The area of Manhattan south of Houston Street, frequented by the artistic community, has earned the special name of “SoHo.”
But going across the Hudson River to points in Hudson County like Hoboken, North Bergen, Guttenberg, Weehawken, West New York, and Union City, reveals talented artists and creative people, a spinoff entitled “NoHu.”
Respected award-winning artist Ben Goldman, a Weehawken resident, rounded up some of the finest artists living in the North Hudson area two years ago and put together a slide show featuring their works. The first-ever “NoHu” slide show in 2003 was such a success that it opened the door for more.
This year, a new “NoHu” art show features slides of five North Hudson artists, including those from Guttenberg, West New York and Union City.
Goldman will moderate this year’s show, which will be held Thursday night, Nov. 17, at the Jersey City Museum, located at 350 Montgomery St., from 6 to 8 p.m.
Talking about their work and the importance of NoHu’s artistic community will be Peter Hotimsky of Hoboken, Jessica Lenard and Wendy Lewis of Union City, Julio Armando Mendoza of Guttenberg, and Christina Soto of West New York.
Weehawken artist Holly Lynton, who works with photography and video as forms of art, will give a special presentation on her work that is currently being shown at the Jersey City Museum.
Hotimsky is a landscape painter who is renowned for his work of places all throughout New Jersey. He is a pioneer in that field. Lenard also is known for her landscape work and has done some fine work using Jersey City locations as backdrops. Lewis makes fountains and kinetic sculptures, using motors, pumps and mixed media. Her work is fascinating, especially her interactive public sculptures.
Diverse talent
Soto, who is a member of the famed Hudson Exploited Theater Company, is very diversified in her talents. She is not only a filmmaker and a photographer, but she is also a playwright and serves as an interpreter for grand juries in the Bronx courthouse. Her photographs will be featured in the slide show.
Mendoza is an abstract painter and sculptor. Originally from Havana, Cuba, Mendoza has an extensive resume, having studied in the Soviet Union, France and Mexico and having exhibits in Miami, New York and Havana. Some of his work currently graces the Winter Garden Theater in New York, and he just was recently featured in a show honoring Cuban artists at Yale University.
“He has quite an impressive resume,” Goldman said. “I picked him because of that standout list of accomplishments. The first two shows we had were very well received. Now, because of this, we’ve been able to feature 25 different artists from North Hudson, artists of all different ages and varieties.”
Goldman believes that the shows are just the beginning.
“I think we had one of the biggest turnouts the museum ever had for the last show,” said Goldman, who has been a professional artist and has been shown in galleries all over the country for the last nine years. “The quality of the work we showed was fabulous. We’re just scratching the surface in terms of artists in the North Hudson area. We have a list of 1,000 artists in the area and had to pick five from there.”
Lynton, who has called Weehawken home for the last eight years, said that all artists should participate in similar slide shows.
“It’s great to have an opportunity like this, especially in New Jersey,” Lynton said. “I think it will be good and interesting.”
Lynton said that photography has come a long way as an art form.
“It’s a credible art form,” said Lynton. She said that she just started taking photo images and began to use herself as a subject, because of her youthful appearance.
“With video and digital media emerging as forms, photography is one of the more established forms, more established than others,” she said.
The Museum’s organizers are thrilled to put the show on.
“Part of the Jersey City Museum’s mission is to give special attention to contemporary art and recognize the many visual artists who make Hudson County their home,” said Marion Grzesiak, the executive director of the Jersey City Museum. “Slide nights are an effective way to showcase many talented individuals from our area at one time.”
“Hudson County is an incredibly rich site for cultural activity,” says Dr. Rocio Aranda Alvarado, the curator at the Jersey City Museum. “Thousands of fabulous artists make their homes here, have studios here, or both. It’s an incredible resource for the museum and for the residents of the area, and we hope to have NoHu Slide Nights every season.”
The third “NoH” artists’ slide show will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17 in the Caroline L. Guarini Theater at the Jersey City Museum. Admission is free and the museum is located at 350 Montgomery St. For more information call (201) 413-0303 or visit www.jerseycitymuseum.org.