Watchung Arts Center Celebrates 95th Birthday of Local Artist

Born in the early 1920’s and still “roaring” to go, Robert Harnick will be enjoying his 95th birthday this September. To celebrate the occasion, the Watchung Arts Center is exhibiting his work throughout the month, beginning with an Art Reception on September 11th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The exhibition, in the Arts Center’s Lower Gallery, will feature his early work from decades past, as well as a focus on his energizing output from more recent years. It may be that the life he brings to his canvas is the secret to his own longevity, or at the very least its quality.
“I enjoy creating artwork that I can share and give as gifts to other people. It brings me joy and I hope others will share in this visual pleasure.” In that spirit, Bob and his family will be donating all sales proceeds to the Watchung Arts Center.
Bob was born on a farm in Caldwell, New Jersey. At the age of two he was blinded in one eye in a firecracker accident and he has viewed the world with a unique perspective ever since. His family then moved to Seagate, a section of Brooklyn, N.Y. where he spent most of his childhood and met his wife Sherry. Bob studied aeronautical engineering and geology at the University of Alabama and continued his studies at NYU, Fordham and Columbia.
Heeding his country’s call during the Second World War, Bob enlisted in the United States Army. Due to his visual impairment, he contributed to the effort stateside, as a sergeant in charge of sending radio transmissions to the allies overseas. His mother henceforth considered his partial blindness a blessing in disguise, as he was spared when his entire battalion was lost in the Battle of the Bulge.
At the conclusion of the war, Bob followed an artistic, though decidedly practical pursuit as a commercial lithographer, establishing Golden Arrow Graphics in the printing district of downtown Manhattan. This remained his field of interest for the next 50 years, printing and designing for corporate clients such as Eastman Kodak, as well as classified work for the US government.
Never one to stagnate, over the years Bob found contentment in a remarkably diverse collection of activities such as painting, photography, sailboat racing, flying a plane and going on pacer hunts. He loved horseback riding so much that he spent his weekends in the 1950’s as an auxiliary policeman on horseback in Central Park, N.Y. In the 1990’s when he retired, he volunteered giving tours in McArthur’s Park, a nature preserve in Florida. Bob lived in Watchung for 25 years, near his daughter Jill Parker and her family, and currently resides in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
Bob’s artwork reflects his many interests throughout his life. The art exhibit will feature his love of nature and animals.
During September, the Watchung Arts Center will also host “Cuba: Working and Waiting”, an exhibit curated by Mr. Harnick, in its second floor Heinz W. Otto Gallery
The Watchung Arts Center, located at 18 Stirling Road in Watchung on the Watchung Circle, is a multi-disciplinary arts facility serving Watchung, the surrounding communities and the Tri-State Area. The Gallery is open Tuesday.- Friday from. noon to 5pm, and Saturday from 10:00am to 3:00pm. To obtain more information about upcoming performances, classes and workshops, and monthly art exhibitions, please visit WatchungArts.org or call 908-753-0190.