What's With the Circles?

Amity-Unity-Infinity Community Installation Project will culminate on July 4 in Memorial Park. Right now, it's on a lawn near you.

Competing with this season's flock of migrating pink flamingos, circular hoops on poles have been sprouting up on lawns around Maplewood. Sometimes alone, often in groups of three — colored red, white and blue — the hoops have prompted some creative speculation. Is it the work of a local coven? Are they Quidditch goals or giant bubble wands? None of the above. The poles are the brainchild of local artist Benjamin John Kaufman who annually plans a large-scale public art project for the town's 4th of July celebration in Memorial Park (check out the 2009 project and the 2011 project). Residents can contact Kaufman or visit 1978 Maplewood Arts Center on Saturday mornings to collect their hoops free of charge. The idea is to take them home and …

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Michael Bisberg: Artist of the Month

This August, work by Michael Bisberg of South Orange hangs at the Maplewood Deli & Grille.

At the Maplewood Deli & Grille, customers get their meals with a side of art. Owner Sean Flood has opened up his walls to local artists in an effort to do "a good turn for the community." Each month, one artist with connections to either Maplewood or South Orange is featured. This month's artist is Michael Bisberg. We asked him a few questions about his work. Patch: Tell us a bit about yourself — your interests, what you're doing now, etc. Bisberg: By day, I am a TV producer working in the city. I live in Brooklyn, and my most consistent interests are writing, teaching myself to play guitar over geological time (it has been 6 years now and I think I know exactly that many chords), and pie. I was exceedingly fortunate to have grown up in …

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Art for Education's Sake at Tuscan School

Proud parents — and teachers — came to see students' work at the annual art show.

 Joellen Petronzi is very proud of her students. And for good reason. Thursday night, the Tuscan Elementary School art teacher showed off the art work of approximately 600 students at the school's 20th annual art show. There was not a free bulletin board or ledge. Every surface that could hold art, had art. This included the art room, which had been turned into a Medieval Hall as part of the third grade's Medieval Studies in Art class. Over 1,000 student works are on display. Parent volunteers, along with committee co-chairs Liz Gertner, Peggy Finlayson, Gabrielle Graziano and Mike Parker, mounted, hung and situated the work. That "work" represented nearly every known art form — and a few heretofore unknown forms: Ceramic thumb pots and …

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Teaching Art in an Inspired Setting

The Art Studio in Maplewood has been bringing children, art and nature together for six years.

A secret garden with a tree house is not the usual place to hold an art class. But for Susan Cohen Harris' Art Studio in Maplewood, it is.  “Now remember we talked about Frida Kahlo last week...” Cohen Harris asks her charges, a mix of second and third graders as she shepherds them into the garden. They beg to go up into the tree house.  Cohen Harris' studio is a two story carriage house. The bottom is filled with everything from gardening tools to various boxes of colorful things that could inspire imagination. The second story is a light and airy space with a big table. In it's center are buckets of colored pencils. But the weather was too nice to spend any time up there. Everyone was outside. They were in the tree house that has a …

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Farmer Market Brings Healthy Choices to Tuscan School

Kids get to pick out their own fruit and veggies—it sure beats a vending machine

Today was the first farmers market of the season at Tuscan Elementary School. Held out in the courtyard, students were able to come and pick their own fruits and vegetables to take home. Started two years ago by former school nurse Lorraine Borek (since retired), the market was designed to let the students explore healthy food choices on their own.  Students are allowed either two vegetables or one fruit and one vegetable. A wide variety of produce is available to them. This morning, some children played it safe with apples and tomatoes. Others took a more adventuous path and scooped up Swiss chard and collard greens. Fresh cider was also available to taste, and these healthful youngsters were joined by Ms. Petronzi's art class as they …

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SOMA Artists Open Their Hearts for Haiti

Art auction to raise funds for Haiti tonight at 7:30 at GAS gallery and studio.

  Geralyn Robinson was moved when she saw the images of the earthquake in Haiti. "I knew I had to do something." Geralyn, who owns Geralyn's Art Studio in Maplewood, called on her friends and fellow artists to help. Along with Rick Hauser, owner of The Framing Mill, they came up with the idea of an auction. Rick offered up his new space, GAS gallery and studio, in Maplewood. Geralyn asked for donations of art work to be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the charity Concern Worldwide. They are hoping to raise over $3,000 by silent auction. The event starts tonight at 7:30 p.m. and bid sheets will be out until 9:15 p.m. Concern Worldwide was founded in Ireland in 1968 in response to the famine in Biafra. The non-governmental …

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Local Artists on Display in Summit

New Jersey Visual Arts Show in Summit features Maplewood resident Geralyn Robinson.

Work of local Maplewood and South Orange artists are on display at the isual Arts Center of New Jersey in Summit, NJ. The Aspiring Artist Series displays works of students of the Center—in this case, the students of encaustic instructor and West Orange resident Lisa Pressman. Geralyn Robinson of Mapewood and Tara O'Leary and Elizabeth Carol Winchester of South Orange each have several pieces in the show. The show runs until March 19th. While there, please check out Lisa Pressman's own work and the Center's 24th International Juried Show.

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Changes for the 1978 Gallery

The township's publicly owned gallery aims to offer increased support to artists.

1978 Maplewood Arts Center, the township-owned art gallery and event space owned, has recently announced some new programs.  The Springfield Ave. gallery will continue to offer art classes and host exhibits and musical events. Now, with new groups and programs, they hope to increasingly act as a resource for local artists. “We are becoming a center for artists to interact do work and fine-tune skills” said Denise Hardie, Board treasurer in a press release. One example is the Contemporary Artists Forum critique group lead by 1978 Vice-chairman Mikel Frank. The group meets every other Wednesday and has become popular enough to require a waiting list. “The artists have said that without it they would not be making art as much or as well," …

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Idependent Press: Millburn Artist Has Show in Maplewood

The works of Portrait artist Oscar Peterson will be on display at Express Yourself Studios starting this weekend.

Describing his painting technique to the Independent Press, Oscar Peterson said his goal is to "paint more than a likeness. I try to capture what the person is really about. And sometimes, if I'm lucky, I capture what they're hiding." The 14-year Millburn resident's artistically invasive work will be on display at Express Yourself Studios throughout September. Read the Full Story: Oscar Peterson, Millburn portrait artist has solo show in Maplewood.

From Trash to Art

Maplewood Artist Susan Harris is preparing a September project that will convert trash to treasure.

Beginning in September, your trash is going to get a second chance. Art Studio owner Susan C. Harris, along with her students, will be collecting recycled metals and found objects collected from Maplewood’s Department of Public Works for an art installation project. On the second Saturday of each month during the Department of Public Works bulk drop off, a bin labeled "Art Studio" will be available for contributions. Harris is looking for flat machine parts, gears, sprockets, winding springs, pot lids, large shallow frying pans, bake ware, cookie sheets, pizza trays, roasting pans and more—a full list will be on the bin. The  installation will be attached to the approximately 100-foot chain link fence that surrounds the public works …

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