Chatham Artist Featured in Arts Guild New Jersey Show

The Arts Guild New Jersey in Rahway will host Nexus New Jersey, a showcase featuring 47 pieces of work from more than 210 submissions from artists all over New Jersey, from Sunday through Nov. 4. There will be a free opening reception on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.

"This year's show is interesting, there's a lot of photography in it," said Rachel Faillace, assistant director at Arts Guild New Jersey. "The artists are coming from 11 of the 21 counties in New Jersey, so it's a pretty wide spread of New Jersey artists.

"There's a pretty good range of artwork in the show; besides photography there's drawing with graphite, oil painting, acrillic painting, sculptures from wood and hand-made paper, there's fiber work."

While Arts Guild New Jersey, in its 11th year, has done exhibits in the past, this is the first time there will be a statewide showcase of talent.

"This is the first year that we've called it Nexus New Jersey and made it a statewide show," Faillace said. "In the past we had put together a show that was for Union County artists, called Celebrating Excellence. We reorganized the show for 2010 as a statewide opportunity."

Among the 31 artists in the show is Alison Hooper, a Chatham resident. Hooper, who has recently started getting back into art, entered a photograph titled "Isolation."

"I have just recently started getting back into my photography, so I was thrilled to learn that one of my photographs was accepted into the show," Hooper said. "It is such an honor to have my work chosen among so many accomplished and talented artists.

"In general, my photographs and sculptures are small in scale in order to create a more intimate connection with the viewer. The figures in my work represent anyone and everyone. In "Isolation" a woman stands alone, stripped of her clothing and identity; her bareness revealing her loneliness and inner pain."

The juror for Nexus New Jersey is Dr. Sharon Matt-Atkins, who is an esteemed art authority in her own right.

"Every time we have a juried exhibition we invite an arts professional to act as the juror or judge," Faillace said. "This year we asked Dr. Matt-Atkins because, first of all, she is the associate curator of exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum and she also has knowledge of New Jersey artists."

Admission is free and gallery hours are 1 to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but the work can also be viewed during regular business hours on Monday through Thursday by appointment.