Jersey City is gearing up for the return of “JC Fridays,” a periodic day of art, music, dance, photography, theater, and spoken word at various locations throughout the city. This now-seasonal event is a chance for artists in all media to get out and show their stuff.
With success from the previous Fridays, it has expanded to include new locations throughout Jersey City. So whatever your pleasure, Friday, March 3 offers something for everyone.
Response to closing of 111 First St.
“JC Fridays” came about in response to the closing of 111 First St. in Jersey City. Many of the art leaders in Jersey City discussed how they could build up an audience for art in town and find a place for the displaced artists to display their work.
Some of the groups at the first meeting included: Art House Productions, Jersey City Museum, Pro Arts, Victory Hall, Grace Church, Gallery 58, Mana Fine Arts, and others. In addition to considering what should be done, they went around the community to involve local businesses. This is the fourth JC Fridays event after three other successful events in the summer, fall, and winter. The event is growing. The most recent one brought over 500 people to the Jersey City art scene, which is up from the 300 people who attended in the fall.
“We are so thrilled that the number of events has doubled,” said Christine Goodman, director of Art House Productions. “The outreach has extended to new venues and new performers.”
Future Fridays
Based on the overwhelming response to the event, the group has officially determined to hold JC Fridays four times a year, at the change of every season. The summer event is already scheduled for Friday, June 2, and will mark the one-year anniversary of the start of JC Fridays.
Many of the venues, like Grace Church Van Vorst, City Hall, Victory Hall Cultural Center, and The Jersey City Museum, have participated in all of the JC Fridays thus far and are strong supporters of the arts. According to Goodman, the response from the community has been great.
“After every event, we have more people responding,” said Goodman. “At December’s event, it was so encouraging to see everyone out, even though it was really cold that night. It was great to see people with our postcard mapping out their trip so they could see many different events.”
The event is set up to allow people to go to many events to get a real sampling of the art and culture scene in Jersey City. Art House Productions, one of the main organizers of the event, will be performing Three by One: An evening of original one-person performances in celebration of Woman’s History Month.
“I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to do a theatrical performance centered on Woman’s History Month?” said Goodman, who performs in Three by One.
The event
This Friday, the event starts at 9 a.m. and goes until 3 a.m.
City Hall will exhibit the Woman’s History Month exhibit in the John Rotunda Gallery. It displays work by 18 female artists.
Cooke Contemporary Gallery presents the solo exhibit by Jeanne Risica, plus a musical performance by Marc Sloan. The Cooke Contemporary Gallery is a new gallery space in the Powerhouse Arts district.
Victory Hall Cultural Center presents Laughing Films & Musical Melodies, an evening of vintage short comedies and short new films accompanied by live original music. The show runs from 7 to 9 p.m.
Janam Indian Tea Shop presents short films by local film makers from 7 to 11 p.m. Also, the shop will be open all day serving tea and coffee.
Pro Arts Windows on Columbus has a 24-hour window exhibition by artist Ibou Ndyoye.
Mana Fine Arts will have a closing party for the exhibition The Chair Story, which examines the chair in all its figures of speech and function. The exhibit features work by artists: Maggie Ens, Scott Frielander, Steve Hirshon, Iris Kufert-Rivo, Richard Mason, Judy Richardson, Saul Robbins, Barbara Salander, Lynn Saville, Roger Sayer, Robert Schafer Jr., Barbara Singer, Nyugen Smith, Marilyn Stern, Ev Stone, Paul Sullivan, Rose Viggiano, Michael Whitney, Mike Womack, Randy Williams, and Herb Youner.
Gallery 58 presents a group show exhibition at their annex located at 107 Brunswick St. and will host Art House Productions at the Cole Street location.
Createspace presents two-dimensional works by Charles Farless. In addition, their will be a guest DJ and artistic food by TrishCooks.
Bagua Juice presents Hands in Plain View, which includes works by photographer Beth Achenbach and a spoken word performance with Camille Young, D. Sharese, J. Skillz, Karina, Leila Haddad, Mike D. Snoop, and Tiffany Promise from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
Art House Productions presents Three by One: an original performance piece in celebration of Woman’s History Month. The program starts at 10 p.m. and will be repeated at 11:30 p.m. In addition, art by Orlando Reyes will be shown. The performances will be held at Gallery 58.
The Jersey City Museum opens its doors to the public for all the current exhibitions. The exhibitions include: Surveillance, Sophie Rivera’s Portraits, Sheila Pepe’s Tunnel, and work by guest artist to the permanent collection by Curt Ikens.
Grigory Gurevich will present a portrait sculpture demonstration in his studio. This is a kid-friendly event.
Grace Church Van Vorst presents an evening of musical performances. They will preview songs from the upcoming performance of the musical Godspell, which will be performed in April. The cast will perform songs from the musical in addition to their own selections.
The Breher Brothers building presents: Indefinite Exposure: Mo’ Drive-By Photos, a series of work by E. Jan Kounitz.
Brunswick Window presents landscapes by Linda Gottesfeld. This exhibit is a window exhibit and can be viewed at all hours.
Sweet Pricilla presents a photography exhibit by Erin Foster. For more information please call (201) 240-5021.
The White Star, a bar and restaurant, features an exhibit by Robert Piersanti. One of the artists’ paintings is featured on the cover of this issue.
Gallerie Hudson is hosting a complimentary wine and cheese reception featuring the exhibit Subway Series by local artist Chris Pelletiere. and international artists.
Sight & Sound Productions presents Bugz, a child friendly art exhibit featuring music, art, and spoken word at Abbey’s Grill.
The Trees of Nerve Endings Gallery featuring the art of Maggie Ens and an art ritual workshop. Please RSVP for workshop at (201) 209-9764. The studio is located at 2 Union St., Loft 2K. Please use intercom code 211.
The sponsors
The free events presented throughout the city were made possible by support from the following: Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, The Jersey City Division of Cultural Affairs, The Jersey City Reporter, The Jersey City Magazine, Downtown SID, Art House Productions, and The Jersey City Museum.
Local business supporters include: Bar Majestic, Gallerie Hudson, White Star, Grace Church Van Vorst, Cooke Contemporary Gallery, Janam Indian Tea Shop, Beechwood Cafe, and Hudson County Art Supply. For more information on the event please visit: www.jcfridays.com.