Open Studio Stroll and Earth Festival this Weekend

"We had 400 people last year and are expecting more this time out," said Lorena LaGrassa, artist and executive director of the not-for-profit ValleyArts District, Inc.

LaGrassa was talking about the Second Annual Open Studio Stroll and Earth Festival this Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Freeman and Tompkins streets in Orange and Mitchell and Valley streets in West Orange. Artists, arts organizations, area businesses and performance venues are presenting open studio tours, art exhibits, indoor and outdoor site specific installations, live music, demonstrations, interactive projects and more.

A map with marked locations for each event is available at the information station on the corner of Freeman and Tompkins streets.

This year's weekend has an important theme: sustainability and the environment.

"We feel the theme of this year's stroll reflects the needs for information and education about sustainability and a consciousness of a better living in our community," LaGrassa said.

The 30 participating artists are working in many media with an emphasis on eco-art, including site-specific and land art.

Among the event art  highlights are an "Aquatic Recycled Treasured" workshop, an "Art Parade" from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, followed at by a bookmaking demonstration from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. by Valley Arts mainstay, artist Terry Boddie of his Oualie Art Gallery at 540A Freeman St. The gallery and studio has an emphasis on photography and mixed media art.

Boddie, who lives in the Valley Arts District, is among the exhibiting artists. Boddie's mixed-media works are exhibited in museums nationwide and he is artist- in-residence at the Center for Book Arts. Next door at 544 Freeman St., the Arts Unbound Gallery has a do-not-miss exhibit that closes after this weekend.

West Orange-based artist Mansa Mussa described his incoming project: It  is a 40" x 40" collage on canvas on the barn door on Tompkins Street across from Orange, Ink," Mussa said. "The collage features my photographs of VAD events over the past two years, portraits of community members, street scenes, architecture, aerial photographs of the planet and street maps."

Mussa's project has an interactive component. He will be taking and printing photographs weekend long and asking festival visitors to add them to the collage. Other artists will include ORNG, Ink mentor artist Mike Malbrough, of Orange, Robert Lach, of West Orange, Eric Beckerich, vanOs, and Larry and Jane Dell, of Maplewood/South Orange.

As to the rest of the activities:

Continuing with the eco-theme, both days there will be a 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. "Operation Cleaning Creation" led by the Valley Arts and University of Orange teams. Pitch in as the team cleans a lot on Freeman Street near Scotland Road and create a semi-permanent found art installation with the collected debris.

There also is a recycled bird feeder making activity led by Susan Ward and the girl's scouts from Gregory Avenue School in West Orange and Saturday and Sunday tours from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. of the Garden Stage Urban Farm Green House. Luna Stage, 555 Valley St., will host afternoon backstage tours and their main stage show, "The Old Settler," has a preview matinee on Sunday.

No ValleyArts event is complete without the street flare of the young members of ORNG, Ink, a design studio and open boutique at 406 Tompkins St., adjacent to the exhibit at the IronWorks Gallery. ORNG, Ink will host one of its famous skateboarding contests for entering and viewing, music performances and new products are on sale.