Two days. Sixty artists. Eighteen live bands. No sponsorship, and not even a single noise complaint. The Digable Arts Festival, a monumental exhibit of art, visuals, and sound is a testament to what artists can accomplish when they work toward a single goal.
With artwork showing on almost every wall of the meandering third-floor space at the Monroe Center for the Arts in Hoboken last weekend, artist activists and volunteers came from all across the tri-state area to show work and support other artists.
The project was six months in the making for its organizers, Hoboken residents Roland Ramos and Wayne Carajal, founders of Hoboken-based Dog Run City, who said the independent art festival cost an estimated $1,500 out-of-pocket to produce.
“I’m sure Hoboken businesses would have donated to us,” Ramos said. “Hoboken loves art. But sponsorship takes a larger group of people to organize than just us. It was a matter of resources.”
“No one had jurisdiction over the art except the artists.” – Roland Ramos
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“Thousands of people came out,” Ramos said. “But it was impossible for everyone to see everything, which was the only annoying thing.” Ramos said that it’s important to make sure citizen artists keep art alive. “City Hall is pretty busy,” Ramos said. “They’re working with a deficit as it is. We got to make sure we take care of the arts.”
New art
Jersey City resident Virginia (“no last name, please!”) said she was familiar with the local art scene and was pleasantly surprised by the show. “It’s great that there is this amount of people coming out,” she said. “And I’m seeing a lot of works from a lot of people that I haven’t seen before.”
In fact, many of the volunteer artists came to Hoboken from New York, especially lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. “There are a lot of new works here,” Virginia said, “which is fantastic. And live music brings the exhibit to another level.”
Norman Hart, of Fort Lee, brought his grandson and aspiring young artist Tyler Lowe to the show after catching a performance at Mile Square Theater’s performance space downstairs. “It’s very impressive work,” Hart said, “and very avant garde. It really tries to open up the mind.”
The expressive works no doubt had an effect on 10-year old Tyler, who is still finding his artistic voice. But for Ramos, the unsponsored show was all about the artists. “No one had jurisdiction over the art except the artists,” he said.
Hoboken art
Ramos said that his biggest motivation for organizing the festival was to show other well-known art towns, like Jersey City and Brooklyn, that Hoboken has a viable artist community.
“Hoboken is right across from New York,” Ramos said. “It should be a destination. With 47,000 people, we only have two art galleries. The numbers just don’t add up.”
Ramos said that sometimes artists just need a little organization. “Artists are great at visualizing, but when it comes to putting the rubber to the road, artists just aren’t organizers,” he said.
But two young art organizers, Nicolina Johnson and Hillary Livingston, were on hand spreading the word about their artist collective, the Free Arts Society, based in New York City.
“It’s collaboratively based,” Johnson said. “The viewers can look and listen and create.” Along with comfortable pillows and couches to lounge on, the Free Arts Society’s even provided paint, paintbrushes, and open wall space, telling viewers to “do your thing.”
Welcome weather
The weather was also a huge draw for the festival, with many out-of-towners coming to Hoboken to enjoy a beautiful day. “It’s my first time out of the city,” said Free Arts Society member Hillary Livingston. “So I’ve been up and down Washington Street just exploring.”
Matt Bogert, of Wayne, who said he wasn’t much of an art enthusiast, showed his support for a friend and exhibiting artist by attending the festival. “If nothing else,” he said, “it’s a beautiful day for a free art show.”
Sean Allocca can be reached at editorial@hudsonreporter.com