Monday, October 26, 2015

CALL FOR ART: Mulberry House Fall/Winter WAA Member Exhibit

CALL FOR ART

The Westfield Art Association is pleased to be exhibiting member art at Mulberry House on Westfield Avenue in Westfield. The first WAA exhibition at Mulberry House was a huge success and we have been invited to exhibit our work again form the Fall and Winter seasons.

We are currently seeking artwork of all mediums and styles (unfortunately they can not accommodate  sculpture that is not able to be hung on a wall) that follow the theme of Fall, Winter, kitchen, farm and food. Please send up to three jpgs for submission to westfieldartassociation@gmail.com. Please use the email subject "Mulberry House Fall Exhibition." Please include the following information for each piece submitted: artist name, title, medium, dimensions, retail price. Submission deadline is November 9, 2015. This exhibition is only open to active Westfield Art Association members. If you have not renewed your WAA membership, please do so today so that you may participate in these exciting exhibition opportunities.

About MULBERRY HOUSE: With 3 separate dining rooms and lots of sunlight and windows, Mulberry House is a great spot to order a pot of tea, along with a selection of delicious tea sandwiches, and English style scones with clotted cream and home-made jam. Weekend brunch offer items such as Eggs Benedict, fluffy omelets, strawberry cheesecake stuffed with French toast, and many more. Dinner service features local farm and market ingredients from New Jersey utilizing the freshest ingredients from the surrounding landscape. Chef Anders changes the menu weekly and includes 4-5 appetizers, 5 entrees, tapas and fabulous desserts.



Sunday, October 18, 2015

Recap: CreativiTEA Party

This afternoon's social event brought together members of many local arts groups, including the Roselle Art Association, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Art Association, the Contemporary Art Group and, of course, the Westfield Art Association. With so many like-minded artists in attendance - and so many types of tea and baked goodies to feast upon - it did not take long to decide that we will be repeating this event again next year, and the year after that, and....

Under the guidance of the WAA's Education Outreach Coordinator, Laura Brown, three board members made thought-provoking, interactive presentations.

Brooke Gardiner, WAA Vice President, Exxon chemist & glass artist, gave us a historical viewpoint on man's creativity since the dawn of time and how it influenced evolutionary change and growth along with a personal view of his scientific and artistic growth, which is based in experimentation.


Ginny Puskar, WAA board member and acrylic painter, gave us a presentation on artistic influences and an activity that challenged us to find artistic inspiration in randomly-selected phrases and words.


And Laura Brown, art educator and WAA board member, challenged us to an exercise that had us blindly feeling a random object attempting to draw it from feeling alone.


Add to that the marvelous spread of specialty teas, sandwiches, scones, cakes and cookies...


...and great participation from our many attendees...


...and we definitely had a get-together that excited the creative minds and appetites of all who attended. We are already looking forward to next year!

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Join us this Sunday for the CreativiTEA Party!

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we host a social event with our friends from the Roselle Art Association and the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Art Association. As always, our third Sunday events are 1-4pm in the Community Room of Westfield Town Hall, 425 West Broad Street in Westfield. Ample free parking is always available.


This fun event will feature several short, thought-provoking presentations with accompanying hands-on activities that will spur creative thinking and discussion. Join us for hot tea and delicious treats with your friends - new & old - and expect to leave inspired: this will be the artists' social event of the season!

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

A Great Exhibit & a Delicious Dinner at Limani Grill

Limani Grill hosted a lovely dinner tonight for our Board of Directors, who were at the restaurant to view our first art exhibit in Westfield's wonderful seafood restaurant. Owner George Vastardis spent time mingling with board members and was extremely complimentary of the work and the strong reception it continues to receive from his many patrons.

a happy crowd

The 7-piece exhibit was sourced from a theme-specific call for art to all current WAA members, and was beautifully curated and hung by board members Maxine King and Ginny Puskar.

The exhibit at Limani is our second in a growing series of WAA pop-up galleries going up in downtown restaurants. These exhibits add the flavor of original art by gifted local artists to the already amazing flavors of Westfield's many restaurants. Themed to complement the unique culinary efforts coming from each restaurant's kitchen, the art shows local residents and visitors alike a bit of the vibrant culture of our community.

Michael & George

If you have yet to see our exhibit at Limani, please invite a friend to join you downtown. And don't forget to tell George we said hi.

For menus, information, and reservations at Limani Grill, visit http://limaniseafood.com/



Monday, October 5, 2015

Scotch Plains Fanwood Arts Association Plans Bus Trip to the New Whitney on Nov. 5



The Scotch Plains Fanwood Arts Association is planning a bus trip to the Whitney on Thursday, November 5th. The new Whitney Museum of American Art is now located in the meatpacking district. SPFAA members and non-members are welcome to spend the day at The Whitney.
The bus will leave Brookside Park at 9:00. Brookside Park is at 1255 Hetfield Ave., Scotch Plains. The cost for the bus trip is $25.00. Entry to The Whitney Museum is separate, and payable at the museum. Please mail checks for the bus fare to the Scotch Plains Fanwood Arts Association at P.O. Box 151, Fanwood, NJ, 07023 by October 29th.  Do not mail the Museum entrance fee. At the door the admission cost is $22.00 for adults and $18.00 for Seniors and students. The bus will leave the museum at 3:30, returning to Brookside Park around 5:00.
The Scotch Plains Fanwood Arts Association is a group of fine artists, crafters, photographers and sculptors forming a social group to express and enjoy their talents. All are welcome who want to use their creative skills to share, appreciate and grow with others. A main goal of the Scotch Plains Fanwood Arts Association is the integration of the arts into daily life. We strive to achieve this through informative demonstrations, discussions and group trips. Please visit the SPFAA website at SPFAA.net or call Sandra Cerchio, President, at (908) 868-8909. Additional information about the group may be accessed by clicking here.