An art exhibit entitled “Young at Art: Youthful Inspirations,” recently opened Downtown, with proceeds to benefit a newly created city youth art center. The exhibit runs through the end of the month.
For gallery owner Sam Cintron, who helped create the center and is hosting the show in his brand new gallery on 350 Warren St., art is a key component missing from some city kids’ lives.
“Most kids in the urban areas,” said Cintron, who, until recently, had a space on Jersey Avenue, “they look up to the sports figures – it’s always been music and sports.”
So he and the Rev. Mario Gonzalez, a pastor at the Calvary Assembly of God in the Heights and a former Harlem resident, decided to get together to create the Hope Center, with has classes that teach comic book drawing, guitar playing, gospel singing and keyboard playing. The center got a favorable temporary leasing deal in the Golden Door Charter School, at 180 Ninth St., from the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, which owns the site. But they are still searching for a permanent site.
The two launched the exhibit made up of some 30 Jersey City, SoHo and Brooklyn artists. Robert Costa, a Brooklyn artist who is an organizer for both Hoboken and Jersey City art tours, curated the show.
Opening night for the exhibit on April 26 packed in about a thousand bodies, according to Cintron. The work in the 25,000 square foot space runs the gamut from Ron English’s youth-inspired Batman series and Orlando Cuevas’ grotesque toys to Norm Fracouer’s “It’s Potty Time,” a mixed-media piece that was not for sale.
It’s an impressive collection that includes a room of luminescent paintings by Anders Knutsson. “Some colors fade rapidly,” a sign in the room warned, “while others stay luminous for hours.”
A series of Duda Penteado paintings has etched in the words of Reg E. Gaines, a Jersey City poet who created the early-90s spoken word album, “Please Don’t Take My Air Jordans,” who and wrote lyrics for the Broadway hit “Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk.”
In “The Watcher Watches the Watcher,” Aaron Yassin created a mirror-and-camera combination with the disorienting effect of the observer seeing himself in a camera while at the same time reflected in the mirror surrounding the camera.
The prize for the priciest piece goes to Mike Bidlo, whose untitled acrylic on canvas piece runs $60,000. Half of the proceeds go to the artist, and the rest go to the academy, according to Cintron.
For Leigh Gonzalez, the wife of Mario and the vice president of operations for the academy, “at-risk” children will be a priority. She said scholarships would be available to those children who demonstrate a need.
Class prices range from $60 to $250 for an eight-week session starting June 2.
Cintron speaks excitedly about the gospel of art and makes it clear he wants to open that world to children. “It enriched my life and I’m a complete human being,” said Cintron. “We believe kids need an early exposure. We’re not trying to make little artists; that’s not our goal. Our goal is to nurture a talent – whether it be music, dance or poetry.”
“Young at Art: Youthful Inspirations” runs until May 31 at the Sam Cintron Gallery, 350 Warren St. (The Morgan Industrial Building). Tues. through Sat., 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information on the exhibit and the academy, call (877) 466-8347 or visit www.cityhopecenter.org.