Anne Novado will be opening a new gallery in Jersey City, NJ.  The building is currently under construction/being renovated.

She is looking for artists to feature – here is something the gallery just posted on Facebook-

ARTISTS IN JERSEY CITY, BAYONNE, NEWARK, HOBOKEN, WEEHAWKEN, BROOKLYN & MANHATTAN: We are beginning to look at work for our new gallery at 110 Morgan Street. We are interested in working with emerging and established artists whose work shows a maturity of vision, a fresh approach and can include a creative use of materials-traditional or otherwise. We like humor, mystery, surprise, energy, beauty and seriousness. We anticipate our walls will be at minimum 10′ high and ceiling 12′. Email links of your website or PDF’s to our interim Gmail account: NovadoGallery@gmail.com (“artist submission” in subject line)
For more clues if your work might be a good fit, a few of the more known artists we like include:
Tony Ourlser, Tara Donovan, Wim Delvoye, Jim Campbell, Vija Celmins, Wayne Thiebaud, Jim Dine, Wolf Kahn, Beth Cavener, Mary Shaffer, Richard Wright, William Wegman, Fred Tomaselli, Mary Borgman, Lori Nix, Jill Greenberg, Romare Bearden, Bansky, Mark Wagner, Anselm Kiefer, Pat Steir, Bernar Vene

A spring 2016 opening is in the works. Of course, today is the first day of spring, but Easter is next week and Orthodox Easter isn’t until May 1st, so that is all relative.   I think she and business partner Steve Pearlman are targeting a May opening.  It will be called the Novado Gallery.

See the New York Times article about the building here.

I loved walking around that area, which is what we did last weekend.  I think I have only been to New Jersey once before and that was for something at the Meadowlands. Oh, and all the times I landed in New Jersey and took the bus into the city. I mean by plane. Despite what my students may or may not think about me, I am not actually a witch or an entity who can literally take flight using other-worldy powers, lol.

It is near the waterfront. Loved seeing the New York skyline from across the river. So close you could practically reach out and touch it and yet, you could get around effortlessly by car in Jersey City.  That was really cool.  Not at all what I expected.

Anne took me to this big warehouse thing-a-ma-gig called Mana Contemporary (888 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306).  It houses art studios and galleries, and is open to the public – free admission on Saturdays. They have studio tours and open houses. The artists take turns opening their doors, like every other week or something.  www.manacontemporary.com

Last Saturday, architect and artist Richard Meier exhibited a collection of mixed media silk-screen works on the second floor.  Gary Lichtenstein did a demonstration of silk screening techniques – with giant-sized silk screens (like six feet square)! And in the first floor gallery, there was an exhibition of artwork by the late Anthony Quinn!

I had no idea he was an artist.  This was an incredible show.  According to the information provided by the venue, “The T’ang Horse: Anthony Quinn, is an exhibition of Anthony Quinn’s own art, accompanied by a selection of pieces from his vast personal collection that he acquired throughout his life and travels.” The show is curated by Ysabel Pinyol.

Included in this exhibit is a Paul Gauguin, a self-portrait with his Yellow Christ in the background.  This was such a thrill for me to see because Yellow Christ is one of my favorite paintings and it almost looks like a selfie, as if it is saying, look at me with my painting! OMG!

Quinn played Gauguin in the film Lust for Life (starring Kirk Douglas as Vincent van Gogh).

There were some Henry Moore sculptures and then Quinn’s own sculptures that looked very similar.  So much to see in this exhibit!  He sculpted, painted and even created a hooked rug. A man of versatility.

What a spectacular gallery space!

Quinn was born in 1915.  According to the literature, he was born in Mexico, mentored as a child by Frank Lloyd Wright, and never wanted to be an actor.  He thought he would be an architect or a painter.  He broke his foot during the making of the movie Zorba the Greek and so he performed the dance slowly, which has since become a legit part of the dance, as though he invented it.

As an actor, his accolades include two Academy Awards and a Golden Globe.  He starred in almost two hundred films!

The man had quite the zest for life. He is considered a creative genius. In 2011, the Anthony Quinn Foundation began awarding scholarships to students and has since helped over sixty young artists.

If you wish to donate to this amazing organization, contact the Anthony Quinn Foundation at P.O. Box 539, Bristol, RI 02809. It is a donor funded 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization and the donations are 100% tax deductible. www.aqfoundation.org

Mana Contemporary  is open for tours Monday through Friday 11:00 am-3:00 pm and Saturdays noon-3:00 pm.  The next quarterly open house is on May 1, 2016.  This promises to be a big event where you can see it all – all studios open and all exhibits too!  They are on Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, if you wish to further connect.

As for the Novado Gallery, stay tuned!