Salon 561: Annual Faculty Show 

DEMAREST, NJ -- Kick off the Fall with the Art School at Old Church! Salon 561 is open to the public and is an annual show that showcases the wide breadth of knowledge, mediums, and talent of the faculty at the Art School at Old Church. New to the school? This is a great opportunity to meet the instructors, who are among many local professional artists devoting their creativity to inspiring students of all ages to experiment, indulge in new experiences, and to grow. While faculty continue to show their artwork in the galleries at the school, this will be the 8^th Annual Salon 561 exhibition, and it is a chance to view the artworks in conversation with each other.  There will be artwork for sale in various mediums in ceramics, jewelry, photography, printmaking and more displayed in the Mikhail Zakin Gallery.  

A few of the eclectic pieces are elegant vases by Susan Bogen and Eric Lawrence, a teapot in the shape of a horse by Alison Palmer, Chinese brush paintings by Jane Chang, a dollhouse by Holly Ciccoricco, and striking photographs by Ray Turkin. The Art School at Old Church continues this inclusive tradition by inviting community members, students, faculty and curious individuals to join the conversation, meet the artists, and feel inspired! There will be a public reception on September 28, 2016 at 5:30 PM, and the exhibition is wheelchair accessible and is now open through October 28.

ABOUT THE ART SCHOOL AT OLD CHURCH

The Art School at Old Church is a non-profit cultural resource center providing community access to enriching experiences in the arts.  The school offers over 90 art classes and workshops for adults, teens and children each semester, as well as free gallery art exhibitions, cultural events, and outreach programs for special populations.  The Art School’s programs are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as contributions from foundations, corporations, businesses and individuals. 

Enamelist Society 2014 Grant Recipient — The Art School at Old Church

Grant Report/Evaluation by Jennifer Jordan Park

As a 2014 Enamelist Society Grant Recipient, the Art School at Old Church has been able to expand its offerings by starting an enameling program at the school. The mission of the art school is to enrich the quality of life in the community through visual arts education and cultural events.

The Art School at Old Church was established in 1974 as a non-profit, non-sectarian 501(c)(3) organization located in Bergen county in New Jersey. Housed in an old church, with four studios, it offers over 80 courses in each of its four quarters. The many offerings include fine art and craft classes for adults, teens, children, and families, as well as workshops and outreach programs. The educational programming serves over 700 students per quarter. The school also houses two galleries that are free and open to the public. The Art School at Old Church received the Paragon SC2-BD kiln via donation and was able to purchase, with grant funding, other enameling essentials, such as firing fork, IR glasses, heat resistant gloves, kiln furniture, sifters, grinding tools, and holding agent. With this new equipment, the art school is now able to offer enameling classes in its updated jewelry studio. Since receiving the grant, the art school enameling classes have been enrolling five to six students per class each quarter. In addition to enameling classes, the art school is able to promote enameling in other classes, such as Classical Jewelry (focus on ancient techniques of enameling, granulation, and chain making), and Jewelry Outside the Box (focus on using alternative materials such as enameling, resin, acrylic, and found objects). The art school has also run an Enamel Rings one-day workshop that enrolled nine students.

In these classes and workshops, students have been learning the art of enameling on small-scale items appropriate for jewelry making, sculpture, and two-dimensional art. Students have been using opaque, opalescent, and transparent enamels on copper, silver, precious metal clay, and steel. They have learned a variety of application methods including sifting, wet-packing, and painting. They have learned the techniques of stenciling, sgraffito, basse taille, champlevé, cloisonné, and plique-à-jour. Students have experimented with underglazes, overglazes, foils, leaf, separation enamels, liquid enamel, glass lump, and threads. They have been finishing pieces by stoning, etching, and/or or flash firing. They have learned how to use the flex shaft and appropriate tools for finishing enamels. Students have been using several methods for setting enamels, including bezel, prong, and tab setting. Additionally, they have been introduced to using solder with enamels.

The Art School at Old Church has achieved its objective of starting an enameling program with the ability to serve 20 students or more each quarter in enameling and related classes. Many thanks to the Enamelist Society for helping the Art School at Old Church to provide enhanced educational opportunities to the surrounding visual arts community.

Cafe Gallery: Summer Workshop Sampler

Susan Kasson Sloan

Every summer, The Art School at Old Church offers a variety of workshops taught by visiting artists and faculty. These workshops provide one or two day instruction ranging in different art mediums.  Samples of work for each workshop can be viewed in a new exhibition in the Café Gallery through June 15th. The workshop sampler exhibition will include work in painting, ceramics, jewelry, crochet, and photography. With a selection of student work and the instructors own art, the exhibition encourages students to see work that will be made in each workshop.

This exhibition includes works by the Art School’s talented instructors; Susan Beecher (ceramics), Harriet Barlaran Finck (mixed media/collage), Hank Gans (photography), Gary Godbee (drawing), Maud Guilfoyle (painting), Sharon Klass (photography), Janet Kohler (drawing/color theory), Paula Madawick (drawing), Stephanie Maddalena (jewelry), Beryl Maddalena (mixed media), Karen O’Neil (painting), Karen Pekelney (jewelry), David Shirey (ceramics), Susan Kasson Sloan (jewelry), Stacy Synder (ceramics), and Joe Terrone (painting).

Susan Beecher

The Art School is pleased to present these opportunities for artistic growth in new materials. Samples of work will be on display in the Café Gallery through June 15^th.  Come by the Art School to view the summer workshop samplers and make sure to register for one of our exciting summer workshops!