Visual Arts Center of New Jersey

Spring Exhibitions Closing Event
2022-05-22 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
SAVE THE DATE for this informal gathering to celebrate the closing of our spring exhibitions.

Teacher's Symposium: Time is a Circle
2022-05-13 09:00 - 15:00 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
Time is a Circle led by artist Loren Abbate.
The project for this symposium is called Time is a Circle and it is a mixed media project where materials include drawing tools, Bristol or thicker boards, collage, textures, and other embellishments. The project will interpret personal narrative and self-discovery while challenging the perception of time. Emphasis will be placed on creating from a place of presence and understanding the healing nature of art-making and self-expression. Another objective of this project and approach is to understand a broader scope of creative energy, self-awareness, wisdom in the process of art-making, and how this knowledge applies to teaching school-aged students. The goal of this symposium is to take educators through a personal journey into a holistic approach to creative expression. There will also be elements of self-care to help educators through the challenges they have faced over the last few years.
All of our Teacher’s symposium events offer unique professional development opportunities for art educators to come together and learn new creative skills to bring back to their classroom. The programs include:

Presentation by the leading contemporary artist
Hands-on artmaking workshop with the artist
Gallery exercises exploring ways to view and interpret contemporary art
Six professional development hours upon completion of the symposium
Lesson plans as a take-home

Registration fees are $75 and include a light breakfast and all materials. You can register here.
Bio:
Loren Abbate holds a master’s degree in art education with a concentration in art therapy from the School of Visual Arts (NYC). She is an exhibiting artist, educator, workshop and retreat facilitator, reiki energy practitioner, student of non-dualism philosophy, and sacred healing arts modalities.
As an artist, Loren has shown her work in galleries and institutions globally. She has been the recipient of numerous grants and residencies including two years as a printmaker at Art Center South Florida and a three-time recipient of the ESKFF arts grant at Mana Contemporary. She has been teaching and leading groups in the art of creative self-expression for over 2 decades.
Loren is the founder of Wild Indigo Arts, a modality that uniquely blends studies in art therapy, art education, non-dual philosophy, shamanic practices, nature-based wisdom, and community building to bring creativity, personal development, and the arts to the forefront of consciousness. Loren has served diverse populations from school-aged children, to at-risk teens, senior citizens, and special needs students. Due to the wide scope of background and experience working in educational and institutional settings, Loren has been able to identify a need for progressive and safe spaces to express the subconscious mind as an act of radical self-acceptance and personal freedom.
PLEASE NOTE: If your school needs to be invoiced in order to pay for this program, please contact us to register. Call 908-273-9121 ext. 213 or email swalko@artcenternj.org, and speak with Sarah Walko.

Scholarly Talk and Reception with Dr. Betty Adams
2022-05-07 15:00 - 17:00 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey will host a scholarly talk followed by a reception with Dr. Betty Adams, “When and Where I Enter: The Vital Agency and Activism of Black Womanhood-A Historical Perspective.” Register for the free, public event here.
Dr. Betty Livingston Adams is an independent scholar, author, former university professor and holds a Doctor of Philosophy (with distinction) and the Master of Philosophy degrees from Yale University and the Master of Divinity (Summa Cum Laude) degree from Drew University, Madison, NJ.
The recipient of numerous fellowships and academic honors, Dr. Adams was a Global Scholar at the Institute for Research on Women (Rutgers University); Fellow at the Yale Initiative on Material and Visual Culture of Religion; Associate Fellow at the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis, and a Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellow. She has held faculty appointments at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Drew University and Southern University
Her scholarship and teaching explore nineteenth- and twentieth-century American and African American religious and social history through the lens of gender, race, and class. Her most recent publication, Black Women’s Christian Activism: Seeking Social Justice in a Northern Suburb (New York University Press) received the 2017 Wilbur Award for excellence in communicating “religious issues, values, and themes with professionalism, fairness and honesty”; the 2018 New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance Author Award for scholarly excellence; and the 2019-2020 Drew University Bela Kornitzer Prize for Outstanding Nonfiction Book. In the words of one reviewer, “With [Black Women’s Christian Activism], Adams has given the world a gift, and like the best of gifts it continues giving, in the form of pressing questions to investigate and challenges to accepted history, such that history must be re-written to acknowledge the many contributions these women made to the struggle for freedom and justice.” From 2016 through 2020, Black Women’s Christian Activism was featured on the list of the 100 Best Social Activism Books of All Time. A retired corporate manager, Dr. Adams is an associate minister at Fountain Baptist Church, Summit, New Jersey.
This talk is in conjunction with the current exhibition in our Marité and Joe Robinson Strolling Gallery, “Parvathi Kumar: Everyday Blackness” made up of portraits of twenty-five women and features quotations from, and brief biographies of, each sitter. Beginning in June 2020, Kumar interviewed and photographed twenty-five Black women in the New Jersey area to showcase their collective courage and resilience. Responding to the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests, as well as the global COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey-based photographer, wanted to document and share the vast goodness she observed in this group of women—goodness that prevailed over the pain people were feeling.

Summit Arts Festival
2022-05-01 - 2022-05-14
A two-week festival to celebrate music, art, theater, and dance, featuring events from 15 local organizations, including VACNJ. Click here for the schedule and to see all the participating organizations.

2022 Annual Spring Gala: Art & Soul
2022-04-30

Artist Talk: Claiming the Narrative
2022-04-14 19:00 - 20:00
Join us for this virtual artist talk with Curator Mary Birmingham and artists featured in the Art Center’s Main Gallery group exhibition Claiming the Narrative, on view through May 22. This event is free and open to the public. Click here to register.

About the exhibition:
When we consider the history of portraiture and figurative painting, who do we find most often represented on the walls of museums? Whose stories are told and to whom are they directed? Who steers the narratives of art and history? Far too often, the answer to these questions has been “white men.” But when we answer the same questions with “people of color,” “queer people,” “women,” or “people from immigrant, diasporic, or colonized communities,” we expand the possibility of hearing a different story, repopulated with figures more reflective of who we are collectively.
Claiming the Narrative asserts the importance of asking these questions and highlights artists who suggest alternative answers. Centering subjects who have been marginalized, ignored, exoticized, or even erased from the narrative of Western art history, the eleven artists in this exhibition challenge assumptions about traditional portraiture, identity, history, and the power of the gaze. While some draw from Renaissance and other art historical traditions and others respond to popular culture, they all create new ways for us to see ourselves. Together, they provide a more authentic representation of contemporary life by broadening and diversifying the possibilities of figurative art.

Photo by Etienne Frossard.

Spring Break Art Camp (ages 6–12)
2022-04-11 - 2022-04-15 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
Monday, April 11–Friday, April 15
Join us for a special small group Spring Break Art Camp for kids ages 6–9 and tweens ages 10–12! At the Art Center, young artists will learn from our talented teaching artists, create unique art projects, and socialize with friends in our indoor studios. This half-day camp (morning sessions for kids and afternoon sessions for tweens) will feature art-making in a small group, socially distanced environment. Please send campers with a water bottle only (there will not be a lunch period) and in clothes that can get messy. Tuition: $340
Kids (ages 6–9)
8:45–9 AM: Drop-off
9 AM–12 PM: Artmaking Sessions
12–12:15 PM: Pick-up
Tweens (ages 10–12)
12:45-1 PM: Drop-off
1–4 PM: Artmaking Sessions
4-4:15 PM: Pick-up

Spring Semester Begins
2022-04-04

Reception for the Women Featured in Parvathi Kumar: Everyday Blackness
2022-03-26 16:00 - 18:00 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey will host an informal artist introduction and celebratory reception for the women featured in Parvathi Kumar: Everyday Blackness on Saturday, March 26, from 4–6 PM. You can register for the free event by clicking here. This event is open to the public and light refreshments will be served.
Currently on view in VACNJ’s Marité and Joe Robinson Strolling Gallery I the exhibition is made up of portraits of twenty-five women and features quotations from, and brief biographies of, each sitter. Beginning in June 2020, Kumar interviewed and photographed twenty-five Black women in the New Jersey area to showcase their collective courage and resilience. Responding to the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests, as well as the global COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey-based photographer, wanted to document and share the vast goodness she observed in this group of women—goodness that prevailed over the pain people were feeling.
Through networking and research, Kumar identified women leading ordinary, everyday lives, who were also exceptional in their own ways. Ranging in age from 19 to 86, they represent a broad array of professions and experiences, including author, educator, entrepreneur, activist, CEO, doctor, disability advocate, attorney, environmentalist, and student. Acknowledging the individual challenges they face, Kumar also observed a common thread binding the group together—selflessness and commitment to service that makes them the backbones of their families, communities, and country. She sums it up in the preface to her book Everyday Blackness: Celebrating Exceptional Women “In a world that continues to marginalize and judge people based on physical appearances, these unwitting heroines persevere for the greater good.”
Please direct all questions to Sarah Walko, Director of Education & Community Engagement at swalko@artcenternj.org or 908.273.9121.

Artist Table Talk with Philemona Williamson
2022-03-04 18:30 - 21:00 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States

Winter/Spring Exhibitions Opening
2022-02-04 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
WINTER/SPRING EXHIBITIONS
February 4—May 22
Claiming the Narrative
Claiming the Narrative is a group exhibition of figurative work that seeks a more authentic representation of our diverse society. Depicting people who have been marginalized, ignored, or even erased from the narrative of Western Art History, this show raises the question, “Whose story gets told on museum walls?”
Parvathi Kumar: Everyday Blackness
Parvathi Kumar: Everyday Blackness showcases black and white portraits from the book, Everyday Blackness: Celebrating Exceptional Women, by NJ photographer, Parvathi Kumar. The 25 “ordinary” Black women who posed for her come from diverse backgrounds, but all exemplify courage, tenacity, and resilience.
Jess T. Dugan: Seen
Jess T. Dugan is an artist whose work centers around an exploration of identity—particularly gender and sexuality. Drawing from their own experience as a queer, non-binary person, Dugan employs traditional photographic techniques to create color portraits that reflect the complex beauty and humanity of their subjects. This focused exhibition highlights color portraits from their recent and ongoing projects, To Survive on This Shore, and Every Breath We Drew, and includes a reading area where Dugan’s three fine art photography books will provide a more comprehensive view of their work. Conveying a sense of both directness and intimacy, Dugan’s portraits and self-portraits encourage empathy and understanding and underscore the importance not only of seeing but of being seen.

Lunchtime Scholarly Virtual Talk with Karelle Hall: People of the Tidewater
2022-01-25
In conjunction with the closing of our fall exhibition, The First Water is the Body, VACNJ presents a lunchtime scholarly virtual talk with Karelle Hall titled People of the Tidewater: Nanticoke and Lenape Resilience and Revitalization.
“Water is essential to the lives of the Nanticoke and Lenape communities of Delaware and New Jersey. Our ancestors lived along the many waterways in the mid-Atlantic region and drew much of their subsistence from the rivers, bays, and ocean. Today, many of our communities continue to live beside these waters, anchoring us as tidewater peoples. These waters not only give life but are alive, their animacy reflected in our languages and world views. We will continue to fight to protect the waters for the next seven generations.”
Karelle Hall is a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology at Rutgers University. She received her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in Anthropology with a minor in Native American Studies. Her dissertation research explores embodied and distributed Lenape diasporic sovereignty in public and performative spaces. She has taught classes in both cultural and linguistic anthropology at Rutgers University and has presented her preliminary research at conferences and colloquiums. As a member of the Nanticoke Indian Tribe, she has represented her nation at numerous events as both a speaker and dancer. She is actively working on Nanticoke language revitalization, including a writing children’s book and developing lessons for community classes. Using her experience and connections in the legal field, she assisted the Nanticoke Tribe with ratifying their recognition in the state of Delaware. She continues to work as an activist and representative for her community, promoting visibility, decolonization, and education.
This free, virtual event will take place on January 25, from 12–1 PM. Click here to register.

Now (Writing, Drawing, Storytelling)—Hybrid Workshop with Art Educator in Residence Dennis Redmoon Darkeem
2022-01-22 13:00 - 15:00 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
In this hybrid In-Person/Virtual drawing-based workshop, Art Educator in residence Dennis Redmoon Darkeem will ask participants to focus on the present moment to inspire new ideas of personal history and storytelling. Participants will be creating connections to personal belongings, gratitude, and new outlooks for the new year. This will be a mixed media project that builds and blends multiple layers to create an original artwork for the new year.
All supplies will be provided by the art center for the in-person workshop. If you choose to participate online supplies to prepare are: writing paper, color pencils, Sharpies, pencils, watercolors (optional), magazines, scissors, and glue.
Click here for more information and to register.

The First Water is the Body: Artist and Curator Virtual Talk
2022-01-20 19:00 - 20:00
Join guest curator Maria Hupfield and several of the participating artists in our current exhibition, The First Water Is the Body, for this virtual discussion of the show and their work. The exhibition, which opened in October and is closing on January 23, was recently highlighted in Artforum as a top pick of 2021.

The exhibition takes its title from a poem by Natalie Diaz, published in her book, Postcolonial Love Poem. A visual complement to Diaz’s text, the work in this exhibition accepts the body as the human form of water and that the fate of water is the fate of all people. Featuring the work of 16 electric and unapologetic makers that belong to and operate in relation with Indigenous communities from across the USA and Canada, these artists work to produce seismic shifts in cultural perspectives that point to reciprocity and critical accountability and awaken solidarity with place, lands, and waters.

Maria Hupfield is an artist, educator, and member of the Anishinaabek Nation from Wasauksing First Nation, Ontario, Canada. A fully illustrated catalogue with an essay by Hupfield accompanies the exhibition. The exhibition and publication are funded in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the NJ Council for the Humanities.

Register here.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
2022-01-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is a defining moment each year when Americans across the country step up to make our communities more equitable and take action to build the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream. The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey has been in a partnership with the New Jersey Veterans Affairs since 2019, running a year-round program offering creative arts therapy to formerly unhoused veterans now living in transitional housing. On January 17 we invite you to join us in making thank you for your service cards for the veterans. After the event, we will mail the cards to the Veterans Haven homes in north and south New Jersey.

Click here to register for this hybrid in-person and virtual event.

Winter Semester Begins
2022-01-10
Winter Semester begins on Monday, January 10. Click here to register.

Adult Winter Break Workshop
2022-01-03 - 2022-01-09
Winter Break isn’t just for the kids. Spend your break sharpening your art-making skills or trying something new! Click here to see what’s being offered and secure your spot!

Winter Break Workshops for Kids
2021-12-28 - 2021-12-30
Give the kid or tween in your life the gift of creativity this winter season! This year, our popular winter-break art workshops are returning in-person to our socially distanced Art Center studios. During each session, young artists will learn techniques in a featured medium while creating their projects. All art supplies are included. Click here for more information.

Athena LaTocha Artist Talk
2021-12-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
Join us on Saturday, December 4, from 2–3 PM, to listen to artist Athena LaTocha speak about her practice. Her installation After the Falls was created specifically for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey to relate to the land in our region.
This event is free and open to the public. Click here to register.
Athena LaTocha is an Alaska-born artist whose monumental works explore the relationship between natural landscapes and human-made environments. Much of her work is based on direct research she conducts in wilderness areas, national parks, and industrial sites. For this exhibition, LaTocha has created an installation in the Eisenberg Gallery responding to specific landscapes in NJ, including the Great Falls of Paterson.

Curator-led Tour of Fall Exhibitions
2021-12-04 13:00 - 14:00
VACNJ Curator Mary Birmingham will lead a tour of The First Water is the Body and Athena LaTocha on Saturday, December 4. This tour is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Click here to register.

Artist Table Talk with Athena LaTocha
2021-12-03 18:30 - 21:00 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
Join us on Friday, December 3, for an evening of fine food, fine drink, and fine conversation with exhibiting artist Athena LaTocha and VACNJ Curator Mary Birmingham. This intimate affair will begin at 6:30 PM with a champagne gallery reception, followed by an elegant buffet dinner. Get acquainted with the artist and her work, then wind down the evening with passed desserts, coffee, and a presentation by Athena, where she will discuss her practice and the process of creating the artwork that makes up the show After the Falls.
Space is limited, so act now! RSVP by November 22. Tickets can be purchased here.

Family Colors Workshop (Watercolors, Collage & Poetry) with Dennis RedMoon Darkeem
2021-11-20 13:00 - 15:00
Dive deep into your history! Combine elements of your family’s symbolism, explore traditions, and utilize language to produce a unique family mandala. Participants will need to bring a set of watercolors, watercolor paper, collage materials, glue, scissors, and printed text or poetry to this workshop.

Curator-led Tour of Fall Exhibitions
2021-11-13 13:00 - 14:00
VACNJ Curator Mary Birmingham will lead a tour of The First Water is the Body and Athena LaTocha on Saturday, November 13. This tour is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Click here to register.

The Scavenger Hunt (Writing & Drawing)—Virtual Workshop
2021-11-13 13:00 - 14:00
In this virtual workshop, participants will be encouraged to search and find items in their personal spaces that can be transformed into layered multimedia expressions. Canvas paper, watercolors, magazines, and found items around personal space will be listed to bring to this virtual workshop.

Meet the filmmakers: "Conscience Point"
2021-10-26 19:00 - 20:00
The Film Society of Summit and the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey are bringing together a panel to discuss the documentary Conscience Point. VACNJ Curator Mary Birmingham will moderate a discussion with native rights activist Becky Hill-Genia and Treva Wurmfeld, producer/writer/director/editor of the film to find connections between the documentary and the exhibition The First Water Is the Body, on view at the Arts Center, October 9, 2021-January 23, 2022.
Click here to register for the event.

Personal Narratives: Connecting the Past, Present, and Future with Dennis RedMoon Darkeem
2021-10-23 13:00 - 15:00
In this workshop, participants will be looking for, building, and creating art inspired by everyday symbolism using collage materials and drawing supplies.

Raku-Fest Fall 2021
2021-10-23 10:00 - 2021-10-24 16:00 | Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, 68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ, 07901, United States
Raku-Fest at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
Saturday, October 23 & Sunday, October 24, 10 AM–4 PM
Join us for Raku-Fest! Raku-Fest showcases a unique ceramic firing process in which red-hot ceramic pieces are transferred directly from the kiln into a container of combustible materials. The heat of the ceramic causes the materials to ignite, and the resulting smoke creates one-of-a-kind effects in the ceramic glaze. Led by raku veterans and Art Center Instructors Peter Syak and Lisette Bedoya, this is sure to be an unforgettable event!
Three Ways to Participate:
Option One: Drop-off Raku Firing
Do you have ceramic work already made that you want raku-fired? Our talented instructors will fire them during the event. Register in advance, then drop off your piece(s) at the Art Center by Thursday, October 21. Pieces must have your name or mark and should be boxed and clearly labeled with your name.
$20 per piece. Note: to ensure proper firing, pieces must be made with raku clay purchased from the Art Center. Maximum dimensions of about 12 x 12 x 8 inches per piece. Students do not need to attend and will be contacted following the event regarding pickup. If you wish to attend the event, please also register for admission.
Option Two: Attend the Event—advance registration required
A socially distanced audience can watch the action live as multiple raku firings take place throughout the day. To limit capacity, admission is available for either morning (10 AM–12:30 PM) or afternoon (1:30–4 PM) on both days. Attendees may arrive any time during their time window. Walk-ins on the day of the event will be available only if capacity allows.
$5 per person admission fee. Children 17 & under are free but must be accompanied by a paying adult. Please enter the number of children attending during registration.
Option Three: Attend the Event & Glaze Items for Purchase—advance registration required
An assortment of pre-made ceramic pieces will be available for purchase for participants to glaze and have fired during the event. If you choose to glaze an item, your $5 admission fee will be deducted from the cost of the item. Items available for purchase and glazing include jewelry pieces, plates, and pots of varying sizes. Walk-ins on the day of the event will be available only if capacity allows. Click the links below to register.
Register Here:

Saturday, Morning Session
Saturday, Afternoon Session
Sunday, Morning Session
Sunday, Afternoon Session
Drop off Firing

Gem Sale
2021-10-19 19:00 - 21:00
Looking for the perfect stone to complete your piece? Dikra Gem Inc. will visit the Art Center on Tuesday, October 19, at 7–9 PM, to offer their collection of faceted and cabochon stones, beads, pearls, and more for purchase. Both students and faculty are welcome to attend!
For more than a decade the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey has enjoyed a special relationship with Dikra Gem. Once a year, they bring their collection to the Art Center to give our jewelry students the opportunity to purchase quality, unique gems at fair prices to add the perfect finishing touch to a piece or spark inspiration for a new one. Don’t miss out. Join us on October 19!

Art and Personal/Collective Wellness Virtual Workshop with Art Therapist Melissa Diaz
2021-10-16 13:00 - 15:00
Artist and board-certified art therapist Melissa Diaz will reference the creation of community art initiatives and the concept of collaboration to discuss both professional development and personal and community wellness. Diaz will speak about her journey as an art therapist, how it intersects with her art practice, and art as a tool for social activism and empowerment. She will share examples from her community art initiatives, clinical and academic programming, and practical information on current sentiments on the field of art therapy and the incorporation of wellness practices in other creative capacities.
Click here to register.

Curator-led Tour of Fall Exhibitions
2021-10-11 13:00 - 14:00
VACNJ Curator Mary Birmingham will lead a tour of The First Water is the Body and Athena LaTocha on Monday, October 11. This tour is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Click here to register.
