Call for Artists! Deadline Nov. 15

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We’re putting out our annual Call for Artists for Gallery on Main’s “Artist of the Month” series for 2020.

This series gives one New Jersey-based artist each month an opportunity to have a solo exhibition of their work presented in the Gallery and the front window for a specified month. Each artist chosen is encouraged to have an opening reception, which will be open to the public on the first Saturday of the month. We will publicize the event on our website, through social media, through press releases and other media outlets.

Please, you MUST FOLLOW THESE RULES to be considered:

  • Email us at least 3 different images that are suitable to be used in the marketing of your work (if chosen) with each piece’s Title, Dimensions, Retail Price, Medium and Artist Bio / Statement. Please use the email subject line “Artist of the Month submission”.

  • Only work that is for sale is eligible. If you are selected and if your work is sold during the time it is displayed at Gallery on Main, we will receive 40% of the sale price, and you as the artist will receive 60% of sale price.

  • ALL WORK MUST BE READY TO HANG. NO EXCEPTIONS.

  • Deadline for submissions is November 15, 2019. You will be notified if you are selected shortly thereafter.

We look forward to seeing your submissions!

Thank you,
Shaun & Michelle

Find of the Week: Scary Monsters

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Just arrived! We have some classic, collectible scary monsters from the early 1960s at Gallery on Main — Phantom of the Opera, Count Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, the Wolf Man, and The Mummy. Only one of each available — come check them out and take one or more home!

Artist of the Month exhibition: Terry C. Wagner, "A Tour of NJ's Gardens of Memory"

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In keeping with our Halloween celebration, Gallery on Main's October "Artist of the Month" exhibition features photographs highlighting the beauty of cemeteries by Dunellen, New Jersey-based artist Terry C. Wagner. Admission is free, and Terry’s works are available for purchase. 

Meet the artist at a free opening reception on Saturday, October 5, 2019 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

With this series of photos, Terry’s goal is to capture some of the antique graves and funerary monuments in New Jersey and “preserve the art, the stories, the emotions.” Says Terry, “I am called to study and capture ancient burial grounds, (which are) the repository of the deepest emotions we humans can express.” 

She continues, “The ancient art of stone carving for graves is lost to us. Machines began producing sandblasted stones by 1890. A few artisans are out there honing this craft today.

“My work tends to focus on the earth. These Gardens of Memory© are truly works of art in and of themselves. Walking among them touches my spirt and I listen to the calls that take me to-and-fro while nestled in the warmth of their lingering love. Cemeteries, graveyards, burial grounds — not scary at all! The true value of my work is that it speaks to another, that someone can ‘hear’ the photo and create their own message.”

Located at 30 West Main Street in Somerville, New Jersey, Gallery on Main is open Sundays 11:00 AM–5:00 PM; Mondays through Fridays 10:00 AM–6:00 PM; Saturdays 10:00 AM–5:00 PM; and by appointment. To learn more, call us at 908-722-4234 or follow facebook.com/GalleryOnMainSomerville.

Watch the mural in memory of Jerome Gonzalez take shape

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Painting began on Saturday, September 7, of the mural in tribute to our dear friend Jerome Luis Gonzalez. Here’s a slideshow of the mural as it was being created!

Updated 9/22/19: Watch til the end to see the final version!


Painting to begin on Somerville's outdoor mural in memory of our dear friend Jerome Gonzalez

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Thank you to Rod Hirsch for this great article in TAPinto about the outdoor mural that’s being created in memory of our dear friend, Jerome Gonzalez — a beloved local artist, author and arts advocate who passed away unexpectedly on February 17, 2018 at the age of only 44, while competing in an endurance run. A graduate of Somerville High School, Jerome lived in Bridgewater before he passed away.

We are thrilled to announce that painting of the mural begins on Saturday, September 7!

The mural was organized by Arts On Division, a non-profit, 501(c) (3) corporation here in Somerville, and co-sponsored by Gallery on Main. The 90 x 18-foot mural — which will be on the side of the Phoenix Café building — is being created by two talented artists who are donating their time and skills: Alejandro Medina (a.k.a. Elan Wonder) and Leon Rainbow, both of whom worked with Jerome on art projects in the past. 

Space for the mural was generously donated by Dimitrios “Jimmy” Stathatos, owner of the Phoenix Café building. Funding for the project is provided by numerous individual donations totaling approximately $7,000 to date. All proceeds in excess of the mural’s costs will be contributed toward Jerome’s children’s education. 

Join us to watch this exciting project come to life in the alley right next to Gallery on Main (between #26 and #28 West Main St. in Somerville, NJ 08876).

Artist of the Month exhibition: Mike Beckwith, Abstract Acrylic & Resin Paintings

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Gallery on Main's "Artist of the Month" series features an exhibition of paintings by Branchburg, NJ-based artist Mike Beckwith, a Somerville native. Admission is free, and the paintings are available for purchase. 

Meet the artist at a free opening reception on Saturday, July 6, 2019 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.

Born and raised in Somerville to artist parents, Mike was introduced to the art world from a young age. He spent many years in the professional theater world as an actor, director, teacher, fight choreographer, and designer, which firmly rooted in him a love of all the arts. When he moved from a career in theater to a career in teaching, Mike set about learning everything he could about any art form he could get his hands on, including video, photography, drawing, painting and martial arts. He was recently introduced to the technique of acrylic and resin pouring, and since then he hasn’t stopped taking flat objects and pouring liquid pigments over them. 

Mike spent most of his summers in Maine by Acadia National Park. Having grown up both next to the sea and in close proximity to a National Park, his work is inspired by the beauty of the outside world. 

Located at 30 West Main Street in Somerville, New Jersey, Gallery on Main is open Sundays 11:00 AM–5:00 PM; Mondays through Fridays 10:00 AM–6:00 PM; Saturdays 10:00 AM–5:00 PM; and by appointment. To learn more, visit www.GalleryOnMainSt.com, call 908-722-4234 or follow facebook.com/GalleryOnMainSomerville.

 

In town: Live music on Saturdays!

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Summer-Stage.jpg

Somerville’s popular “Summer Stage on Division Street” series continues with live music on Saturdays from 6:00 to 9:00 through Labor Day and beyond! Here's this year's lineup. Performances are just across the street from Gallery on Main, so be sure to stop in and visit us as well!

5/24 - School of Rock

5/25 - Terrance Haupt

6/1 - Band X

6/8 - Venture to Zen

6/15 - Animal Masks

6/22 - Mail Order Bride

6/29 - John Busse

7/6 - Bob Lanza

7/13 - The Tyrone Stackhouse Project

7/20 - The Green Planet

7/27 - The Broadcasters

8/3 - Cafe Racers Band

8/10 - Walnut St.

8/17 - The Wait

8/24 - Mail Order Bride

8/31 - Bob Lanza

9/7 - Ray Gun Tony

9/14 - Art all Day on Division -3 bands - Venture to Zen, John Busse and The Tyrone Stackhouse Project (2 sets)

9/21 - The Paul Nagy Project

9/28 - Remember Yesterday

Date(s): Friday May 24 and Saturdays, Memorial Day to Labor Day
Time(s): 6:00 pm-9:00pm
Location(s): Division Street

In town: Cruise Nights on Fridays!

/ Gallery on Main/

For 30 years, Downtown Somerville has hosted the largest cruise night on the East coast. From Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, the coolest classic cars around line up along Main Street for you to check out as you stroll. Don't miss out on the annual tradition! Combine your visit with dinner at one of our fabulous restaurants and be sure to stop by Gallery on Main for more nostalgic blasts from the past!

Date(s): Every Friday, Memorial Day to Labor Day
Time(s): 6:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Location(s): Main Street

Artist of the Month: Donna Gioia Volpe

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Gallery on Main's "Artist of the Month" series features an exhibition of works by Somerville, NJ-based artist photographer Donna Gioia Volpe.  Admission is free, and the photos are available for purchase. 

Borne from her lifelong yearly visits to Vermont, Donna Gioa Volpe developed a deep appreciation for nature and beautiful landscapes. After raising her three children, Donna's interest of photography blended with her love of nature.  Her intention is to capture awe inspiring scenes in such a way that the photograph evokes the same feeling of wonder in those who view it as she experienced in the moment of capturing it. In 2018, her newfound passion inspired her visit to Iceland, further igniting her desire to travel, experience, and photograph diverse beautiful landscapes.  This year her travel will take her to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.  

This exhibition focuses on photographs from Florida, Iceland, and some of her favorite local areas such as Ken Lockwood Gorge, Ricketts Glen State Park, Duke Farms, and more.

Located at 30 West Main Street in Somerville, New Jersey, Gallery on Main is open Sundays 11:00 AM–5:00 PM; Mondays through Fridays 10:00 AM–6:00 PM; Saturdays 10:00 AM–5:00 PM; and by appointment. To learn more, call 908-722-4234 or follow us on Facebook.

Artist of the Month exhibition: Jan ten Broeke, "Ten’s Art"

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Gallery on Main's "Artist of the Month" series features an exhibition of paintings by NJ-based artist Jan ten Broeke, on view April 1 through 30. Admission is free, and the artist’s works are available for purchase. 

Meet the artist at a free opening reception on Saturday, April 6, 2019 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

A prolific artist, throughout his career, Jan ten Broeke has been known and recognized by his simple nom de brosse (brush name), “Ten.”  Ten titles his work with his name and date of each work’s completion — as opposed to traditional, descriptive labels, which he believes confuses the viewer’s perception of his paintings rather than clarifies it.

Says Ten, whose professional background also includes working as a drug designer alongside some of the greatest minds in organic chemistry, “I have always been interested in exploring the scientific miracles of the natural universe, especially within the fragile biosphere that envelops Earth.  The paintings of the last decade draw inspiration from nature—including biological, geological, and astronomical phenomena—and anthropological and prehistoric artifacts. My work does not represent any reality as we see it, but attempts to demonstrate the experience of the forces essential to the continuity of life on Earth.”

Ten was an active member of the vibrant, revolutionary art scene that electrified Greenwich Village in the late ‘50s and ‘60s, where he earned the admiration and friendship of many of the scene’s most influential members. Although that dynamic era in art has sadly receded, Ten has had many domestic and international shows, honors, and awards, and he has consistently garnered enthusiastic praise for the entirely unique biomorphic, geomorphic, and metamorphic imaginings that he renders with perfect technique, brushwork, and style.

Ten’s first encounter with notoriety came on the day of his birth. His mother would often tell how he had entered this world in the wee hours of Pentecost Sunday morning. A severe thunderstorm was raging, and it would ravage the countryside of rural Marienberg, in the province Overijssel in the Netherlands, before the night was through. Within a mile of the ten Broeke family home, two heifers were struck by lightning and killed. Ten was born a blue baby gasping for air. A thin membranous veil—locally believed to signify the gift of second sight—covered his face. The gift conferred in lieu of the supernatural, however, was manifest from early childhood, in the form of his uncommon artistic skill and a profound understanding of—and reverence for—the wonders of the natural world.

Says Ten, “Ultimately, my mind, my eyes, and my hands are merely instruments in producing this work.  Despite knowing better, I do frequently experience the sensation that the work is not created by me, but through me.”

Ten and his wife, Barbara, live in the historic village of East Millstone, NJ, in a Dutch colonial farmhouse that was built in 1763. 

  

Images © Jan ten Broeke, used with permission.