(above) Photo by Peter Alessandria
NJ Photography Forum: A 25 Year Retrospective Exhibit at the Watchung Arts Center
The New Jersey Photography Forum (NJPF) continues the celebration of its 25h anniversary with a retrospective exhibit at the Watchung Arts Center at 18 Stirling Road on the Watchung Circle in Watchung, NJ from November 1 through November 30, 2019, with a gala opening reception on November 3 from 1-5 p.m. The Center galleries are open Tuesday through Friday from noon – 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
The exhibit contains two floors of outstanding photographs representing the past 25 years of fine art photography. Upstairs in the Heinz W. Otto Gallery, the NJPF will be showing almost 50 pieces by 37 artists who live throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Some have been part of the group since its inception with the balance being very active exhibitors for many years. The works range from film and alternative processes to digital imagery. The Lower Gallery will feature photographs that have won some top prizes in the Forum’s annual juried photography exhibits held at the Watchung Arts Center over the past 25 years. Most works are for sale with a portion of the proceeds going to the arts center.
Nancy Ori, the founder and Director of the New Jersey Photography Forum says: “The Watchung Art Center is a wonderful showplace for this retrospective exhibit tracing the history and dramatic changes that have happened in photographic art over the past 25 years, a period which corresponds to the founding and growth of the NJ Photography Forum. It also demonstrates the commitment that the NJPF and the arts center have to each other.”
The New Jersey Photography Forum is dedicated to furthering the interests of professional and serious photographers living or working in the New Jersey area. Under Ori’s direction, the NJPF has become the largest and most recognized group of fine art exhibiting photographers in the state. The monthly meetings are held at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey in Summit and encourage attendees to share expertise and advance their skills. The meetings provide access to a wide variety of current creative and technical information. Attendees have an opportunity to share their work for critique by others. Exhibition possibilities within the fine art community are constantly explored, and the group produces about a dozen group exhibits each year at various venues. These exhibit opportunities have become an invaluable resource for photographers interested in becoming fine art exhibitors.
The Watchung Arts Center (WAC) thrives in historic Watchung in Somerset County, NJ. The nonprofit, volunteer-run Arts Center excels in cultivating an eclectic mix of professional and emerging artists in the performing and visual arts. Quality works in fine arts, exciting music, and comedy events are presented to enthusiastic audiences. Appreciation of painting, photography, and music from classical to folk to jazz to coffee house, comedy, theater, and mind/body arts is fostered through classes, workshops, and performances. All are structured to catch and expand the interest of youngsters of an early age to seniors of any age. The Watchung Art Center is located at 18 Stirling Rd, Watchung, NJ 07069.
For more information on the exhibit please contact Nancy Ori at nancyori@comcast.net, or the Watchung Arts Center atwacenter@optonline.net. You can also visit the New Jersey Photography Forum website at njphotoforum.comand the WAC website at watchungarts.org
