Art on View in Gloucester County

With a cultural hub such as Philadelphia only a train ride away, it’s easy for South Jersey residents to overlook what’s in their very own backyard. However, many organizations in West Deptford and surrounding towns are–and have been for years–providing residents with local access to wonderful art galleries and shows right here in Gloucester County; some even housed in unexpected places.

Here’s a look at just three of those organizations exhibiting new and exciting shows this spring.

West Deptford Free Public Library (westdeptford.lib.nj.us)

The West Deptford's library, located at 420 Crown Point Rd., began offering ongoing art shows in 1988, and has since expanded, said exhibits coordinator Karen Boucher.

“It’s a real neat, important place for the arts community in our area,” Boucher said, adding that in 1988 “there weren’t really a whole lot of places for artists [locally]. Other galleries have come up in the last 10 years or so.”

Exhibits at the library have included photographs, paintings, sculptures and a very popular bridal showcase, which displayed the various styles of bridal gowns through the times.

Currently, the library is showing an exhibit of photographs–all done by South Jersey artists, two of who are from Gloucester County–called Essence of Nature. Recognizable areas such as the Jersey Shore are featured.

Boucher said the show, which opened in January, has been well-received. The Jan. 16 artist’s reception for the photographers Ron Hartman, Patti Mancuso and Maureen St. John was well-attended, Boucher said.

The majority of pieces exhibited at the library are for sale. The library does not take commission when pieces sell (“We are first and foremost a library,” Boucher explained), so all purchases are done directly with the artist.

“Most are local and not professionals,” Boucher said. “For them to sell pieces is very exciting. And it’s very exciting for us.”

Boucher called the gallery a “vibrant place” and a “really great place for local artists to show their work.”

Next up in March is a celebration of Youth Art Month. From March 2 to 29, art from students at the three West Deptford elementary schools, grades kindergarten through fourth, will be on display. The young artists will also have a reception at the library Wednesday, March 9 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Following Youth Art Month, the gallery will host an interactive, musical called New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music. The show is a traveling exhibit sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museums on Main Street. The show will be at the library April 26 to June 9. More information on performers and exhibits will be available next month.

Exhibits on view at the gallery are open during regular library hours, which are Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.

To learn more about the library and its gallery, visit its website or call 856-845-5593.

The Living Arts Club (thelivingartsclub.org)

Paying your tax bills at Deptford Township’s municipal building isn’t always pleasant, but the Living Arts Club of Deptford Township at least makes it prettier.

The Living Arts Club is an organization under the umbrella of Deptford Township run by the township’s art consultant Pauline Jonas. It sponsors monthly cultural trips (excluding summer months), monthly art films and an art gallery located in the municipal building at 1011 Cooper St.

“I must say, it’s really a fabulous exhibit space,” Jonas said. “The municipal building–the way it’s constructed–it really transformed perfectly into an art gallery.”

Pieces from rotating exhibits are displayed in the buildings lobby, the first floor hallway to the entrances right side and upstairs in the second floor atrium. Its most recent show opened Feb. 7, with an artist’s reception set for Sunday, March 20 from 2 to 4 p.m.

“The show that just went up is exquisite,” Jonas said of the 73-piece collection, which includes oils, pastels, watercolors and photographs from South Jersey artists Jack Fanning, Sharon Fanning and Meed Barnett.

Having the gallery at the municipal building allows for “many, many people to stop and look at the art,” Jonas said. “That attitude and barrier that art is for the aristocratic class is old, and there’s no room for it in the modern world.”

Jonas added that the gallery, which started about eight years ago, is “a way for people to get exposed to beauty … an aspect of life we’re not always aware of. Being at the municipal building, it makes it more accessible.”

By doing the most ordinary and daily chores required at the municipal building, Deptford residents have the opportunity to experience a little beauty and appreciation for culture in South Jersey.

The municipal building is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but anyone who wishes to see the gallery outside those hours can contact Jonas at 856-384-6582. Pieces on display are available for sale unless otherwise noted by the artist. Like the West Deptford Library, the Living Arts Club does not charge commission and art purchases can be done directly with the artists.

But, the Living Arts Club is more than just its Deptford Gallery. It began doing cultural trips about 15 years ago, Jonas said. It recently sponsored bus trips to the Philadelphia Orchestra and The Nutcracker at the Academy of Music. Its next trip is slated for March 26 to the Ellarslie Mansion and the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton. All trips depart from the municipal building.

In February, the club showed a film on Normal Rockwell. Its monthly films, which began about five years ago, are shown at noon and 7 p.m., also at the municipal building. On March 8 it will show Magritte–An Attempt at the Impossible, a 55-minute film about Belgian artist René Magritte’s surreal paintings of familiar objects.

For more information on the Living Arts Club, website.

Dr. Ross Beitzel Art Gallery at Gloucester County College (gccnj.edu)

Located in the College Center building at Gloucester County College, 1400 Tanyard Rd., the Dr. Ross Beitzel Art Gallery draws local artists and some from out of state. Eoin Kinnarney, an art professor at GCC for 25 years, is the gallery’s director.

“It’s a lot of fun. We meet some great artists,” he said.

This past fall the gallery featured an emerging artists’ exhibit, done in conjunction with Rowan University.

The current exhibit is Celebration of Black History Through the Arts, on display until March 4, which features paintings, masks, vintage hats and quilts. Kinnarney said the quilts by Kathleen Lindsey have been a major hit.

Each exhibit at GCC opens with a meet-the-artist-reception, complete with free food and music. The next exhibit is set for March 25 to May 2, called Haiti Through Our Eyes. The exhibit features photographs taken in Haiti by a team from South Jersey’s Noyse Museum of Art. Its artist reception will be March 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-10 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, click here.