Pro Arts Jersey City, in conjunction with the 21st annual Jersey City Artists Studio Tour, will present the Pro Arts Members’ Exhibit during the studio tour, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1 and 2. The exhibit will be open to the public at Parlay Studios, 161 Second St., downtown Jersey City, from noon to 6 p.m.

This year’s exhibition will celebrate the diversity of work within the Pro Arts professional membership community. Curators Meredith Lippman and Michael Smith have selected a range of work from paintings and works on paper to sculpture and installations, which showcase the talents of Pro Arts members as well as a proclivity to modernist and contemporary issues.

This year’s Pro Arts Exhibit includes the work of 26 artists – Jenn Adams, Aliza Augestine, Christine Barney, Aileen Bassis, Liz Cohen, Stephanie Daniels, Nisha Drinkard, Rebecca Feranec, Anita Gladstone, Susan Groves-Evans, Grigory Gurevich, Lisa Halpern-Ficarelli, Sharon Harvey, Ann Hjelle, Kay Kenny, Megan Klim, Stanley Lindwasser, Beatrice Mady, Ibou Ndoye, Robert Rice, Melida Rodas, Roslyn Rose, Molly Sawyer, Gailene St. Amand, Krista Svalbonas, and Chris Winslow.

Curator Meredith Lippman said about the artists and work presented this year, “This year’s showcase of the Pro Arts members not only highlights the exemplary work created by the community’s artists but serves as well to demonstrate the increased hybridization of the arts as artists examine, borrow and reconceptualize techniques and concepts from the current art scene.”

Each year the Jersey City Studio Tour draws thousands of visitors from the Tristate area to visit Jersey City and celebrate its rich artist community. With over 500 artists participating, at more than 100 venues, there is something for everyone.

New this year, Pro Arts will provide free bus service each day of the Tour for tour visitors wishing to explore all the exhibits and galleries throughout Jersey City. Five bus lines will originate at Parlay Studios and loop throughout Jersey City neighborhoods, concluding at 150 Bay Street Gallery. A tour guide will be on board each bus to provide assistance, information, and commentary on the galleries and studios along each route. Tour-goers can spend as much time as they wish to explore, sightsee, and visit attractions before boarding the next bus to continue their tour. This is a great way to see the Jersey City Studio Tour at your own pace! Handicapped accessible vehicles are available through Hudson County Transcend. Any passenger requiring an accessible vehicle must inform Pro Arts by Sept. 30. Call Pro Arts for details and to reserve space, 201-736-7057. Transportation for the Studio Tour is provided courtesy of the Provident Bank Foundation.

A closing party will immediately follow the Pro Arts Members Exhibit on Sunday, Oct. 2 with a reception from 6 to 7 p.m. and the party from 7 to 9 p.m. at Parlay Studios. This event is open to the public and brings together visitors, artists and sponsors for celebration and entertainment. The 2011 JCAST closing party is sponsored by Goldman Sachs.

The City of Jersey City, Pro Arts Jersey City, and the arts community thank our sponsors for making the annual studio tour possible. Special thanks to our Platinum & Gold sponsors: Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and the Provident Bank Foundation, and to our Silver and Bronze sponsors: Panepinto Properties, SILVERMAN, and Skinner’s Loft. Thanks also to the Jersey City Reporter for their continued support in presenting the annual Studio Tour Guide, to Jersey City Departments of Recreation and Health & Human Services for providing tour shuttles, to Hudson County Transcend for providing wheelchair accessible transportation, and to the generous and supportive Jersey City businesses and establishments that have opened their doors as venues to the artists on the tour.

Pro Arts Jersey City is an organization of professionals in the visual arts, mainly from Jersey City and the surrounding metropolitan area, who are working to promote the arts and to better communicate Jersey City's identity as a growing arts center. Visit their website www.proartsjerseycity.org or call 201-736-7057 for more information.

This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency for the National Endowment for the Arts administered by the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, Thomas A. DeGise, County Executive, and the Board of Chosen Freeholders.