WAA Celebrates National Poetry Month this Sunday, April 17, 2016 from 1 - 4 PM

The Westfield Art Association (WAA) is pleased to celebrate the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month in April with a day of activities for adults and children of all ages. The event will take place outside on the corner of South Avenue West and Westfield Avenue (one block from the south entrance of the Westfield train station) on Sunday, April 17, 2016, from 1-4 PM. All are welcome and the event is free of charge.

 The WAA is hosting a visit from the Creativity Caravan — a vintage 1965 trailer  that fosters the appreciation for creativity — to help Westfield and the surrounding communities celebrate the written word. Cataloged inside the  Creative Caravan is The Tiny Book Show, a traveling exhibit of miniature books hand made by artists and writers from around the world. Participants will have the opportunity to view the books during the event and experience first hand the influence of art and words throughout the world.

 Hands-on activities for people all ages that encourage an appreciation for poetry and creativity will be held throughout the day. In addition, a poetry reading will be held inside Gallery U Boutique at 2 PM as part of their “Ekphrasis: Art & Words” exhibit which pairs artists and poets in inspiring one another’s art.

The activities planned by the WAA to celebrate National Poetry Month are sure to  introduce participants to the idea that poetry can be more accessible than one may think. Many participants will walk away from the event with a fresh idea of the power of personal expression through words and art, and the beginning of a life-long love for visual arts and the written word.

Gallery U celebrates National poetry Month with Ekphrasis: Art & Words consisting of an exhibition of art and poetry— side-by-side — that includes local artists and poets inspiring one another. Existing poetry was collected by invited poets and artwork was curated from artists throughout New Jersey. Artists and poets were given the opportunity to choose selected poems or pieces of art that spoke to them and to create a new piece of art—be it a visual art piece or poem—based on the original inspiration. Exhibition will be on view through May 2, 2016

This Sunday: Art Appreciation lecture

As part of its on-going art education series, the Westfield Art Association (WAA) will present an educational afternoon seminar with noted art historian Gene Wisniewski on this Sunday, March 20, 2016, from 1-4pm in the Westfield Town Hall Community Room, located at 425 East Broad Street in Westfield, NJ.

Mr. Wisniewski delivered part one of his lecture previous to WAA which focused on a review of 1,000 years of Western Art. This month Mr. Wisniewski offers Part Two which focuses on Art Appreciateion. In this popular 3-hour lecture, he will explain what to look for when you look at art. 

This lecture is taken from his larger seminar, the Six-Hour Art Major, which he calls “art school, condensed.”  “Being exposed to these mini-versions of basic art classes gives you a whole different take on art,” he says.

This presentation is free to WAA members, with a $10 suggested donation for non-members. New membership applications will be available at the door. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

About GENE WISNIEWSKI: Instructor Gene Wisniewski received his art education at the New York Academy of Art, The National Academy of Design, The New School, and L’Ecole Albert Defois in Vihiers, France.  He has exhibited in galleries nationwide, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. He has fourteen years’ experience teaching and lecturing on visual art, and is the author of “Art: Who, What, How, When, Where, and Especially, Why”.

Art & Poetry: Recap

Sunday's WAA presentation at Westfield Town Hall, on the relationship between art & poetry, was both thought-provoking and challenging. Artist, teacher, and poet Michelle Greco led us through a truly interactive session that exposed us to innovative, visual approaches to poetry. And challenged us to try our own.

Michelle Greco, presenter

Michelle's way of teaching is truly interactive, and she continually sought thoughts and ideas from the audience throughout her presentation. After an overview of the event's subject matter, she opened our eyes to 3 distinctly different approaches to using visual imagery to create verbal art.

a nice crowd in the Westfield Town Hall

And with each new approach, we all had a chance to try our hand at it. We took turns sharing what we had created by reading it aloud, and the output was truly remarkable.

If you attended the event and have any thoughts you would like to share, please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below.

Westfield Art Association Presents "Making Connections: Art & Poetry" Workshop this Sunday February 21

Visual and written art are typically seen as two distinct forms but Michelle Greco will discuss how they inform each other significantly.

The Westfield Art Association (WAA) will present a workshop with poet and artist Michelle Greco on Sunday, February 21, 2016, from 1-4pm in the Westfield Town Hall Community Room, located at 425 East Broad Street in Westfield, NJ.

Visual art and poetry have been inextricably linked for as long as they have both have been in existence. They inspire one another in ways that no other art form does and add greatly to the visual aesthetics of art. Poetry can help the artist look at art in a new way and closer at the details of a painting. They can dig deeper to discover a more detailed story behind the artwork.

Visual and written art are typically seen as two different forms of expression, but poet and artist Michelle Greco will discuss how they inform each other significantly. This afternoon event will focus on mind mapping and word association based on visual images. Attendees are encouraged to bring a pen and paper to catch the muse!

This presentation is free to WAA members, with a $10 suggested donation for non-members. New membership applications will be available at the door. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome.

About MICHELLE GRECO: Michelle Greco is a poet and artist who both lives and teaches in New Jersey. She holds an MFA from Drew University. Her poems have appeared in Painted Bride Quarterly, The Stillwater Review, Edison Literary Review, and the anthology Dear Sister, among others. Her book, Field Guide to Fire, is now available from Finishing Line Press.

About WESTFIELD ART ASSOCIATION (WAA): Since 1922, the Westfield Art Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, completely volunteer organization, has provided art education and public exhibitions, and continues today to actively encourage its many members in the pursuit of individual artistic goals and growth. All mediums. All experience levels. All welcome. For more information, to donate, or to become a member, please visit http://westfieldartassociation.blogspot.com.

A New Partnership With Kean University

We are pleased to announce that we have been invited by Kean University to partner with their School of Communication, Media & Journalism in the facilitation of a new course on public relations for non-profit organizations.

Our Education Coordinator, Laura Brown, and president, Michael Endy, met this week with the student team we will be working with this semester.

This is an exciting new opportunity for our organization, and fits perfectly with our mission's commitment to arts education in our community. We hope to see this blossom into a beautiful relationship.

ReCap: Art Show & Tell, 1/17

Last Sunday we hosted our first Art Show & Tell event at Westfield's Town Hall. We had a great member turnout to see 3 member artists show & tell why they have selected a specific medium with which to create their art. With a group of artists as diverse as the WAA has, this is a great opportunity to get an insider viewpoint on how and why our peers create art.

a great crowd for a snowy Sunday afternoon of art

Our first presentation was on fine art photography, and featured a slide show and discussion with Michael Endy, in which he shared the milestones in his art education and museum visits that lead him to become a photographer.

To see more of Michael's work: http://michaelendyphotography.com/

Michael Endy talks about fine art photography

Presenters also brought samples to share during their presentations. In the photo below, Michael shares samples of different photographic printing techniques and papers. His samples also included many different formats  - beyond the classic frame - in which photographs can be displayed.

presenters shared many samples to enhance their presentations

Our second presentation featured member Judith Sandala, who spoke to us about her cast paper sculptures made from her own handmade papers and the wonderful processes that this art form entails. She showed not only finished samples, but also the many steps necessary to create her exquisite art.

To see more of Judith's work: http://jsandalasculpture.com/

Judith Sandala presents on cast paper sculpture

And we ended the day with a presentation by Maryann Iannitto, who described the fascinating process of reverse glass painting. Some may know this as "tinsel painting," as tinsel and foils have traditionally been used to enhance the translucent areas of paint. Never heard of this technique? Well, you have certainly seen it many times: take a closer look at the face of that grandfather clock!

Maryann Iannitto presents on reverse glass painting

It's safe to say that if you did not join us on Sunday, you missed another fun and educational art event. Not to mention some great snacks! Keep your eyes right here on this site for the upcoming announcement of next month's fun & exciting art education presentation.

New Program: Art Show & Tell

We look forward to seeing all of our members at our upcoming monthly event. Each 3rd Sunday we plan a presentation, workshop or other art event to which all members are invited. This month's event will be ART SHOW & TELL, and will be presented from 1 to 4pm in the Community Room of Westfield Town Hall, located at 425 W. Broad Street.

click to enlarge

The concept behind this event is to show how different artists are drawn to different mediums, yet the drive to create is common to all. We will hear from 3 practicing member artists, each using a different medium:

       
               • Judith Sandala: handmade paper sculpture

               • Michael Endy: fine art photography & printing

               • Maryanne Iannitto: reverse glass painting


This event will be free to all WAA members. The event is open to the public, and we certainly encourage you to bring a friend; we do ask for a $10 contribution from non-members.

This promises to be an exciting, informative event. We hope to see you there!