Raritan Valley Arts Association
Newsletter

RARITAN VALLEY ARTS ASSOCIATION est. 1939

Blooming May Greetings!

How lovely is it outside! Trees, flowers, bushes, all flowering. Unbelievable. Enjoy! And you will surely enjoy our demonstrator/speaker Kevan Lunney, on Monday, May 19th, 7:30 pm, at the Somerset County Library. Having studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, Kevan had a career in New York City designing sleepwear; she designed hand- painted silk lingerie under her own label, Serenity. She now makes art with fabric, "a medium which allows tremendous freedom of expression, and continues to be challenging with the breadth of possible techniques from painting, printing, and dying to computer generated imaging on cloth." Her newest work reflects a painterly approach with vibrant color and raw edges with details drawn with the thread. Come, see, and learn! The title of her demo/lecture is "Contemporary quilt making techniques: inspiration from chicken soup." Kevan's work has recently been published in Creative Quilting: The Journal Quilt Project by Karey Bresenhan (C)2006 (book)"Compass. Kit Bebington will be doing Hospitality and we thank Kit!

Our last meeting with Seppo Siimes demonstrating with oil had a great turnout and all enjoyed Seppo and his large oils. Thanks to Lib Ryman for Hospitality! Thanks also to Linda, Lib, and Doug for helping Seppo set up and pack up after his demo. And of course, thanks to Linda for getting all our wonderful demonstrators!

RVAA thanks Mary Ann Vaccaro for accomplishing our magical trip to the Big Apple on April 19th. This was no small accomplishment with changed dates, few sign-ups, and the Pope's mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral that morning. But all went well and the 22 of us who went had a fabulous time (you should go next year; you really should!) Surprisingly we made the fastest time ever getting from the Met to the Salmagundi for the AWS Show and the Forbes Museum (which has added even more great toy displays, plus a Ronald Searle exhibit and a beautiful exhibit of acrylic paintings of African animals). The day was beautiful; the exhibits in all three places inspirational, and the company terrific! Thank you, Mary Ann!

Because this will be our last newsletter until September, your editor hopes you will give our local museums, the Zimmerli at Rutgers, New Brunswick, the Princeton University Art Museum, and the Morris Museum of Arts & Sciences a look-see this summer. And as well as painting out in your own backyard and on vacation, you might enjoy painting at Colonial Gardens or the Leonard Buck Gardens.

At the Princeton University Art Museum until June 15 "The museum celebrates its 125th anniversary with an exhibition featuring many of its most important works selected from among the museum's distinguished holdings. An Educated Eye also commemorates the publication of the Princeton University Art Museum Handbook of the Collections, the first comprehensive guide of the permanent collection in more than twenty years." The museum has also just been given a significant work by Pablo Picasso! There are several other exhibits and permanent installations as well.

At the Jane Voohees Zimmerli Museum, Rutgers, New Brunswick, several exhibits include New Narratives - Contemporary Art from India, until July 31st, American Landscape Prints from Whistler to Celmins, until July 31st, and Ways & Means: How Illustrators Plan a Picture Book, until July 20th. The Morris Museum of Arts & Sciences has many exhibits including "New Jersey Then & Now" until September 14th, "Doll Houses and Dolls" during July and August, "Stepping Out in Style-Outerwear of the last 150 Years." Your editor thinks one of the fascinating permanent (fairly new) collection is that of the automata. The Morris Museum was awarded the Murtogh D. Guinness collection of 700 historic mechanical musical instruments and automata (mechanical figures) and more than 5,000 programmed media, ranging from player piano rolls to pinned cylinders in 2003. This you really have to see to believe; I've seen it twice already!

This may not reach you in time, but.... Saturday, May 3rd, Sunday, May 4th and Saturday, May 10th The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts is hosting a stone carving workshop from 10 AM-1 PM. This is a rare opportunity to learn the art of stone carving from acclaimed master carver Franco Minervini. The Museum offers adults a three day workshop, in stone carving where participants will learn first hand about the traditional and modern tools and techniques used in stone carving. Students will also have the chance use an ancient tool known as a pointing machine and will assist in the carving of a replica gargoyle Minervini created for the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Workshop fee is $80 for members & $90 for non-members (includes all three classes). Pre-registration required.

During the summer keep in mind our own website www.raritanvalleyarts.org and if you haven't snail mailed or emailed me your photos of two paintings plus a one-paragraph bio, well, get busy! It's free!

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

ALKA DALAL presently has a one-woman show of her paintings in the Round Gallery of the Somerset County Library.

ELSA HERRMAN was accepted into the Ocean County Artists' Guild's 21st Juried State Show, as well as the 8th Annual Juried Show of the Bernardsville Public Library. In addition she received First Place in Professional Watercolors in the Laurelton Art Society's Spring Festival of Art.

RVAA members juried into the Bernardsville Public Library Show (at least that your editor has been told of) include ELSA HERRMANN, PATRICIA BARNABEO, DOROTHY VARRONE, RUTH WILSON, JUDY HUMMER, AND MAUREEN SLATER.

Bridgewater Township Art Show is currently up at the Bridgewater Municipal Building. RVAA members are included: Professional category-JOAN MCKINNEY AND DIANA PATTON, Non-professional category-PATRICIA BARNABEO, SUSAN BOYD, SHERRY ENGELBERG, AMY ERDMAN, RITA GORKY, MARY LOU GUIDIDAS, MARGE MCGOVERN, GERI OLDMAN, HOWARD RUCHLIN, CHRISTIANE SILLA, DONNA SOUREN, and PEGGYE COLE TOMBRO. ELSA HERRMANN, JOAN MCKINNEY, and DIANA PATTON have work in the Full Members' Exhibit of the New Jersey Water Color Society Show at the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury, New Jersey.

Now-please enjoy your summer. Relax in your recliner, gaze on gardens, feast your eyes on flowers, hang out in hammocks, picnic and party, swim in streams, and paint pretty pictures. And oh, yes, MAIL TO ME your news! It will be saved for September.

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