Heading to an art exhibit to socialize and sample some wine and hors d’oeuvres – sound like a cliché. But Jersey City Pro Arts – the local, non-profit professional artist organization – is turning that cliché on its head.
On Saturday, March 13, they will host their first Art Eat Up from 6-9 p.m. in downtown Jersey City at Villa Borinquen, 396 Manila Ave. (corner of Second Street) in their first floor event space.
This exhibit is different from others because artists had to undergo a submission process and will get to explain their work to the attendees. After the presentations, guests will vote for the most worthy art proposal, and the artist behind that proposal will be granted all proceeds donated that evening to use toward developing their work.
“Artists know it takes a lot of time and money to develop their work.” – Rachel Tuazon
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Rachel Tuazon, a local artist and one of the organizers of the event, said the Art Eat Up is an opportunity for local artists to get financial assistance and exposure for their work in an informal setting.
“Artists know it takes a lot of time and money to develop their work, and it’s important to lend a helping hand,” Tuazon said. “And sometimes it can be intimidating when artists apply for grants, so we thought it would be a good idea to help them.”
Food for art
Tuazon, a 24-year-old Jersey City-based painter, knows what artists have to deal with when they are submitting their works to an organization. Tuazon said in the past, she has in some cases had to submitted several pages of information as well as the finished project, and appear in front of a committee.
That’s why Pro Arts made the submission process very simple. Proposals were due March 1. They had to include: A project summary (less than one page), an explanation of how funding from Art Eat Up would help the project, an explanation of how the final product would be displayed at a future Art Eat Up, and three to five visuals (including past work).
“I actually got a lot of good reactions when people find out that it is only one page, and when they find out they can talk about their project to an audience,” Tuazon said. “Rather than artists relying on people coming to them, they can go directly to those they need to interest.”
The event was also inspired by Brooklyn’s FEAST (Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics), a recurring public dinner held at different Brooklyn locations raise money for new and emerging artists.
Artists and others attending can bring in a homemade dish, so it makes for a potluck dinner while achieving a community vibe.
The suggested donation for the event is $20. For more information visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~proartsjerseycity/proartsjerseycity/id1.html.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.