba's most important artists and is internationally recognized for his collagraphs, ceramics and oils. The nearby Ironworks Gallery will open "Tatamae Alive," featuring the paintings of ORNG Ink artist Khari Ricks. The event will also include a hip-hop dance jam. The YEMA Gallery will also be open with "Call & Re-Call: An Exhibition of Artist-made Books," curated by Terry Boddie.
A range of delicious foods found in the Valley Arts District will be available onsite, with a "Feast on the Street" featuring a long table so visitors can enjoy their food and share their festival experience together. The grounds of the Hat City Streets Festival are alcohol free. Participating restaurants include El Palacio del Pollo, Hat City Kitchen, La Galera Centroamericana, Libretti's, SuzyQues BBQ, Valley Diner, and others, to be announced.
Also participating in the Festival are: the anchor organizations of the Valley Arts District including HANDS, Inc., ORNG Ink, Luna Stage, Arts Unbound, YEMA Gallery, and Garden State Urban Farms; City of Orange Township Department of Parks and Recreation; Orange Board of Education; and several area churches.
Visit valleyartsnj.com/hat-city-streets for more information and a complete, updated schedule of events and activities. At this site, you can also sign-up to volunteer or apply for an arts booth.
About ValleyArts
ValleyArts is the arts service and activist organization of the Valley Arts District. The highest priorities of ValleyArts are to inspire the neighborhood to recognize the arts as essential to community health and vitality; help build up and serve individual artists, arts organizations, and creative entrepreneurs; and encourage everyone to participate in arts, culture, and creativity as part of everyday life. To propel this mission, ValleyArts seeks to attract, serve, and support artists and creative organizations to work and live in the Valley Arts District. ValleyArts is closely allied with HANDS, Inc., a nonprofit organization that combines strategic real estate investment and community organizing to revitalize communities.
ValleyArts is funded in part by JPMorgan Chase Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Kresge Foundation, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Wells Fargo Regional Foundation, Orange Orphan Society, Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills, Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs, and others. The membership roster includes visual and performing artists, creative entrepreneurs, area businesses, audiences, art buyers, and community members.
About Creative Orange
Creative Orange is a city-wide collaborative effort to further advance Orange through arts, creativity, and innovation. In recognition of Orange's emergence as a significant creative place in the State, Creative Orange was formed last year as one of six sites in the state-wide Creative New Jersey movement. Last March, nearly 100 Orange leaders from the arts, business, religion, education, real estate, government, and civic sectors came together for a two-day, multi-generational retreat to build a shared agenda for the future. More information about the Creative Orange agenda can be found at valleyartsnj.com/creative-orange
Monday, May 6, 2013
This May in the Valley
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Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Up Next at the Firehouse Gallery
ARTIST:
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Choco (Eduardo Roco Salazar)
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EXHIBITION:
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Retazos del Sol
Traces of the Sun
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DATES:
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May 9 -June 23, 2013
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OPENING:
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Artist Reception Thursday, May 9, 6-9pm
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ARTIST TALK:
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Artist Talk, Saturday, May 11, 3pm
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LOCATION:
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ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery
580 Forest Street Orange NJ 07050
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Orange NJ --World-renowned Afro-Cuban artist, Eduardo Roca (Choco), is coming to the Valley Arts District in New Jersey for the opening of his upcoming art exhibition, Retazos del Sol (Traces of the Sun). Choco, who lives and works in Havana, is one of Cuba's most important artists and is internationally recognized for his collagraphs, ceramics, and oils. Co-produced by Latin Art Space and ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery, the exhibition will showcase a fabulous mixed-media installation, Yemayá, Goddess of the Sea, first shown at the 2012 Havana Biennial, as well as other three-dimensional works and his coveted collagraphs. The opening reception on May 9 will be hosted by the Firehouse Gallery in the Valley Arts District.
Curated by Astrid Martinez-Jones of Latin Art Space, Retazos del Sol is a series of works representative of contemporary Cuban life and culture. Many of Choco's works reflect the magical world of Afro-Cuban religions, as well as the ethnic mix of people, and the racial and economic challenges of daily Cuban life. Choco's art is boldly colorful and his technique gives the images a 3-dimensional and stunning textured feel, as if they were in motion. This movement is sustained in Choco's interpretation of the figures themselves, as they twist, reach, sway, swim, and gaze. The sharp contrast of colors - at times from the earth, at others from the sea - responds to his particular symbolism and to a very personal lyricism, which establishes an emotional connection with the viewer. He displays a passion for diversity and admiration for societies with a rich mixture of ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds, such as those found in Cuba, the United States, and Brazil.
As is evident in Choco's work, and particularly in his collagraphs, his various artistic techniques provide an opportunity for a tremendous scope of innovation and experiment. Collagraphy is a printmaking technique which Choco incorporates in many of his artworks. In a collagraph, the original image is composed from a variety of materials placed on a plate, then inked and pressed. These materials, often discarded remnants, are recycled by Choco and turned into pulsating images that beckon to be touched.
Choco was born in Santiago de Cuba in 1949 and is a graduate of the Escuela Nacional de Arte (National Art School) in Havana. There have been two crucial moments in Choco´s career. The first, when he was recognized as one of the leading figures of the rural movement in painting which was significant in shaping the '70s generation of Cuban artists. The second was his exploration of collagraphy in the '80s and early '90s, an achievement that has awarded him the distinction, master of collagraphy.
Choco was one of the first Cuban artists invited to the United States to exhibit his work in 1980, after the 1959 Cuban revolution. He has had numerous solo and group shows in Cuba, Angola, Sweden, the United States, Mexico, Spain, Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Tokyo, receiving many accolades and awards. A most important honor for him was winning the Great Prize in the Triennial of Kochi, Japan. Choco's works can be found in many private and public collections, including: Museo de Bellas Artes, Havana; African Museum of Art, Chicago; Miró Foundation, Spain; Ludwig Foundation, Germany; Kochi Museum, Japan; El Museo de la Estampa, Mexico; and Casa Lamm, Mexico, amongst others.
In his Taller del Sol (Workshop of the Sun) in Old Havana, art collectors, museum curators, and gallery owners come from all over the world to experience the magic of his artwork. Choco's visit to the New York Metropolitan Area will afford viewers a rare opportunity to experience his work first hand, and to engage in informative conversations with the artist.
About the ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery
ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery is curated and managed by Valley Arts Inc., Richard T. Bryant executive director, Gayle Mahoney, arts advisor. The Firehouse Gallery was opened last December and now offers a regular series of exhibitions that are free and open to the public. The Gallery is housed in an historic Orange Firehouse that was recently renovated by HANDS, Inc. The Firehouse contains six artist live/work spaces. Adjacent to the Firehouse Gallery is a large private common space that the Gallery and Firehouse residents program.
The ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery is located at 580 Forest Street, Orange NJ 07050. For more information please visit http://www.valleyartsnj.com
More about ValleyArts Inc. and the Valley Arts District
Located on the border of Orange and West Orange around the Highland Avenue Train Station, the Valley Arts District is a fifteen-square block area dedicated to the arts and creativity. As an arts service and activist organization, the highest priorities of ValleyArts Inc. are to inspire the neighborhood to recognize the arts as essential to community health and vitality; help build up and serve individual artists, arts organizations, and creative entrepreneurs; and encourage everyone to participate in arts, culture, and creativity as part of everyday life. To propel this mission, ValleyArts Inc. seeks to attract, serve, and support artists and creative organizations to work and live in the Valley Arts District.
"A strong creative spirit continues to build here," said Richard T. Bryant, executive director of ValleyArts Inc. "This is a real grassroots effort that involves artists, neighbors, teens, government, community leaders, educators, funders, and many more that see creativity and innovation as an engine of vibrancy and sustainable growth."
ValleyArts Inc. is closely allied with HANDS, Inc., a nonprofit organization that combines strategic real estate investment and community organizing to revitalize communities. Development of the Valley Arts District has been a cornerstone project of HANDS, Inc. for more than a decade.
ValleyArts Inc. is a nonprofit organization funded in part by JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Kresge Foundation, PSE&G, Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs, Wells Fargo Regional Foundation, Orange Orphan Society, Andy Warhol Foundation, Community Foundation of New Jersey, and others. The membership roster includes visual and performing artists, creative entrepreneurs, area businesses, audiences, art buyers, and community members.
For more information about the exhibition, press photos, or to arrange an interview with the artist please contact Astrid Martinez-Jones at: latinartspace@gmail.com or 973-715-0427.
For more information about the ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery and the Valley Arts District, please contact Richard T. Bryant at: richard@fohservices or 973-886-5118.
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