"There are several artists who live in Weehawken," said respected painter Carol Kravitz, who has been painting for several years. "We've always wanted to have a local place to showcase our talents."
On Thursday night at 7 p.m., there will be a special presentation, combining art and music, entitled "Autumn, Art & A Cappella," which will feature the works of three Weehawken female artists and the music of a renowned a cappella musical group.
Works by Kravitz, Anna Yglesias and Evelyn Dette will be displayed in the library's multi-media center, while the group The Accidentals will perform. The Accidentals have been featured on several prominent television shows, including the PBS Talent Showcase, and have performed at Radio City Music Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
It's a rare gathering of music and art, never before featured locally. It's all part of what the Weehawken Free Public Library is doing to become more of a social gathering location than a place for old books and research.
"We're very proud to have three residents to be able to show their outstanding art work," said Phillip Greco, the executive director of the library. "We've been looking into possible promotions to have, and this one just really seemed to fit. I've seen their work and it's fabulous. We decided to put all of them together, combined with the music. We're just happy to be able to bring it all to the library."
Yglesias, whose colorful works have been featured throughout New York - including last year's famed "Save the Moosic: Cow Parade" program in Manhattan, where famous artists were asked to paint ceramic cows that were featured throughout the city - said that she was hoping to have some sort of show in her hometown for a long time.
"I've been trying to push for something like this for years," Yglesias said. "In fact, I'm so extremely excited about it that I'm at a loss for words. I've only had one other opportunity to show my work in Weehawken, and that was at the Arts & Crafts Festival. But this is so wonderful. I love Weehawken and I'm still there and proud to be from there. To be back in my hometown at a beautiful place like the library is wonderful. I can't even imagine this is happening."
Neither can Evelyn Dette, who is a self-taught artist who began doing landscapes seven years ago.
All three women have had their works displayed recently in award-winning shows. Dette was the winner of the New Jersey Women's Clubs convention for Landscapes earlier this year and has been shown at the Englewood and Secaucus libraries. Yglesias was a three-time participant in the New York Art Expo at the Jacob Javits Convention Center and won the Westfield Art Show title in 1996. Kravitz was a participant in the New York Central Park Paintout, which was held by invitation only from the National Association of Plein Air Artists.
"I'm thrilled that the library is offering us the space and the opportunity to do something like this," Kravitz said. "It's a very exciting event. It's one of the few times in the recent history of Weehawken where local artists can showcase their work. I hope that it's just a beginning, that other artists can participate in social events. We're like a small village across from the art capital of the world, but there's a lot happening here as well."
"Autumn, Art & A Cappella" will be held at the Weehawken Free Public Library, 49 Hauxhurst Ave., on Thursday, Nov. 13 at the Library's Multi-Media Center. The public is invited to attend and refreshments will be served. For further information, contact the Weehawken Free Public Library at (201) 863-7823.
Post a Comment