Author: Jessica Dagit

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Jersey City Artist

This Jersey City Artist Finds Treasure in Trash

Local artist creates art out of trash

The New jersey artist Theda Sandiford

Theda Sandiford is a Jersey City-based mixed media artist whose work has been featured in galleries across the US, won industry awards, and mentioned in international publications. But her real goal was getting the viewer to think a little differently.

Emotional Baggage cart

Theda’s work is made with found materials, there is plenty of cleaning and tidying to do before it’s ready to be worked into art. In trash, Theda sees treasure. Her most recognizable pieces are made from items that most people would see as the flotsam and jetsam of urban living: discarded plastic bags, bottle caps, bits of fabric, and other random items.

  “The first time I was inspired by garbage, I was maybe 5 years old,” Theda said. “I would see buttons and bottle caps and shells and I would drill holes in them and make necklaces for myself. They were like treasures. I have been collecting things from the time I was small.” Theda said in an interview.

    Theda is always on the lookout for materials. She collects things on her own, and people will ask her what she’s on the hunt for. “People say they collect a certain item and they’ll give it to me. At my shows, people will come up to me. Or I’ll post on social media or on my blog. I get a lot of DMs saying ‘I have that!’”

Theda's bottle cap artwork

Theda said, “Particularly among people who work in fashion, I like to get all their textile waste. I’ll have a courier pick those up. I get two or three boxes organized and then the courier will pick them up and deliver them to me. About 90% of my materials are donated and recycled materials.”

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Robert Rauschenberg

Robert Rauschenberg’s New York Home Now Open by Appointment

Robert Rauschenberg Soho home

one of the floors of the Soho home

The late 1960s home of artist Robert Rauschenberg, newly renovated and staffed with a team of archivists, curators, and managers, is now open by appointment to researchers.

one of his most famous Prints

Rauschenberg purchased the five-story building at 381 Lafayette Street in 1965. Situated between Manhattan’s NoHo and SoHo neighborhoods, it was originally constructed as a town house; in the early 1800s it became the administrative offices for an adjacent orphanage, and later, a school. Though the school relocated to Staten Island in 1929, the convent and offices stayed.

After Rauschenberg purchased the building, he spent a year renovating it, removing religious fixtures such as an altar from the chapel—though it still boasts three iconic Gothic lancet windows. At that time, SoHo was an up-and-coming neighborhood for New York artists and galleries, and Rauschenberg regularly exhibited art and held parties.

Rauschenburg combine

One of his most famous combines

Rauschenberg is perhaps best known for his “Combines” series of the 1950s and ’60s: paintings and collages into which he incorporated ready-made materials like taxidermy animals, fans, and pillows. Before he controversially won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1964, he had collaborated with painters such as Jasper Johns and Cy Twombly, as well as dancer Merce Cunningham, who used some of Rauschenberg’s work as stage backdrops.

Where the House is located in NYC

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New Weed Lounge

A marijuana lounge is headed for an Atlantic City hotel just off the Boardwalk

High Roller Dispensary Coming to Atlantic City in the old Claridge Hotel.

This is the Conceptual rendering of the sign

In Atlantic City the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City is making space on what used to be its casino floor for a cannabis dispensary and lounge.The state is finalizing its approval of regulations on legalized consumption lounges, where customers can smoke, vaporize, or eat cannabis products they’ve purchased at dispensaries in a public setting, like a weed version of a bar or restaurant.

Meanwhile, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority gave its approval last week to a 10,000-square-foot, two-story High Rollers Dispensary, to be located at the Claridge, a 1920s-era former casino located between Park Place and Indiana Avenue, just off the Boardwalk.

The Claridge Hotel in atlantic city

The Claridge hotel that will become the new Lounge

Because the Claridge does not technically abut the Boardwalk — it is separated by Brighton Park and the Korean War Memorial — it is not subject to the city’s restriction against recreational cannabis on the Boardwalk. And it no longer has a casino, which would have subjected it to federal restrictions.

Atlantic City Green Zone

The Atlantic City Canabis Zone

Jon Cohn, an owner of High Rollers Dispensary, said the company was close to finalizing its lease from the Claridge and would embark on $3.2 million in renovations, including building a new entrance on Pacific Avenue near Indiana.

The dispensary portion will take over most of what was formerly an art gallery that is now used mainly for cocktail parties, weddings and other events. The hotel, which does a brisk wedding business, will maintain a portion of that space for that use. Cohn said the dispensary and lounge would also be accessible through the hotel lobby, except when the hotel is hosting weddings, he said.

The rest of the space, and a second-story, 3,700-square-foot former baccarat lounge, will be renovated into the dispensary and consumption lounge, featuring a non-alcoholic bar, possible options for outside food, live music and other pop-up entertainment, Cohn said.

One of the Galleries that will be a lounge.

The state’s current proposed regulations do not permit any alcohol or food to be sold inside consumption lounges, but those provisions have been subject to criticism during the public comment period, which ends March 18.

When the High Roller Dispensary opens up it will benefit the City and those around the area. With Stockton University creating a minor in Cannabis Studies recently. It will benefit the graduating students in that field of study with getting a job at the dispensary.  

The owner is anticipating 175 jobs for the cultivation facility, which is still under review by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, and 35 more for the dispensary and lounge.

The High Roller Dispensary could open as soon as this summer.

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New Jersey City Art Space

New Jersey City art space to have opening reception during JC Fridays

The Box Gallery in Jersey City opening

The grand opening of The Box Gallery will be held on Friday, March 3, from 6 to 9 p.m.

There’s a new art space in town. The grand opening of The Box Gallery will be held on Friday, March 3, from 6 to 9 p.m. as part of the first JC Fridays event of 2023. JC Fridays offers visual art exhibitions, music performances, studio tours, and more hosted at local businesses, galleries, and arts organizations throughout the city, all free to the public. With the opening of the art space in the area it would help bring local artist and new artist who just got out of university who want a space to show their work. Since the gallery is free to the public it will benefit the citizens to enjoy a new art space to bring their families and appreciate the art of the locals.

The current JC Fridays lineup includes 175 2nd St., &CO, X Rita Jimenez Collab, the Art House Gallery, Bill Rood, Bruno Nadalin, Drawing Rooms, Dvora Art House, Elevator Open Studios, Evening Star Studio, Grayscale Studios x Golden Light Poetry, Green Pear Heights, Guaicora Studios and The Juice Box, Hamilton House, Irma’s Cafe, McGinley Square Pub, NJCU, The Oakman, Outliers Gallery, Pro Arts Jersey City, Project Greenville, Saint Peter’s University, Sharon (sharex) Sinton, SMUSH Gallery, Speakeasy Studios JC, The Statuary, and Theda Sandiford among others.

Phoenix by Nathanael Cox, 2020, photography on acrylic, 16 × 24 × 1/2 in | 40.6 × 61 × 1.3 cm.

Phoenix By Nathanael Cox

The opening reception will include a diverse lineup of artists including Amy Burns, Christine DeFazio, Olga Nenazhivina, John Guevara, Ovi Paulter, Valter Guevarra, Emily Linares, Tali Rose Krupkin, Nathanael Cox, Kristian Battell, Ry An, Ayiana Porter, Othman Hagdi, and DARKRECONSTRUCTION.

Tali Rose Krupkin- Immersed in Conversation

Immersed in Conversation- By Tali Rose Krupkin

A closing party for the exhibit is scheduled for Thursday, May 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. during the planned art crawl event. The current exhibition will run from March 3rd to May 11th.

Here Is directions to the location of the Box Gallery

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ShowBoat

Sculpture series comes to Showboat in Atlantic City

Seward johnson Cast iron Statue

One of the Statues that are on Display

In Atlantic City several bronze sculptures made by artist Seward Johnson are on display at the Showboat hotel

Seward Johnson Cast Iron Statue in atlantic city

"Celebrating the Familiar"

one of Johnson's cast bronze series of sculptures, was brought to the Showboat through a donation by the Daniel Veloric Foundation, which is loaning the sculptures to the hotel through its relationship with owner Bart Blatstein.

Seward Johnson Cast Iron Statue in atlantic city

THE SCULPTURES SHOW PEOPLE DOING EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES.​

“It fills me with pride to have such a stunning, museum-quality sculpture exhibit from a renowned artist become a focal point of our hotel lobby promenade and atrium,” said Blatstein. "This latest entertainment installation continues to show our enduring commitment to elevate guests’ experiences when visiting Atlantic City."

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My Atlantic City

My Atlantic City exhibit showcases the city through different perspectives

My atlantic city

The Two Exhibition Curators

In Atlantic City Residents, locals, visitors and passersby all see the city differently, which is why Union Hall Arts debuted a “My Atlantic City” group art show to allow people to see the island through the eyes of others.

The art gallery was inspired by positive response to the “My Atlantic City” Instagram page Zack Katzen, the co-owner of Union Hall Arts with Jim Dessicino, created to share historical images he came across while researching mural projects for his Create 48 LLC, a public art curation group that provides support services to artists.

“This show gives our community a chance to celebrate itself and this inspiring city of ours,” Katzen said. “Through each artist’s eyes, we get a chance to see Atlantic City in a new way, with renewed love and passion.”

More than 80 artists, most of them local, submitted more than 100 pieces for the exhibit. Some of those Atlantic City-inspired works included paintings referencing the Monopoly board game or the iconic Mr. Peanut, sculptures made from beach litter, and memorabilia like vintage $1 casino chips from the first 25 years of legal gambling as well as flyers from boxing events hosted in the city.

 
My Atlantic City EXhibition at union hall

Other works included in the show were a light sculpture mapping of the city’s 48 blocks, collages, books and old souvenirs.

“Our whole city can come celebrate itself and its amazing history here at Union Hall Arts. There are learning opportunities through historical memorabilia, opportunities for locals to find their new favorite piece of art, and opportunities for artists to show and sell their work,” Katzen said. “Plus it’s free, allowing the community to come enjoy anytime.”

Katzen said the show was special because it gave the local creative community a chance to show and sell their work, a first for some artists like Atlantic City resident Jaxson Jaffe. The show also marked the one-year anniversary of Union Hall Arts.

Another wall of the My atlantic city Exhibition

Jaffe submitted a fish-eyed self-portrait of him doing an ollie off a ramp at the Back Sov. Skate Park on Sovereign Avenue. He also submitted a painting of shoes with blue headphone chords he made in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic started, which he said encompassed his sad mood at a time when the world was shutting down.

  Jaffe said the show was a good way to bring together a lot of different artists and people he could learn from, which allows for more motivation and inspiration, while adding to the city’s art scene.

  One of those artists Jaffe could learn from was Lennos Warner, an Atlantic City resident who’s been a professional artist for more than 20 years. Warner moved from the West Indies to Atlantic City in the 1980s.

   Warner decided to showcase a pink wood panel sculpture titled “Don’t Shoot” that he made in 2020. He used at least a dozen teddy bears from roadside vigils and memorials to circle a clock with real bullet holes that stopped at 12, marking the time when someone was shot, to raise awareness of gun violence in the city.

The My Atlantic City Exhibition is open now till May 1st The show will be open most weekends from noon to 4 p.m.

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Philadelphia Art Museum

Philadelphia Art Museum is establishing a Center for African Art

Philadelphia Museum of art

The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) will create a center devoted to the history and influence of African art. The center is being made possible by an endowment from trustee Ira Brind, a financier. Known as the Brind Center for African and African Diasporic Art, it will focus on the acquisition, care, and study of art of the continent and its diaspora.

“I am thrilled to support a dynamic field of art history that has important connections to the city of Philadelphia and the global art world,” said Brind. “The stories we tell through art, and the diversity of our collection, matter. I am particularly excited to share the collection and its history with the area’s diverse population.”

Ira Brind the Curator of the center For African Art

Ira Brind

The establishment of the center will allow the PMA to widen its curatorial scope and will allow it to present a fuller picture of art history. “The missing continent from within our curatorial structure was Africa, and the stories and artistic production from the African

diaspora,” PMA director and chief executive Sasha Suda told the New York Times. “Almost half of our population identifies as African American.”

“There is a lack of Africa in the museum—it was always my goal to help fill it,” Brind told the paper. “It’s a passion of mine that I’ve been collecting and always intended to try to share.”

No details have yet been revealed regarding the center’s opening, but Suda told the Philadelphia Inquirer that a search for a curatorial director and assistant curator would begin soon. Attendant to the center’s creation, the museum will additionally establish a fellowship program to train graduate students in the field of African and African diasporic art.

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New Jersey Artist

N.J. artist’s powerful Black History Month shirt is a bestseller at Old Navy

Grace Lynne Haynes

Grace Lynne Haynes

The Artist shared online on her Instagram proudly showing children smiling and wearing her design that she created for Black History Month.

The painted design shows a Black woman wearing a pink and purple outfit with puff sleeves dancing in front of a chartreuse moon. She stands in a pool of water while holding a bird with feathers of orange, yellow and blue. The shirt is a best seller at Old Navy the popular clothing store. 

“It feels so surreal,” says Haynes, 30, a recent graduate of Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts. The artist first drew attention when her paintings covered The New Yorker in 2020.

New jersey best selling tshirt

This is the Shirt Design by Grace Haynes

Haynes Design in Old Navy is a part of the Project We initiative, which spotlights the work of diverse artists.
“You spend a lot of time in your studio just making work and then to see it on such a huge platform and to see all the different people that are tagging me in their photos that are wearing the T-shirt, I think that’s my favorite part,” said Haynes.
Old Navy donated $500,000 to Fifteen Percent Pledge, a nonprofit organization that encourages retailers to partner with Black-owned businesses. The group’s mission statement: “Black people make up 15% of the US population. So, we asked businesses to dedicate 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands.”

Old Navy Ad featuring Grace Lynne Haynes art

Haynes says the shirt design, which incorporates fashion and nature, is about movement and creating your own mythology. She likes the idea of her art being accessible to everyday people, not limited to a wealthy gallery audience. The shirt is currently on sale for $6 in toddler sizes and is 30% off for kids and adults ($10.99 to $14.99).

Check Out The Shirt
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Broken Jeff Koons Statue

Art Fair Visitor Breaks a Jeff Koons Balloon Dog Sculpture

A woman accidentally knocked over a bright blue dog sculpture at Art Wynwood in Miami, causing the $42,000 artwork to shatter, witnesses said.

Jeff koons Balloon Dog Sculpture

The Jeff koon's Balloon dog statue that Shattered into millions of pieces

The balloon dog sculptures made famous by Jeff Koons so closely imitate their twisted latex inspiration that some observers might think they would be better set in a circus than an art gallery. But the fragility of these seemingly buoyant sculptures was made clear on Thursday when visitors at an art fair in Miami saw a bright blue porcelain dog worth $42,000 fall and shatter into pieces. The sculpture, which was about 16 inches tall and 19 inches long, was perched on a transparent pedestal at Art Wynwood

Time Stopped for 15 minutes after the Statue Shattered

During the art fair’s V.I.P. preview night on Thursday, art collectors and other aficionados were milling around when a woman knocked over the Koons sculpture, causing it to shatter into at least 100 pieces. “Before I knew it, they were picking up the Jeff Koons pieces in a dustpan with a broom,” said Stephen Gamson, an art collector and artist who said in an interview on Saturday that he saw the sculpture fall.

Mr. Gamson said that he was about to point the sculpture out to the group he was with when he saw an unidentified woman tap the sculpture with her finger, knocking it from its pedestal in a booth managed by Bel-Air Fine Art, which has galleries in the United States and Europe. At first, Mr. Gamson said, he thought that the fall could be part of a staged performance piece, but then he noticed that the woman was blushing and art fair staff members were rushing over. Suddenly, the shards of porcelain had a bigger audience than the hundreds of intact paintings and sculptures that surrounded them. The Miami Herald reported on the crash on Friday. Wynwood Art could not be immediately reached on Saturday.

Jeff koons sculpture Shattered

Jeffrey Koons with his Balloon Dog Statue At another event Before its last

Suddenly, the shards of porcelain had a bigger audience than the hundreds of intact paintings and sculptures that surrounded them. The Miami Herald reported on the crash on Friday. Wynwood Art could not be immediately reached on Saturday.

The Unnamed Lady will not have to pay for the broken Koons statue, but as of now  the shards of the sculpture are now stored in a box, waiting for an insurance company to review them, said Mr. Boero, who had a diplomatic outlook on the incident 

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Noyes Senior Arts

Noyes Museum to Develop Senior Arts Programs

   In Atlantic City Noyes Art Museum a new $10,000 grant has been given from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The grant gives the Museum opportunity to provide new visual arts courses for senior citizens in Atlantic City.

   The grant is a part of the council’s Creative Aging Initiative in which $220,000 was given out to 22 New Jersey organizations. The Museum is the only one in Atlantic County to receive the grant from the program.

Noyes Museum Senior Grant

Local artist Valeria Marcus Teaching Art Classes to seniors at NOyes.

“Arts education and lifelong learning have longstanding priorities at the State Arts Council,” said Samantha Clarke, the council’s program officer for arts education & lifelong learning. “We look forward to providing new opportunities to reach older adults through the Creative Aging Initiative grant, and we’re especially excited to be working with both arts organizations and community-based organizations in this important work.”

    Danielle Jonas-Staveckas, a program assistant at the Noyes, knew when she applied for the grant that it would be perfect for residents at the Atlantic City Townehouse, a senior-citizen apartment building on Mediterranean Avenue.

Local artist Valeria Marcus had previously taught arts classes for the Noyes to adults 55 and over. Marcus, who lives in Atlantic City, is an advocate for child abuse and domestic violence survivors. “Her classes were met with such high praise,” Jonas-Staveckas said. “It felt like the perfect fit to hold classes once again, but on a larger scale to match the need and requests from Townhouse residents.”

Professor Valeria Marcus

“Her classes were met with such high praise,” Jonas-Staveckas said. “It felt like the perfect fit to hold classes once again, but on a larger scale to match the need and requests from Town house residents.” Marcus and the Noyes will develop two residencies to teach painting, art history and writing skills to 16 residents at the building’s senior center and disabled independent living facility.

Each residency includes a monthly class from April to November. One residency will focus on visual arts, while the second will connect visual arts and writing through narrative and art therapy based applications. The grant will allow the Noyes to provide the residencies free to Townhouse residents.

     “The goal of the classes is to provide aging adults with basic and intermediate visual arts instruction to build skills where they could practice and explore art as a means to communicate their personal feelings and experiences,” Jonas-Staveckas said.